June 2000 Leasing Report - Welfare to Work Vouchers

Summary of Leasing Report

1. Approximately 55% of the sites are currently on track to meet the 100% lease-up target by 12/31/2000.
   
   
2. Approximately 45% of the sites are not likely to meet the 100% lease up target by 12/31/2000.

Causes of Leasing Delays

WtW PHAs are experiencing leasing delays for the four primary reasons listed in the table below. Many sites are confronted with multiple barriers to leasing up.

Summary of Successful Leasing Techniques

Attached is a summary report that lists the WtW sites (ordered alphabetically by State) that have issued or leased 50 percent or more of their vouchers as of June 30. The following descriptions highlight some successful leasing techniques.

Portland's Ready to Rent Program
Portland Housing Authority offers WtW voucher families a Ready to Rent Program that the PHA developed with money from the state of Oregon. The program includes five sessions, which address the barriers to renting faced by low-income families. Families completing the program receive a merit badge. Their names are given to the screening company used by Portland landlords. The HA "guarantees" any family completing the program against unpaid rent or damages for six months. Funds from the state are used to cover any claims under the program.

The Housing Authority in Baltimore County's Streamlined Issuance
The Housing Authority in Baltimore County and the Department of Social Services are located in the same county office and have a close working relationship. Consequently, Baltimore County has no difficulty determining an applicant's eligibility for TANF. HA staff has DSS computers and access to DSS data within their own offices.

The Housing Authority of Baltimore County also has adopted a streamlined issuing process in which staff is assigned to specific parts of the intake process. The Housing Authority initially only issued vouchers to a small number of families so they could test the new procedures and identify kinks that require adjustments. By June, they were ready to process larger numbers. Processing begins with identifying potentially eligible families at the top of the waiting list and inviting them to an orientation. An interview packet containing the application, release, and verification forms is mailed with the invitation letter. At the orientation, staff explains the program. Interested families return the application and completed forms to a technician who reviews the package for completeness, marks the location of any missing signatures, places application papers in proper order and mails out verification forms. Welfare income is verified by PHA staff within the PHA offices. Files and verification forms when they are returned go to an Interviewer who determines eligibility and Total Tenant Payment.

Mass Briefings
Two PHAs, Fresno and Houston, have used mass briefing and issuing sessions for the WtW program to process large number of families quickly. Fresno has issued 1,007 vouchers in a very short period of time using its "housing fair" approach.

Local Cable TV Advertising
Hollywood (FL) Housing Authority advertises for landlords in the local cable TV channel. To date over 70 landlords have responded to the advertisement and offered units for rent.

Three-phased Implementation
The Georgia Department of Community Affairs is an example of a successful implementation approach for a large program. It was awarded 2,000 Section 8 WtW Vouchers. Because it serves all 149 counties in the State of Georgia and was awarded such a large allocation of vouchers, the agency devised a method of program implementation that introduces the counties into the program through a three-tier process. Each tier has a designated number of counties that will be phased into the program consecutively. This will allow for better management and tracking of the program instead of having implementation scattered through the State simultaneously.