More than 51,000 apply for Hialeah's Section 8 voucher program
MIAMI - A mother and her three children, all cramped in a hotel room, are hopeful life will take a turn for them.
"This is where we stay at, it's a hotel as you can see, my living room is my bedroom and then we have a semi-little kitchen, and one bathroom," Amanda Davila told CBS News Miami's Ivan Taylor.
Davilla is a single mother of a five, six, and seven-year-old. Everything they own, toys, books, and clothes are in a tight space. They also have two pets, Lilac and Leyla, that are part of the family
"It's been a struggle, it's been very hard," said Davila holding back her tears.
She and her kids are homeless. The hotel where they're living is paid for by relatives after Davila's husband left her and the children.
CBS New Miami met Amanda Davila on April 22nd standing in line at the John F. Kennedy Library, on West 49th Street, in Hialeah. She was with her five-year-old daughter applying for the Section 8 Affordable Housing Voucher Program.
"I just pray to God that this Hialeah housing voucher is able to come through for me because I really need it, It would make a difference in my kids' life and my life to have a home," said Davila 10 days after applying for the program.
Hialeah Housing Authority Executive Director Julio Ponce said the number of people Davila is competing with is overwhelming.
"We had 51,503 to be exact, applicants, that shows the dire need of this community," he said.
In 2021, when the program last opened, HHA awarded 2,500 vouchers.
"And, (back then) we had approximately 36,000 applicants. The jump shows the need that we have in this community period," said Ponce.
He said an independent company will choose one thousand people in a lottery process. Hialeah Housing Authority will then give preference to three groups.
"That would be for the elderly, the disabled, and the homeless, they would get extra points so they would move to the top," said Ponce.
If Davila is selected, the voucher program would pay 70 percent of her rent and she would need to find the place to live.
Whether it's an apartment, a house, or an efficiency, the average monthly rent in Hialeah exceeds $2,100 dollars a month, but she's concerned she's competing with more than 51,000 people
"It gets me worried that I won't be able to find a home for my kids, that we'll be struggling forever," said Davila.
The HHA will notify by mail the one thousand people selected for the affordable voucher program before the end of May.