Applying for MRVP
Mobile Vouchers are administered largely the same way throughout the MRVP portfolio. An Applicant applies online or at an AA, is screened for any priorities or preferences, and is placed on a waiting list ifa Voucher is not immediately available. Applicants are then selected off of the waiting list based on priorities, preferences, and application date and screened for eligibility for MRVP. If eligible, the Applicant is issued an MRVPVoucher. Applications are available in multiple languages on DHCD’s website.
Once an application is received, the application is date and time stamped and theApplicant is promptly provided with a receipt including a control number.After the application is reviewed for completeness, a preliminary determination of eligibility based on information provided in the application is made. If an Applicant appears to be entitled to any preference or priority status, the applicant must submit documentation of eligibility for any priority or preference with their application. Applicants that submit incomplete or irrelevant documentation may be contacted to provide appropriate documentation.
Verification procedures are consistently and fairly applied for all applicants. Applicants shall be notified of the preliminary determination on preference eligibility and may request a private conference if found ineligible or not entitled to a requested preference or priority category.
Priority Categories
The following priority categories are used in determining the order of tenant selection. Click here for DHCD’s Checklist of RequiredVerification Documents for MRVP Priority Status
Priorities 1–4 focus on homeless Applicants, and allApplicants under those priorities must meet DHCD definition of “HomelessApplicant” under 760 CMR 49.02.v
A “Homeless Applicant” is defined for MRVP purposes as an Applicant who:
-Is without a place to live or is in a living situation in which there is a significant, immediate and direct threat to the life or safety of the Applicant or a Household member which situation would be alleviated by placement in a unit of Appropriate Unit Size; o Households temporarily residing in a shelter are considered without a place to live. o Households that are doubled up, but not overcrowded based on the State Sanitary Code, are considered as having a place to live.
-Has made reasonable efforts to locate alternative housing; · Has not caused or substantially contributed to the safety-threatening or life-threatening situation; o In cases of domestic violence, there is a presumption that victims did not contribute to their circumstances.
· Has pursued available ways to prevent or avoid the displacement by seeking assistance through the courts or appropriate administrative or enforcement agencies; and
· Has been or is about to be displaced from a primary residence.
-To qualify as about to be displaced, a Household must at the very minimum have a set court date for an eviction. A notice to quit is not sufficient to show that a Household is about to be displaced.
Note that Applicants that are receiving assistance that is intended to be temporary including, but not limited to, any temporary or bridge subsidies provided with state or federal funds may be considered Homeless under MRVP. This includesApplicants receiving rental stipends through HomeBASE and RAFT and who are renting apartments with those stipends. For assistance to be considered temporary, in relation to the MRVP definition of Homeless, the assistance must be explicitly defined as “temporary” or “transitional” and only available to the Applicant for 12 months or less. Assistance that is provided for up to 12months, but can be extended through another application process shall be considered temporary.
Click here to view more information on Priorities and the required documentation needed to verify priority on the waiting list.
Priority 1— Homeless Due to Natural Forces
An Applicant, otherwise eligible and qualified, who has been displaced by:
-Fire not due to negligence or intentional act of Applicant or a Household member;
-Earthquake, flood, or other natural cause; or
-A disaster declared or otherwise formally recognized under disaster relief laws.
Verification may include:
-Copy of the Official Fire Report. Report must be mailed directly from the FireDepartment to the AA. Report should be a true and attested copy.
-Copy of the official report from the Red Cross or Federal Emergency ManagementAgency (FEMA). Report must be mailed directly to the AA. Report should be attested as a true copy.
Priority 2—Homeless Due to Displacement by Public Action (Urban Renewal)
An Applicant, otherwise eligible and qualified, who will be displaced within 90 days or has been displaced within the three years prior to application, by:
-Any low rent housing project as defined in M.B.L. C. 121B, § 1;
-A public slum clearance or urban renewal project initiated after January 1, 1947; or
-Other public improvement.
Verification may include:
-Copy of the official notification of the land/property taking and the stated purposes thereof from the public agency involved. Notifications should include the legislative authority exercised and date of displacement.
-If public action is pending, notification should be sent from the public agency directly to the AA.
Priority 3—Homeless Due to Displacement by Public Action (Sanitary CodeViolations/Condemnation)
An Applicant, otherwise eligible and qualified, who is being displaced, or has been displaced within 90 days prior to application, by enforcement of minimum standards of fitness for human habitation established by the State Sanitary Code (105 CMR 410.000) or local ordinances, provided that:
-Neither the Applicant nor a Household member has caused or substantially contributed to the cause of the enforcement proceedings;
-TheApplicant has pursued available ways to remedy the situation by seeking assistance through the courts or appropriate administrative or enforcement agencies; and
-Enforcement of minimum standards of fitness must include condemnation of the unit, residence, or property.
