HACLA Makes Plan to Open Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program Waiting List, Board Approves Contract
The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) recently announced the agency’s Board of Commissioners approved a contract to establish a new Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP) waiting list in accordance with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), and the Housing Authority’s Section 8 Administrative Plan. The Board approval allows HACLA to move forward with the planning phase in preparation for opening of the waiting list. The contract was awarded to CVR Associates, Inc, (CVR) after a competitive process. The company’s proposal included a detailed outline of the required scope of work which includes the following: Design, develop and test a secure on-line application form. Develop an outreach process that allows equal access for submission of applications by all eligible persons from throughout the Housing Authority’s jurisdiction, including but not limited to persons with disabilities, seniors and individuals with limited English proficiency, which complies with Section 8’s Equal Opportunity Housing Plan. Establish partnerships with key agencies and community organizations to train them to provide assistance to applicants in completing on-line applications during the two week open application period. Special assistance would also be provided to applicants requiring reasonable accommodations. Use a lottery technique to establish a S8 HCVP Waiting List of 20,000 applicants. Respond to all questions from applicants or potential applicants from the beginning of the open application period through 90 days after the lottery date. Send electronic notifications to applicants regarding whether they were selected for placement on the Section 8 HCVP Certified waiting list. The Housing Authority closed its Section 8 HCVP Waiting List in October 2004 and the agency will exhaust its current S8 HCVP waiting list in early 2018. The Housing Authority anticipates in excess of 600,000 applications resulting from this open enrollment period. The agency will provide more detail about the specifics of the opening of the waiting list in the third quarter of 2017. Currently, there are over 56,000 households who benefit from this federally funded program. HACLA has the second largest Section 8 portfolio in the nation.