Your PHA and You

Greetings! It has been an extremely busy summer for me. “The Move” finally happened, and I am now blogging to you from my HCV unit in Houston. The one thing I learned this summer is that communicating with any government agency can feel somewhat scary and intimidating. I would like to share some ideas that will assist you in having effective communications with your PHA worker and other staff. These ideas are also great for those who are applying for the HCV Program. Feel free to copy/paste these into your own word processing program.
Trust me—these really do make things a whole lot easier!

1. At the very beginning, create a file for yourself. Label it any way you want—the PHA’s name, or “Housing”, or whatever—to identify what the file is related to.

2. In this folder, you will want to keep a copy of the following:

1. Copy of your Social Security Award Letter if you are disabled or on SSI (Social Security Income). Please note—you will want to keep this file in a secure, safe location as it will contain sensitive documents that protect your idenity.

2. Copy of your SS card and Drivers’ License or state photo ID card if you do not or cannot drive. If you have children, copy(ies) of each child’s birth certificate and social security cards if they have one.

3. Copies of your current pay—if you are employed. Be sure contact information to your employer is up to date.

4. Copy of most current bank statements. If you utilize E-statements, print them out.

5. There is more, but these are the “basics” you will always need to have on hand for applying to the HCV program and annual reviews.

3. Always keep a copy of every document you submit to your PHA in this folder. In addition, you will want to put correspondence your PHA sends to you in this folder as well. This will help you be able to quickly and efficiently communicate with your PHA.

4. When your PHA asks for specific information, it is very important to submit it all as quick as you can.

5. Most important of all, keep every PHA appointment. Most PHA’s today have very stringent rules regarding late arrivals, cancellations and no-shows. So it is imperative that you are at least 15 minutes early, if at all possible to every appointment.

For my next entry, I will talk about the one thing so many of us hate—annual inspections. As always, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions you would like to see answered here.

Housing Choice Voucher formerly known as Section 8….

In my last posting I talked about the PHA’s (Public Housing Authorities) and public housing. Today I would like to talk about the Housing Choice Voucher program, otherwise known as Section 8.

When a dear friend told me about the HCV program, I felt like I had “hit the jackpot”. For many years I had resided in Senior Citizen/Disabled units owned by a PHA. I had never in my life had a house or anything like that. The more I learned, the more I was impressed. Under Section 8, you have a lot more flexibility. You can choose where you want to live, choose from an apartment, condo, townhouse, or even house. The only restriction, per se, is that you must choose your home based on the bedroom size that your PHA assigns to you. Most singles and couples are assigned a one bedroom—unless you require someone to live with you, to assist you with your every day needs. (I will go more in-depth on this issue another time).

The HCV program, as you probably know, consists of PHA’s, landlords who own private properties, and tenants. One of the best things about the program is that once you are “in the system,” you can stay as long as you desire. Yes, there are a lot of rules and requirements. But I think it is SO worth it! Need to move to another state? NO PROBLEM. Go to your PHA and ask the procedures for portability.

What is portability? Portability is the ability to transfer your voucher from one city/state to another city or state. I really wish that my best friend Andy would have done this. Yes it can be a pain to deal with all the steps you have to take, but, to me, it’s entirely worth it, because now I can move back to
Houston so that I can be near my Mom as I have a lot of health issues. Being in the HCV program can be a big plus, because the motto of the program is to provide affordable, decent and safe housing for those in need.

One very important item that I must strongly suggest here: Whenever you have a voucher, please, please, PLEASE make sure you keep it in a safe place. Do not EVER lose your voucher for any reason. The procedures to replace it are very lengthy, and sometimes, even impossible. Guard it as if it is worth a million bucks! No, I know it’s not, but I am sure you know what I mean….

Annual Inspections & Recertifications

Being in the HCV program has its plusses and it’s minuses. The one thing that is a necessity yet a “pain in the neck” requirement of the program is HUD’s requirement of an annual inspection and recertification process. This is similar
to a standard lease renewal, yet involves a lot more. To attempt to make things easier for everyone, I would like to provide some tips to assist you in having a hassle-free inspection/recertification process. Again, feel free to copy-paste or print these ideas.

1. Go over everything in your unit—place requests for repairs, if needed, to your landlord, as soon as you receive your annual inspection/recertification notice. Even those minor non-fixed maintenance issues will most likely fail an
inspection—it happened to me.

2. Gather all necessary documents—such as award letter from SSA if you are on SSI or disability, SS if retired and so on. It is not always necessary to have a current, up-to-date one, because your PHA is usually required to obtain it from
SSA themselves. Make sure all bank statements are current and up to date. Be sure to have birth certificates and SS cards for all members of the household—including school aged  children. Most importantly, driver’s licenses or ID cards for each adult in your household.

3. Tip: You can get a reduction on your rent if you spend more than $250 a year on prescription medications and medical needs.

4. Tip: A clean and reasonably neat home always, I repeat, always, is a plus.

5. Keep your inspection appointment. Contact your PHA if the scheduled appointment does not work for you. Missed appointments result in losing your HCV assistance.

6. When your inspector arrives, or better yet, even before, arrange to have your pets—dogs, cats, any four –legged creatures—to be in a safe environment. Most inspectors are NOT comfortable entering a  home with pets—due to the risk of getting bitten. Cats, dogs, can be placed in a crate for a brief time. Your back yard will work also—providing it is fenced, gated, has shaded areas for them, along with fresh water. Service animal? Sadly, same thing. These inspectors enter thousands of homes a year. Tip: might be a good idea to inform your PHA in advance that you have a service animal and need them to remain with you, providing they are  leashed or harnessed, and remain at your side during the inspector’s visit. This way the inspector is forewarned of
the situation, and most likely will be more accepting.

That’s it. Good luck with your annual inspections and re-certifications. As always—feel free to contact me if you have any questions or suggestions. Questions will be answered individually as soon as possible - one question per blog entry please.