-Displacement may be from a unit that never met the minimum standards in theState Sanitary Code, such as an illegal apartment or substandard unit. Verification may include:
-Copy of the official order of displacement due to code enforcement. Order should be sent directly to the AA by the public health department involved. Document maybe known as Declaration of Condemnation and should include the specific property involved.
-A statement of efforts taken by the Applicant to remedy the situation prior to the condemnation and subsequent to the condemnation.
-Documents that verify the action of the Applicant may be letters to the landlord, previous board of health notices, or court records.
Priority 4—Emergency Case under Emergency Case Plan
DHCD has an established Emergency Case Plan for MRVP, which can be found in Exhibit 5.3.
When selecting Applicants found eligible for Priority 4, theAA shall select Applicants in the order listed below: 4a, 4b, and 4c.
The Emergency Case Plan sets out circumstances under which the AA shall grant emergency case status to Homeless Applicants. The EmergencyCase Plan reflects the needs of persons who are:
4a) Homeless and facing a significant immediate and direct threat to the life or safety of an Applicant;
4b) In an abusive situation; or
4c) Encountering severe medical emergencies.
The Emergency Case Plan shall be posted at all times in theAA administrative office where applications are received and shall be a public document. Any granting of or denial of emergency case status shall be made only after verification of circumstances warranting emergency case status. AA’s must verify severe medical emergency status with the applicant’s physician usingDHCD’s Physician’s Verification of Severe Medical Emergency (Exhibit 5.4) form or other verification form subject to approval by DHCD. Non-receipt of requested documentation, without good cause established by Applicant, shall because for determining the Applicant unqualified.
When determining eligibility under these Priorities 1–4, it is important to consider the following:
-Homeless status, as determined by EA, HomeBASE, or another program, does not necessarily mean that an Applicant will be considered homeless under MRVP.
-The event that caused a Household to be initially homeless is of critical importance for determining eligibility for Priorities 1–3 and specifically forPriority 4a.
-It is important that an Applicant has been continually homeless since the qualifying event that resulted in homelessness.
-Displacement must be from a dwelling unit verified as the Applicant’s primary residence. This can be verified through rent receipts, copy of a lease or rental agreement, or a utility bill.
-Homelessness must not have been caused by the Applicant and must not be the fault of the Applicant.
-Homelessness due to eviction for non-payment of rent may be considered to not be the fault of the Applicant if all of the following are true:
-The Applicant had sufficient income to pay the rent when the unit was originally leased;
-The event that resulted in the loss of Household income must not have been the fault of the Applicant; and
-Examples of no fault events include, but are not limited to, death of Household member, illness or injury of a Household member, or loss of job for which theApplicant was not at fault.
-Examples of events for which the Household is at fault include, but are not limited to, incarceration (only if the incarcerated Household member is still a member of the Household), reduction of benefits due to fraud, non-compliance, or at-fault termination, or the loss of a job due to Applicant conduct.
-The Household was paying at least 50% of their reduced income in rent.
-There is no minimum or maximum time limits on homelessness, except for thePriority 2 and Priority 3. ·Regardless of length of homelessness, the qualifying event that resulted in homelessness must be verified.
-The qualifying event can have taken place at any time or location, except for thePriority 2 and Priority 3.
-For example, for Priority 1, the event that initially caused homelessness could be the tornados in Springfield in 2011.
-The verification examples provided above are examples of ideal verification. It is not always possible for a homeless Household to provide ideal verification. AAs must consider eachHousehold’s unique situation and apply verification standards in a fair, consistent, and reasoned manner.
Priority 5—StandardApplicant Any Applicant who does not fit within any of the previous four priority categories.
Denial of a Priority or Preference [760 CMR 49.04(4)(b), (6)]
Procedures for denying eligibility for MRVP or denial of a priority or preference status follow procedures for Denial of Eligibility. Click here for more information. [Sending content]
Offers of Housing [760 CMR 49.04(5), 49.06(1), 49.07(1)]
If an Applicant is found eligible and offered housing assistance under MRVP, either with a Mobile or Project Based Voucher, and refuses the housing assistance without good cause, the Applicant’s name shall be removed from the waiting list, unless the LHA is using a general waiting list for all state-aided housing. The Applicant may reapply if the waiting list is open.
