The city of Santa Rosa is accepting wait list applications for its HOME tenant-based rental assistance program through March 31, a spokesperson for the city said.

The wait list lottery is a federally subsidized program that helps low-income individuals and families afford market-rate, private rental housing within Santa Rosa city limits for up to two years, the spokesperson said.

Once all of the applications are in, the city will conduct a random lottery to determine which applicants will be placed on a waiting list and in which order each application will be reviewed for eligibility.

To qualify for the program, applicants must meet low-income guidelines, which begin at $48,900 for a one-person household and up to $92,160 for an eight-person household, the spokesperson said. Participants pay between 30 and 40 percent of their monthly income towards the rent and the HOME program pays the balance (within reasonable limits, though the city does not specify what that means).

The city notes that this program is separate from Section 8 or any other federal housing program, and those using other programs are not eligible.

Those interested in applying can submit an application online.

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.