John Sarcone
Director of Housing and Homeless Services

Office of Housing & Homeless Services 40 Main Street, 1st Floor, Hempstead, NY 11550 516-572-1900 Fax 516-572-2790

Office of Housing & Homeless Services

SECTION 8 TENANT BASED VOUCHERS - "HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHERS"

Tenant-based vouchers increase affordable housing choices for very low-income families ( i.e. families with income below 50% of area median income). Families with a tenant-based voucher choose and lease safe, decent, and affordable privately owned rental housing that meets HUD's Housing Quality Standards (HQS) and has a reasonable rent as compared to other units in the area.

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FAMILY UNIFICATION vouchers are made available to families for whom the lack of adequate housing is a primary factor in the separation, or threat of imminent separation, of children from their families or in the prevention of reunifying the children with their families. Family unification vouchers enable families to lease decent, safe and sanitary housing.

Families are eligible for these vouchers if they meet two conditions:

• The public child welfare agency has certified that it is a family for whom the lack of adequate housing is a primary factor in the imminent placement of the family's child, or children, in out-of-home care, or in the delay of discharge of a child, or children, to the family from out-of-home care; and
• The Housing Agency has determined the family is eligible for a housing choice voucher.

PROJECT BASED VOUCHERS are a component of the Housing agency's housing choice voucher program. A Housing Agency can attach up to 20 percent of its voucher assistance to specific housing units if the owner agrees to either rehabilitate or construct the units, or the owner agrees to set aside a portion of the units in an existing development. Rehabilitated units must require at least $1,000 of rehabilitation per unit to be subsidized, and all units must meet HUD housing quality standards. Owners select families for occupancy of a particular unit after screening each eligible family on a PHA's housing choice voucher waiting list that is interested in moving into the specific project.

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HOME OWNERSHIP VOUCHERS assist first-time homeowners with their monthly home ownership expenses. The home must pass an initial housing quality standard inspection conducted by the Housing Agency and an independent home inspection before the Housing Agency may approve the purchase by the family.

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HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION and RAPID RE-HOUSING (HPRP) PROGRAM
The purpose of the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) is to provide homelessness prevention assistance to households who would otherwise become homeless – many due to the economic crisis – and to provide assistance to rapid re-house persons who are homeless as defined by Section 103 of the4 McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11302).

This program has been designed to address homelessness in the community by proactively working with families with children who are most at risk of becoming homeless. The goal of the program is to help people obtain long term sustainable housing. Three key elements of the program are Prevention, Diversion, and Rapid Re-Housing. Funds available in this program are intended to enhance existing assistance, and shift the focus from providing shelter to preventing homelessness and quickly re-housing those who do become homeless.