Mainstream Housing

 

New Avenues' Mainstream Housing Program's Waiting List is now open in Ashtabula County only. The wait list is closed in Cuyahoga and Lake counties.

 

PLEASE NOTE: New Avenues has not received additional vouchers. We are simply adding applicants to our waiting list. We will only be housing approximately 3-5 individuals and families this year.

 

To be considered for our program, please complete the pre-application below and submit it following the instructions. Applications must be completed, in ink, by the Head of Household. The Head of Household must be an adult (18 years or older) with a disability and the legal capacity to enter into a lease. If a guardian or other adult completes the application for the Head of Household, the Head of Household must sign the application on page 6 verifying the accuracy of the information.

 
Application - English Version
Application - Spanish Version

 

Mailing Instructions: New Avenues will rank all applications based on preferences and date of postmark. An application must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the following:

(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service Postmark

(2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the U.S. Postal Service, indicating what was mailed

(3) Postage to return the completed application is first class postage stamp.

 

New Avenues does not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:

(1) A private metered postmark

(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the US Postal Service

 

The waiting list order is determined by the date of postmark on the application received by New Avenues and number of accumulated local preferences based on disability and income. One application per applicant is allowed. Duplicates will be discarded; the application with the earliest date will be kept by New Avenues. Applications postmarked the same date with the same local preferences will be ranked based on a lottery process and placed on the wait list accordingly. Applicants will be notified of their rank on the wait list by New Avenues.

 

Mainstream Housing FAQs

 

The purpose of New Avenues' Mainstream Housing program is to provide rental subsidy through Housing Choice Vouchers to enable individuals with disabilities to rent affordable private housing. New Avenues has developed the following Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to help prospective applicants in determining whether or not to apply for a Housing Choice Voucher through New Avenues.

 

What is a Housing Choice Voucher?

A Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher is tenant-based rental subsidy that allows very low-income families to choose and lease or purchase safe, decent, and affordable privately-owned rental housing.

 

How is New Avenues' Program Different?

New Avenues' program is a Mainstream Housing Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities Program, specifically for individuals and families with disabilities. New Avenues' service area is Cuyahoga, Lake and Ashtabula counties. Therefore, the Mainstream Housing program participants can use their Housing Choice Vouchers anywhere in this tri-county area.

 

Who is eligible to apply for a Housing Choice Voucher?

Adults ages 18 and older who have a disability are eligible for New Avenues' Mainstream Housing program.  According to HUD regulations, to be eligible for New Avenues' Mainstream Housing Program, an applicant must be a person with a disability as defined by the following:

 

a) has a disability as defined in section 223 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 423), or

b) is determined to have a physical, mental, or emotional impairment that:

     i. is expected to be of long-continued and indefinite duration

    ii. substantially impedes his or her ability to live independently and

   iii. is of such a nature that such ability could be improved by more suitable housing conditions; or

c)  has a developmental disability as defined in section 102 of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act [42 U.S.C. 6001(5)] .

 

The term “person with disabilities” does not exclude persons who have the disease of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) or any condition arising from the etiologic agent for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV).

 

The family’s eligibility for a voucher is made in accordance with the eligibility factors. Eligibility factors may not be determined before the family is placed on the waiting list, but will be determined and verified before a voucher is issued.

 

How does one apply for a Housing Choice Voucher?

There is only one way to apply for a Housing Choice Voucher through New Avenues. You must apply when our wait list is open. We do not accept referrals. When our wait list is open, we will notify the public by publishing a public notice in local newspapers. At that time, interested applicants will be able to get an application and submit it to New Avenues to get on our wait list.

 

What other services does New Avenues provide in addition to rental subsidy?

In addition to the rental subsidy, New Avenues provides the following services to both program participants and landlords:

What are the restrictions associated with the Housing Choice Voucher?

The primary restriction associated with the Housing Choice Voucher is income-eligibility.  Applicants and participants in New Avenues' Mainstream Housing Program must meet very low-income requirements.  In addition, individuals must be a participant in the program in our jurisdiction (Cuyahoga, Lake and Ashtabula counties) for at least 12-months before they can "port" or leave our program and take their Housing Choice Voucher to another Section 8 program elsewhere.

 

The purpose of the Mainstream program is to provide rental vouchers to enable eligible persons with disabilities to rent affordable private housing of their choice.

 

The program assists persons with disabilities who often face difficulties in locating suitable and accessible housing in the private market. The rent subsidy is paid by New Avenues directly to landlords.

 

Services Provided

The following services are available to program participants:

Are You Eligible?

Eligible program applicants must be very-low income and have a disability. This includes a disabled family or an individual with a disability. A disabled family is a family whose head, spouse or sole member is a person with a disability. An individual with a disability is a person who:

 

To be eligible for the program, the individual with the disability must be an adult. Families with children under 18 years of age who have disabilities are not eligible for assistance under this program. Eligible units include single family homes and apartment units.

 

New Avenues’ Mainstream Housing program is open to residents of Cuyahoga, Lake and Ashtabula counties who meet eligibility requirements.

 

Application Process

Individuals interested in participating in the Mainstream Housing program must submit an application when the Mainstream wait list is open. Notification of the opening of the wait list will be published in local newspapers and will be sent to service providers.

 

Applicants will be placed on the wait list based on date and time postmark of application. New Avenues will select applicants in order on the wait list to determine program eligibility. If an applicant is determined eligible, New Avenues will issue a Housing Choice Voucher to the applicant. If an applicant is determined ineligible, New Avenues will remove the applicant from the wait list.

 

All applicants determined eligible must attend an applicant briefing on program requirements prior to receipt of the Housing Choice Voucher.

 

For more information, please contact the Community Relations Director at (216) 481-1909 x224 or kknavel@newavenues.net.