Mobility Plan

Outreach/Enrollment

HHA will conduct an outreach to existing voucher holders and eligible households coming off the HCV waiting list.
For the initial phase of outreach, HHA will mail invitations with details about the Housing Mobility Services program to existing voucher holders (including Tenant-Based and Project-Based voucher participants).
HHA will then conduct a lottery to place 300 participants on the initial interest list for the program.
After the initial phase of outreach and enrollment, HHA will then target outreach to all HCV participants and applicants by providing information about the program during initial voucher holder workshops and at recertification will place brochures describing the program in the HHA lobby and on the HHA website.

Once the interest list has been established, preference on the list will first be given to households currently living in high-poverty zip codes, as identified by HHA.
All applications on the interest list will be ordered according to preference status and then by date and time of application.
At such time that the interest list is longer than available slots for the following year, HHA will stop actively recruiting families to participate until there is more availability for the program.

Pre-Move Services

When a household is enrolled into the Housing Mobility Services program, the Case Manager will contact the household to schedule an initial meeting.
During this initial meeting, the Case Manager will discuss the family’s housing needs and wants, including any non-negotiables (first-floor units, pets, only single-family homes vs. apartments, etc.).
- The Case Manager will then work with the household to map their family systems, discussing their current social support system and placing key supports on a map (such as schools, extra-curricular activities, childcare, work, healthcare, and religious institutions).
- The Case Manager and the family will then determine what is movable vs. non-movable for the family and discuss what resources the family will need in their new community.
- The Case Manager will then discuss potential opportunity areas that may be a good fit for the family, given their specific needs and the locations of their non-movable family supports. Additionally, they will provide a map of HHA’s designated opportunity areas to the family and will discuss the short-term and long-term benefits of moving to an opportunity area. They will work collaboratively with the household to develop a Family Preparation Plan (FPP) outlining the family’s housing goals and the steps to achieve them and help them move to an opportunity area. They will work with the household to calculate affordability for potential opportunity areas and discuss the household’s share of rent based on rental costs and voucher payment standards for the opportunity areas being considered.
- The Case Manager will discuss family concerns about moving to a new area (helping their children get situated in a new school commute to work). During this initial meeting, the Case Manager will also discuss any potential barriers to moving the family may face. With the family’s approval, the Case Manager will run a soft credit pull and review the credit report with the family. They will also review any recent evictions and/or utility arrears with the family and develop a strategy to address those challenges in the application cover letter to be submitted to landlords.
- The Case Manager will refer families with low credit scores or who otherwise may benefit from financial literacy services to Credit Coalition (financial education on establishing/repairing credit), The Women’s Resource (finance classes and financial coaching), Covenant Community Capital (financial literacy education and IDA supports), There is No Box CDC (budget preparation, credit counseling, financial literacy education), and/or The Alliance (financial education and financial coaching).
- At the end of the initial meeting, the Case Manager will review the next steps with the household and provide them with a client binder with the materials reviewed during the meeting.

Family Preparation

Family preparation services will be focused on preparing families for the housing search process. HHA will provide a series of workshops for families, including:
Housing search (how to search for housing, how to use HHA’s address locator tool, how to use online housing search engines, and best practices for making a good first impression with property owners),
Renter’s basics (how to read a lease, paying rent timely, the basics of owner-tenant law, how to turn on utilities, how to handle maintenance issues that arise, and the HHA inspection procedures), and
Money management (intro to credit history and how it can impact rental applications, the costs of moving and furnishing a home, and the importance of paying rent and utilities timely).
The Case Manager will also refer households to outside entities for services to address other identified barriers as needed.
As needed/desired by the family, the Case Manager will also help to coordinate tours of schools/meetings with school staff/educators at schools in opportunity neighborhoods and coordinate tours/meetings with any other key services (such as after-school care) in the opportunity neighborhoods to help households get better acquainted with the opportunity neighborhoods.
The Case Manager will also work with the household to draft an application cover letter that introduces them to potential landlords, highlights why they would make excellent tenants, and addresses any barriers that may come up during the application process (such as low credit score or prior evictions).
During the Family Preparation Phase, the Case Manager will contact households periodically (via text, email, or phone) to check their progress and determine when the household is ready to move to the Housing Search phase.
Additionally, the Case Manager will identify and provider referrals to other available resources and programs that the family may qualify for such as the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program, the Opportunity Neighborhoods Program, and other incentive programs designed to increase economic mobility and opportunity for participants. Participation in these programs is not required.

House Search

Once a household is ready for a housing search, they will work alongside their Case Manager to search for units in opportunity neighborhoods.
The Case Manager, with support from HHA’s existing team of Landlord Liaisons, will continuously scour rental listings within opportunity neighborhoods within the HHA’s jurisdiction.
When the Case Managers identify units within opportunity neighborhoods, they confirm unit affordability and reach out to the property owner to discuss the housing mobility program and encourage the owner to participate, providing an overview of the leasing process and working to assuage any concerns the owner may have. For owners interested in participating, the Case Managers will place the unit on a list of available units.
The Case Managers will review/update this list weekly to ensure units remain available. When a household moves to the Housing Search phase, their Case Manager will review available listings to identify units that meet the family’s wants/needs.
The Case Manager will present these units to the family, and should the family be interested in one or more of the units, the Case Manager will accompany the family to view the units.
The Case Manager will provide households with units that meet their needs/wants on an ongoing basis. HHA will develop – and make available to participating households and property owners – an online tool that can be used to determine if a property is in an opportunity area and that shows what rents are considered to be affordable in each opportunity area by voucher size and unit size.
Once a household has identified a unit they like, the Case Manager will support them in submitting an application (including the cover letter they drafted during the pre-move phase). Flexible financial assistance with application fees will be available during this stage.

Lease-Up

Once a property owner has approved a household’s application, the household moves to the lease-up phase. HHA will prioritize and expedite inspections for Housing Mobility households, and the Case Manager will assist the household with understanding their lease and coordinating their move.
- HHA will provide financial assistance to program participants up to a maximum of $1,775 under this Housing Mobility Program. Households may utilize other grants and/or resources beyond these amounts; however, the cap for Housing Mobility Program funds is $1,775 per household. This may include a combination of (1) security deposit assistance; and/or (2) flexible financial assistance; as described below:

Post-Move ServicesWe are committed properly orienting you to the community

This may include helping enroll children in new schools, working with households to get oriented to neighborhood amenities (grocery stores, banks, pharmacies), helping get utilities transferred, etc.

The Case Manager will then conduct check-ins with the household and property owner at 1-, 3-, 6-, and 9-months post-lease-up.

During these check-ins, the Case Manager will help to address any challenges the household may face in their new neighborhood and will check in with the property owner to ensure they are pleased with their participation in the program (or provide mediation support to address any concerns they may have).

HHA will maintain an “open-door” policy where households served can proactively request assistance and receive support from HHA staff to maintain their post-move housing. This may include landlord/tenant mediation or referrals to support services as needed.