Seattle Housing Authority

General Information

The Seattle Housing Authority (SHA) MTW Plan is designed to address a wide range of problem areas that currently reduce the quality of life for SHA residents and program participants and limit the effectiveness of SHA's programs and operations. SHA's MTW program began December 30, 1998. SHA's current MTW Agreement expires on September 30, 2018. At the start of SHA's MTW program, the agency served 10,560 households, and by the end of FY 2006, the number served had increased to 11,896.

SHA is able to use its MTW authority to participate in Sound Families, a program in which regional housing authorities agree to project-base Section 8 subsidy in new transitional housing. Sound Families services are funded through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Goals

SHA's MTW program, known as "Moving To new Ways", focuses on efficiency and delivery of services to applicants and residents. Based on the block grant funding structure, SHA has implemented an authority-wide demonstration program. The program's major initiatives include:

• Revised rent policies
• Project-basing Section 8 vouchers
• Public housing waitlist modifications
  

The rent policy also involves minimum rents for TANF recipients. Through a competitive RFP process, SHA has implemented a project-based voucher program under its Section 8/HCV program that allows for local providers to manage project-based Section 8 units. In 2004, SHA modified its public housing waiting list system to create three separate lists: next available, expedited waitlist for households with case managers, and site-based waitlists.

Agreement

SHA and HUD recently executed MTW Agreement Amendment No. 3 changing the dates of the agency's fiscal year to a calendar year.

Rent Policies

SHA adopted significant amendments to the agency's MTW rent policy in FY 2005 to emphasize self-sufficiency incentives and to eliminate ineffective policies that were part of the original MTW rent policy adopted in June 2000. In June 2005, SHA adopted new payment standards for its Housing Choice Voucher program, modified occupancy standards, developed a new policy to require interim reviews to increase rent when income increases by $100 per month or more, and adopted a policy to charge families and landlords for missed inspections.

Occupancy Policies

Site-base waiting list system for public housing facilities to allow applicants to select where they will live.

Safe ways of providing rejected applicants with a chance to demonstrate stable occupancy and of targeting specialized services at selected facilities.

Explore alternatives to federal admissions preferences in the housing choice voucher program.

Funding-related Issues

• Combine operating subsidies, modernization, and Section 8 funding into one unified budget so that SHA can flexibly and creatively apply resources where they are needed most.
  
• Consolidate budget submissions into one Annual MTW Plan prior to the start of each fiscal year and will consolidate various year end reports into one MTW Annual Report at the end of each fiscal year.
  
• Working with the local HUD Office, other interactions will be streamlined; these simplified processes will reduce administrative costs for both the authority and HUD.
  
• Explore further changes to HUD rules to allow for the effective implementation of asset management principles in the use, repair, modernization, expansion, replacement, or disposition of each SHA facility to ensure that they are managed and utilized efficiently, effectively, and appropriately.
  

Support

Seattle Regional Office
Office of Public Housing
909 First Avenue
Suite 360
Seattle, WA 98104-1000
(206) 220-6220
F (206) 220-5255
Harlan Stewart
Harlan.Stewart@hud.gov

Contact

Seattle Housing Authority
120 Sixth Ave. North
PO Box 19028
Seattle, WA 98109-1028
(206) 615-3500
F(206) 615-3504
http://www.seattlehousing.org/news/mtw/