Q&A: Homelessness Crisis in my Community

Question Homelessness is becoming a real crisis in my community. As a manager of a Section 8 property, can I give preference to homeless applicants? Can they skip other applicants on my waiting list? The average wait on my waiting list is over a year. ~ Tyler in San Francisco

Answer Owners are allowed to establish certain owner-adopted preferences. Preferences allow applicants to receive an opportunity for an available unit earlier than those who do not have a preference. They affect the order of applicants on the waiting list. They do not make an otherwise ineligible applicant eligible. Your Tenant Selection Plan must include whether or not there is a preference in the admission of tenants. The plan should also describe the acceptable sources of information to verify the qualification for a preference.

Before you establish a homelessness preference for future applicants, you must obtain HUD approval. Steps you must follow and other important factors to consider when creating a homelessness preference are discussed in Housing Notice H 2013-21 “Implementation and approval of owner-adopted admissions preferences for individuals or families experiencing homelessness”. For additional information regarding preferences, please see Section 4-6 of HUD Handbook 4350.3 REV-1 CHG-4.