§ 4-22Establishing and maintaining waiting list.
§ 4-23Organizing the waiting list.
§ 4-24Admission preference system.
§ 4-25Other selection factors.
§ 4-26Removing applicants from the waiting list.
Definition.
The public housing waiting list is comprised of six sublists: four separate site-based waiting sublists for the high-rise buildings (Crepeau Court, Kennedy Manor, Parkview Manor, and St. Germain Manor), one community-wide sublist for the family developments (Morin Heights and Veterans Memorial) and scattered sites, and one transfer waiting sublist.
All eligible families can be placed on the community-wide family housing sublist. Only elderly or disabled families may be placed on the site-based high-rise sublists.
Administration. It is the policy of the WHA to administer its waiting list as required by HUD's regulations and in accordance with the following guidelines:
Each family's application will be a permanent file in hard copy and/or electronic format. Any contacts between the WHA and the applicant will be documented in the applicant file.
The waiting list will group applicants according to bedroom size and rank them in order of: preference, then by date and time of eligibility determination, and then by date and time of application receipt.
The entire waiting list or portions thereof may be declared closed or open to new applicants by vote of the Board of Commissioners.
In making such a decision, the WHA's Board of Commissioners will consider the number of applications on the waiting list for each site, size and type of unit, the number of applicants who qualify for a preference, and the ability of the WHA to house applicants in 12 to 24 months.
For any development/site, unit size, or unit type, if the WHA's waiting list or a sublist has sufficient applications to fill anticipated vacancies for the coming 30 months, the WHA may elect to: close the waiting list or any sublist completely; close the waiting list or any sublist during certain times of the year; or restrict intake by preference, type of development/site, or size and type of dwelling.
When the waiting list or a sublist is closed, the WHA will not maintain a list of individuals who wish to be notified when the list is reopened.
The WHA will provide 30 calendar days' public notice of all decisions to close waiting lists or sublists, restrict intake, or reopen waiting lists or sublists.
The public notice to open or reopen waiting lists or sublists will be published in a local newspaper of general circulation and also by any available minority media in accordance with the WHA's Equal Opportunity Housing Plan.
The notice will state that applicants already on waiting lists for other housing programs must apply separately for this program and that such applicants will not lose their place on other waiting lists when they apply for public housing.
This notice will include the Fair Housing logo and slogan and will be in compliance with Fair Housing requirements.
The public notice to close waiting lists or sublists will state the date the list(s) will be closed and for what bedroom sizes.
Updating the waiting list.
At least annually, the WHA will update each waiting list sublist by contacting all applicants in writing via first class mail
If the WHA does not receive a response after two written requests, the applicant's name will be removed from the waiting list. At the time of initial intake, the WHA will advise families that they must notify the WHA when their circumstances, mailing address, or phone numbers change. An applicant's name will not be removed from the waiting list except in accordance with § 4-26 below.
Change in admission preference(s).
A family's situation may change while it is waiting to be housed. An applicant who believes his/her preference qualifications have changed must contact the WHA. The WHA will recertify the applicant's status and adjust his/her place on the waiting list.
If there is a change to the admission preference status while the applicant is on the waiting list, the applicant retains the original date and time of application.
The WHA waiting list is comprised of six sublists: one community-wide list for conventional family housing, four site-based lists for the elderly/disabled buildings, and one transfer waiting list. Applicants may choose to be placed on as many sublists as they are eligible for.
Community-wide sublist. It is the WHA's policy that each applicant for conventional family housing (Morin Heights, Veterans Memorial, scattered sites) shall be assigned an appropriate rank on a single community-wide waiting sublist in sequence, based on: type and size of unit needed and selected by the family (e.g., general occupancy building, accessible or nonaccessible unit, number of bedrooms); then by admission preference(s), if any; then by date and time of eligibility determination; and then by date and time of application receipt.
Site-based sublists.
Applicants for elderly/disabled high-rise buildings may be placed on all four of the site-based waiting lists (Crepeau Court, Kennedy Manor, Parkview Manor, and St. Germain Manor). Each of these lists is ranked according to: type and size of unit needed and selected by the family (e.g., accessible or nonaccessible unit, number of bedrooms); then by admission preference(s), if any; then by date and time of eligibility determination; and then by date and time of application receipt.
Although applicants have an opportunity to select the sites for which they wish to receive offers, the waiting list, sublists, and unit offers are administered centrally by the WHA Service Center at 679 Social Street.
Admission preferences are one of the factors that establish the order of placement on the waiting list. Possessing an admission preference does not guarantee admission. Every applicant must still meet the WHA's eligibility and screening criteria before being offered a unit.
Definition of admission preference categories. The WHA has established seven local admission preferences, defined as follows.
