On November 27, HUD announced that two Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) in Texas would receive a total of $10 million in Housing Mobility Related Services awards. The Houston Housing Authority and the Housing Authority of the City of Dallas will each receive $5 million. The money is intended to expand housing choices for Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) families with children by increasing access to opportunity neighborhoods with high-performing schools, access to jobs, low crime rates, parks, and other amenities.
According to HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge, “Every parent knows the value of providing a safe and secure place for their child to call home. Stability at home helps promote their future success – in school and onwards. As HUD works to expand affordable housing and ensure economic mobility is possible for all families, these Housing Mobility Related Services awards will boost access to housing vouchers for families who need them the most.”
While the HCV program currently offers families with vouchers the opportunity to live in a neighborhood of their choice (including low-poverty, opportunity neighborhoods), families with HCVs may continue to encounter barriers to using their vouchers in communities with expanded opportunities. Common barriers include the inability to save enough money for a security deposit, inadequate time to find a unit, landlord unwillingness to rent to voucher holders, or limited awareness of neighborhood amenities, such as the location of high-performing schools.
The Housing Choice Voucher Mobility Services Program will support PHAs in addressing barriers to accessing housing choices by offering mobility related services to increase the number of voucher families with children living in opportunity areas. In addition to offering mobility-related services, PHAs will work together in their regions to adopt administrative policies that further enable housing mobility, increase landlord participation, and reduce barriers for families to move across PHA jurisdictions through portability.