DeafEskie’s Portability Experience: Part 2
My concerns and worries mounted, as my mother made the decision to come up to Oklahoma City in July. She was insisting that everything needed to be completed by the end of July. To help maintain my “sanity”, I invited my best friend to come down for a week to help. She had been going through some difficult times herself - she and I both suffer from major depression, so the visit was needed by both of us.
Finally, at the end of June, I received word that the failed inspection was not such a major thing after all - at least, not in my case. Since I needed to move, all my landlord had to do was release me from my lease, which was due for renewal in July. My mother arrived the second week of July.
Approximately two weeks after her arrival, we ***finally*** got my voucher to move. Talk about working frantically! Part of all the concern was the fact that Mom had already found me a unit in Houston, and we were already paying regular rent on the unit. This is something that many people are not aware of - if you plan to port your voucher to another location - you need to be financially prepared to “foot the bill” of regular rent for anywhere between a month to a few months, because, there is no guarantee on how long the entire portability will take.
On July 21, Mom and I loaded up her SUV, and began the long drive down to Houston from Oklahoma City. By sheer miracle, we made it to Houston by 4PM - despite the fact that we left Oklahoma City around 9AM. Hurriedly we dropped stuff and my girls - I have two dogs - a Hearing Dog and a little Deaf-Blind mix - and drove out to the duplex. And what a neat place this is! I truly thank my Mom for her exhaustive search for the “just right place”. I am now residing in my old stomping grounds - the very same neighborhood I grew up in as a little girl.
The portability process is a complicated task. First we met with my worker, received the changeover voucher, etc. In Texas, the tenant has to give the landlord the “Landlord Packet”. At least in Houston they do. If the landlord never accepted Section 8 before, as in my case, they are required to fill out paperwork, provide specific documentation, etc. My landlord was a tad slow in this - I had been in my unit a month before we finally had inspection. We failed! Fortunately, it was only one thing that really needed fixing right away. My landlord thankfully took care of it, and this time, we passed inspection with flying colors. I would like to make a notation here, especially for those of you that are Deaf - always inquire with housing how inspections are done when you port your voucher because each housing agency does it differently. I was not given the choice to ask for an interpreter at all, due to the fact that I was not informed that the housing agency communicates mostly with the landlord instead of the tenant. Fortunately the second inspection passed.
Now it is October. I am still waiting for the HAP agreement to be completed. I will be following up on this again today - there is a small problem that needs to be rectified - some misunderstanding that I had a live-in aide full time - when I only have someone here part-time as my conditions tend to wax and wane. The best advice I have for portability? Plan, plan, and plan some more. Prepare financially as well. Be prepared for anything that comes up. Portability cannot be just a “spontaneous decision” to move. The HCV program and portability varies from area to area and state to state – it may not be easy, ut the experience is very worth it for those who need it.