Self-sufficiency. To qualify for the self-sufficiency preference:
The head of household, co-head, or spouse must be currently enrolled in or a recent (less than 12 months) graduate of a job readiness, job training, or educational program. The program must meet the accreditation standards outlined in PIH Administrative Notice 98-2. In general, programs funded by the U.S. Department of Labor or Job Training Partnership Act are acceptable. A verification form must be signed by the program's administrator;
The head of household, co-head, or spouse can document employment of at least 20 hours per week for a period of at least one month;
An adult household member is participating in an AmeriCorps or other national service program. Proof of participation must be provided; or
Heads of household over 62 years of age or with a disability will be automatically granted the self-sufficiency preference.
Military service. To qualify for the military service preference:
The head of household, co-head, or spouse must be a current United States serviceperson, defined as an active member of a branch of the United States military, including the reserves or National Guard, and has served for at least 180 days;
The head of household, co-head, or spouse must be a veteran who has been honorably discharged from a branch of the United States military, including the reserves or National Guard. A Department of Defense Form 214 (DD-214) is required; or
Surviving spouses of an honorably discharged veteran are also eligible for the military service admission preference. A Department of Defense Form 214 (DD-214) is required for verification.
Displacement. To qualify for the displacement admission preference:
The family has been displaced or is at risk of displacement due to the nonaccessibility of a unit. Verification of mobility impairment and a confirmatory site visit is required. Site visits will not be conducted outside of a seventy-five-mile radius of the WHA's main office.
The family has been displaced or is at risk of displacement due to a severe medical emergency for which lack of suitable housing is a contributing factor. Medical documentation from a primary care physician is required. The WHA reserves the right to obtain a second medical opinion (at the WHA's expense) if necessary.
The family has been displaced or is at risk of displacement by a natural or man-made disaster (such as, but not limited to, fire, flood, hurricane, or tornado) or federal, state, or local government action.
The family has been displaced or is at risk of displacement due to domestic violence. A restraining order or evidence of a shelter stay must be provided.
The family has been displaced or is at risk of displacement due to having been a victim of a hate crime or having provided information on criminal activities to a law enforcement agency. A recommendation from a law enforcement agency to re-house the family to reduce the risk of violence against the family is necessary.
The family has been displaced or is at risk of displacement due to an action by a housing owner which is beyond the applicant's ability to control (other than a rent increase). An applicant is eligible for this preference if she has to vacate his/her housing unit due to the conversion of the unit into nonrental housing, the closure of the unit for rehabilitation, the sale of the unit under an agreement that it be vacant when possession is transferred, or the notice that the unit must be vacated because the owner wants it for personal/family use.
Residency. Households who live, work, or have been hired to work in the City of Woonsocket qualify. For those individuals and families who have been displaced by any of the conditions described above, "residence" shall be defined as the most recent permanent residence.
Law enforcement (conventional family housing only). To qualify, the head of household, co-head, or spouse must presently be a full-time, duly licensed police officer who has been employed in said capacity for a period of at least six months.
Applicants paying more than 50% of income for rent. The head or co-head of the household is the leaseholder of an apartment and has been living in the apartment for longer than six months and is paying more than 50% of the family's current income for rent. Verification of this preference is rent receipts or information obtained from the landlord in the landlord report and verification of income.
Disabled veterans (conventional elderly/disabled housing only). In accordance with § 45-25-18.10 of Rhode Island General Law, individuals who were disabled while serving in the military or naval service of the United States during any conflict or war, whether declared or undeclared, and who were honorably discharged will be given preference in housing designed for the elderly.
Applying admission preferences.
Preferences are granted to applicants who are otherwise qualified and who, at the time of the unit offer prior to execution of a lease, meet the definitions of the admission preferences described above. Families that qualify for none of these admission preferences are given zero points and categorized as no-preference families.
Applicants will be given one point per admission preference category when qualifying for the following preferences: self-sufficiency; military service; displacement; residency; or law enforcement (conventional family housing only). (For example, a family with an employed head of household and co-head enrolled in job training obtains one point. A family with an employed head of household who is also an honorably discharged veteran obtains two points.)
Applicants will be given a maximum of two points for possessing a verified preference for rent that is more than 50% of the family's current income.
Applicants will be given four points when qualifying for the following admission preference: disabled veterans (conventional elderly/disabled housing only).
Therefore, the maximum number of points a household can possess in the conventional family housing is seven. The maximum number of preference points a household can possess in the conventional elderly/disabled (high-rise) is 11.
For applicants with equal admission preference points, the date and time of eligibility determination, followed by date and time of application receipt (if necessary), is utilized to determine sequence on the waiting list.
The WHA will neither hold units vacant for applicants with preferences nor relax eligibility or screening criteria to admit otherwise unqualified applicants with admission preferences.
Administration of preferences.
Preferences will be verified at the time of preapplication (in order to accurately rank applicants on the waiting list) and full application (which results in admission to the program). Verifying admission preferences is one of the earliest steps in processing applicants for admission. Admission preference verifications shall be no more than 120 days old at the time of certification for admission.
