1. Glendale Housing Authority
Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List Overview

2. Glendale Housing Authority
Historical Overview
Selection Process
Processing & Managing
Current Status
Safeguards
Public Awareness
Impediments
Additional Housing Authority Efforts
Possible Strategies

3. Glendale Housing Authority
4th Largest Housing Choice Voucher program in L.A. County
Federally Funded subsidy program
1592 HUD-authorized vouchers
Administer an additional Incoming Portable families

4. Historical Overview Pre-1989 1989
Accepted applications over-the-counter
1989
Opened WL
Only one preference (resident)
First come, first serve

5. Historical Overview Creation of 2001 WL
Previous list dropped to 100 applicants
In 1999, Housing Authority approved Section 8 HCV Open Enrollment Plan establishing a system for processing applicants and new preferences

6. Historical Overview WL Objectives Replenish pool of applicants
Minimize disruption of services to current owners and tenants
Promote open, equitable and convenient application access to applicants

7. Historical Overview WL Objectives
Preference Points establish the following:
Serve greatest community needs
Provide clear delineation of levels of need
Provide a fair and reasonable system of waiting list management

8. Historical Overview List of Preference & Point Categories:
Displaced by Government Action (12pts)
Homeless living shelters including Domestic Violence (12pts)
Victims of hate crime, retaliation or witness relocation (12pts)
US Veterans (6 pts)

9. Historical Overview List of Preferences & Point Category (1pt each)
Extremely low income
Elderly single persons over age of 62
Households with disabled members
Residents who live or work in Glendale
Working families or unable to work due to age or disability
Cumulative Preference Point Totals based on information listed on application

10. Selection Process How GHA met WL objectives
Through RFP, GHA secured third party clearing house (Willdan Corporation) to handle intake, data processing and quality control
In January 2001, two-week enrollment period completed
Applications distributed via local newspapers, community centers, GTV6, and 800 number
12,553 valid applications received using a new system

11. Selection Process Placement on WL
Each application assigned a random lottery identification number by computer system (in place of announcing names)
Each application assigned to WL by a two-step computerized sorting process
Assigned random lottery selection order number (serves as tie breaker)
Preference points (buckets)

12. Example of WL Sorting Process (Step 1)

13. Example of WL Sorting Process (Step 2)

14. Processing and Managing WL
WL Activities
Applicants required to report changes in income, address, etc.. which may in turn affect WL position
Purging of the WL
Periodic updates mailed to Applicants to gauge interest, update preferences, and keep list as current as possible
Conducted on monthly basis (200 mailers)

15. Processing and Managing WL
WL Procedures
Each applicant’s preference points verified at the time that application is pulled from WL
Qualified applicants move towards next step of voucher issuance; unqualified applicants removed or replaced on WL according to correct number of preference points
All applicants subject to HUD screening and eligibility policies

16. Current Status of WL Voucher Turnover/Vacancies
Average Monthly turnover rate
5 vouchers per month
Vacancies occur due to:
Tenant termination (self sufficiency or voluntary withdrawal)
PHA termination (fraud, noncompliance or death)

17. Current Status of WL 5,768 applicants on list
5 preference points being served (less than 20 individuals who claim 5 points remain)

18. Safeguards for WL Internal Controls Security Monitoring
32 Housing employees, only one with rights to make changes to WL
Software system (Elite)
Internal auditing (IT reports)
Applications under lock and key
Monitoring
All applications monitored for selection and accuracy on three levels (admin, advisor, supervisor)
Randomly assigned case management

19. Public Awareness Portables No person can influence placement on WL
Glendale residents are being issued vouchers through other PHA’s
No person can influence placement on WL
Fraud (all claims investigated)

20. Impediments to WL Instability of federal revenue streams
Federal actions (recaptures)
Decreases in tenant income results in increases in HAP
Takes time to take corrective action when implementing strategies
Manage shortfalls through attrition (most recently through reserves)

21. Additional HA Efforts Apply for additional vouchers through NOFA’s
Non-elderly disabled (Lanterman Regional Center)
VASH
Market Affordable Housing projects to WL applicants i.e.
Casa de La Paloma
Vassar City Lights
Cost Saving strategies
Voucher payment standards & subsidy standards

22. Possible Strategies Hire 3rd party agency to purge WL at one time
+ Possibly decrease # of applicants on WL
- Possibly cause massive “preference” movement on waiting list
Criminal record check on all current participants (above and beyond HUD requirements)
+ Free up budget and possibly vouchers for eligible applicants
- Administratively could trigger large number of informal hearings resulting in financial burden
Ask “targeted” households to voluntarily withdraw from WL