HUD published on August 27 updated guidance for its Mainstream Voucher program that creates new alternative requirements and waivers to enable public housing agencies (PHAs) to better utilize Mainstream Vouchers, helping people with disabilities transition from – or avoid altogether – institutional settings and instead to live in community.
HUD’s Mainstream Voucher program is a vital source of housing assistance for people with disabilities. Administered by PHAs, Mainstream Vouchers are targeted specifically to non-elderly adults with disabilities who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. These vouchers help people transition out of homelessness or institutional settings or avoid them altogether.
The updated guidance includes:
- A mandatory expansion of the minimum initial search term from 60 to 120 days to give participants additional time to search for accessible housing that will accept their voucher. In the event a recipient cannot find housing within the first 120 days, PHAs are required to approve participants’ initial request for an extension and provide at least 90 additional days to search.
- A prohibition on PHAs exercising a residency preference for Mainstream Voucher holders who are experiencing homelessness or residing in an institutional setting since they may be residing outside of the PHA’s jurisdiction.
- The option for PHAs to adopt a separate waiting list for Mainstream Vouchers, which would make it easier to identify eligible applicants.
- The option for PHAs to adopt admissions preferences for both the Mainstream Voucher and Housing Choice Voucher programs that prioritize direct referrals from health care and disability agencies that support community living, if the referral source is not serving people with one specific type of disability.
These changes aim to address some of the barriers to Mainstream Voucher utilization identified in HUD’s recent report, Housing Search Assistance for Non-Elderly People with Disabilities. The report finds that people with disabilities who receive a Mainstream Voucher face numerous obstacles to successfully leasing with their voucher, including navigating program eligibility requirements, searching for housing, and coordinating services and supports up to the point of moving into an assisted unit.
Read HUD’s press release on the guidance here.