If the WHA cannot verify an applicant's current preference status at the time of certification for admission, he/she will be returned to the appropriate spot on the waiting list.
The WHA will notify the family in writing of this determination and give the family the opportunity for an informal review.
Notice and opportunity for a review.
If the WHA rejects an applicant's claim to an admission preference, the applicant can utilize the WHA's grievance procedure described in Article XVI.
The applicant will receive a written notice from the WHA containing a brief statement of the reasons for the determination and the applicant's right to a review. If the applicant fails to respond in the prescribed manner and time frame, he/she will have forfeited his/her right to a review of the determination.
The applicant will be advised that he/she may exercise other rights if the applicant believes that illegal discrimination, based on race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, or familial status has contributed to the WHA's decision to deny the admission preference.
There are factors other than admission preferences that affect the selection of applicants from the waiting list. When a unit becomes available, the WHA matches the characteristics of the unit to the applicants on the waiting list. The unit size, accessibility features, or type of project may limit the admission of families to households whose characteristics "match" the available unit. By matching unit and family characteristics, families lower on the waiting list may receive an offer of housing before families with an earlier date and time of application or families with a higher admission preference.
Accessibility priority.
When selecting a family for a unit with accessible features, the WHA will give priority to families that include persons with disabilities who can benefit from the unit's features. First priority is given to existing tenants seeking a transfer and second priority is given to applicant families.
If no family needing accessible features can be found for a unit with such features, the WHA will house a family not needing the unit features. However, a nondisabled family in an accessible unit will be required to move for a family in need of the unit's features.
Designated housing plan.
The WHA has designed 85% of the nonwheelchair units at Crepeau Court, Kennedy Manor, Parkview Manor, and St. Germain Manor for elderly families. No specific units have been set aside; rather, the WHA will maintain the eighty-five-percent target through unit turnover and tenant selection.
According to the WHA's Designated Housing Plan, when it is necessary to maintain the 85%, available units will be offered first to elders (62 and older), then near-elders (50 and older), and then non-elders. This may mean an elderly or near-elderly family receives a unit offer before nonelderly, disabled families eligible for housing at those properties.
Income targeting.
The WHA shall follow the statutory requirement that at least 40% of newly admitted families in any fiscal year be families whose annual income is at or below 30% of the area median income. Quarterly, the WHA monitors the incomes of newly admitted families and the incomes of the families on the waiting list.
The WHA will perform income targeting as needed to meet that requirement. If it appears that the requirement to house extremely low-income families will not be met, the WHA will skip higher-income families on the waiting list to meet the requirement for extremely low-income families.
If there are not enough extremely low-income families on the waiting list, we will conduct outreach on a nondiscriminatory basis to attract extremely low-income families to reach the statutory requirement.
To ensure vacant units are filled in a timely manner, the WHA needs a waiting list that is accurate.
Family responsibility. Each applicant family is responsible for keeping the WHA apprised of changes in its address, phone number, income or other circumstances. The applicant's file will be updated accordingly. All changes will be verified with the applicant in writing.
Reasons for removal. No applicant shall be removed from the waiting list except for one of the following reasons:
The applicant receives and accepts an offer of housing;
The applicant requests that his/her name be withdrawn from the waiting list;
The applicant is rejected, either because he/she is ineligible for public housing at the time of certification, or because he/she fails to meet the applicant selection criteria;
The WHA attempted to contact the applicant and was unable to do so.
Removal procedure. In attempting to contact an applicant, the following methods are undertaken before an application is withdrawn:
The applicant is sent a letter by first class mail
When 10 working days have elapsed from the date when the WHA mails the letter, if there is no response from the applicant, the applicant is removed;
If an applicant contacts the WHA as required within any of the deadlines stated above, he/she remains on the waiting list;
When the WHA is unable to contact an applicant by first class mail to schedule a meeting or interview or to make a unit offer, the WHA shall suspend processing of that application until the application is either withdrawn (no contact by the applicant) or reinstated (contact by the applicant within the stated deadlines). While an application is suspended, applications next in sequence will be processed.
Notification of removal.
An applicant whose name is being removed will receive written notice. The notice will include the reason(s) for the removal and state the applicant's right to present mitigating circumstances or request an informal review, in accordance with the WHA's grievance procedure. If the applicant fails to respond within the time frame specified on the letter, his/her name will be removed from the waiting list.
The WHA system of removing applicant's from the waiting list will not violate the rights of persons with disabilities. If an applicant claims his/her failure to respond to a request for information was caused by a disability, the WHA will verify the presence of a disability and the relevance of the disability to the applicant's failure to respond and provide a reasonable accommodation if appropriate.
Families whose applications are withdrawn or rejected must reapply for housing when the waiting list is open. Families whose applications were rejected may not reapply for 12 months from the date of the rejection.
