Filling out the paper CHAMP application

We will walk through the process of completing the paper CHAMP application step-by-step.

For the purposes of this exercise, we will assume that Raphael Martinez is helping his daughter Anita, who has a developmental disability, apply. Raphael is Anita’s legal guardian. Anita is 22, and lives at home with her family. Anita is interested in applying for a portable MRVP voucher, for a portable AHVP voucher, and for a unit in public housing.

Paper application

• Download the application. Make sure you click on “Application”, not “Supplemental Application.” You can download translations of the application into Spanish, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Russian, Vietnamese, and Chinese at the same site.
• The first page of the application gives general directions.

• Throughout the application, make sure you write in “not applicable (n/a)” or “decline to respond” as appropriate for non-required questions.

• Question 1 is called “Contact Information”.
  • Because Anita is the person who will use the voucher, Raphael uses Anita’s date of birth and name to fill out the application.
  • Raphael writes “N/A” next to the question about the mailing address.
  • Because he is Anita’s guardian and will be the one communicating with housing authorities, Raphael uses his own phone number and email.
  • Raphael uses another phone number (possibly his home phone) and email for the secondary contact.

• Question 2 is called “Current Housing Situation”.
  • Anita is not homeless or in imminent danger of becoming homeless, so Raphael checks “No”.
  • Raphael writes “N/A” next to “On what day did you become, or will you become, displaced from your primary residence?“; next to “If yes, please check ALL of the following statements that apply to you”; next to “If yes, did you become homeless in any of the following ways?“; and next to “Please provide additional details about your housing situation“.
  • Note that these questions are all meant to match up with the definition of homelessness used by state-aided public housing programs.

• Question 3 is called “Employment & Veteran Status”.
  • Anita has a part time job in Framingham. This will allow her to get local preference for site-based state housing in Framingham.
  • While Raphael is a veteran, he will not be part of Anita’s household, and Anita will not be his dependent in housing, so Raphael writes N/A next to all questions related to veterans.

• Question 4 is called “Language Access”. Anita understands spoken and written English, so Raphael checks “yes” to both questions.

• Question 5 is called “Household Makeup”.
  • Anita is the head of household. No other names are entered. (Even if Anita needed a live in aide, this would be left blank; instead, under a later question, two bedrooms would be checked and a live-in aide would be listed as a reasonable accommodation.)
  • Raphael writes “yes” under “Disabled?“
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  • No one in Anita’s immediate family works for or is a board member of a housing authority, so Raphael checks “No” and writes “N/A” next to “If yes, identify the household member“.
  • The estimated household income for the coming year is the total of Anita’s annual SSI benefits and the estimated income from her part time job.
  • Anita is not planning on marrying or moving in with a significant other, so Raphael checks “No” to the question “Is a change in household composition expected?” The answer to this question would still be no if she needed a live in aide, as the aide is not part of the household (provided they are not a close family member). If she planned on having a roommate, Raphael would need to say yes. But Raphael and Anita need to be aware the income of the roommate will be considered in calculating housing eligibility and rent.
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• Question 6 is called “Unit Details”.
  • Anita will live alone, so Raphael checks the box “1” under the question “How many bedrooms do you believe you need?”. (If Anita had needed a live-in aide, Raphael would have checked “2“.)
  • Anita does not need a wheelchair accessible unit, so Raphael checks “no” to that question.
  • Anita does not need a unit adapted for people with visual or hearing issues, so Raphael checks “no” to the question “Does your household need a unit that is accessible for persons with sensory impairments such as visual alarms and notification devices for people with hearing impairments?“.
  • Anita is able to climb stairs, so Raphael checks “no” to the question that begins “Do you need a unit that does not require you or any member of your household to climb stairs?“.
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• Question 7 is the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) Application Questions & Selections.
  • Anita wishes to apply for a portable MRVP voucher, which can be used rent an apartment in the community, so Raphael checks “yes” to “After reading about MRVP, would you like to apply for MRVP?”
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  • Anita does not have children, so Raphael writes “N/A” next to “Where do your children attend school?“
  • Anita does not do well with large group meetings of tenants, and will need to attend any required meetings via an individual appointment. She will also need to have assistance in any meetings with her landlord and/or with any issuing housing authority. Raphael checks “yes” to “Do you, or a member of your household, have a disability for which you need a reasonable accommodation of an MRVP policy or procedure?” He writes in these accommodations.
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  • There are no MRVP project-based waiting lists where Anita lives or works, so Raphael writes “N/A” next to the “List of MRVP Project-Based Waitlist Selections.” He knows that because of local preference, Anita would not receive a unit in one of these communities. (If Anita were homeless, it would make sense to check off any community where she was willing to live, as homelessness overrides local preference.)
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• Question 8 is the Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP) Application Questions & Selections.
  • Anita wishes to apply for this portable voucher for adults with disabilities to rent an apartment in the community, so Raphael checks “yes” to “After reading the above description, would you like to apply for AHVP?“
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  • Raphael checks “yes” to “Are you, or is someone in your household, 59 years old or younger AND a person with a disability?“
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  • Anita does not do well with large group meetings of tenants, and will need to attend any required meetings via an individual appointment. She will also need to have assistance in any meetings with her landlord and/or with any issuing housing authority. Raphael checks “yes” to “Do you or a member of your household have a disability for which you need a reasonable accommodation of an AHVP policy or procedure?” He writes in these accommodations.
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• Question 9 is the Public Housing Program Application Questions & Selections
  • This section refers to site-based state-funded housing units. Anita is interested in a one bedroom apartment in either state family or state elderly/disabled housing, so Raphael checks “yes” to the question “After reading the above description, would you like to apply for State-Aided Public Housing?“.
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  • Raphael checks “yes” to the question “Are you applying for Elderly/Handicapped Housing?” He checks the box for “Non-elderly Handicapped (at least one household member is a person who is 59 years old or younger with a disability)“.
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  • Anita does not do well with large group meetings of tenants, and will need to attend any required meetings via an individual appointment. She will also need to have assistance in any meetings with any issuing housing authority. Raphael checks “yes” to “Do you or a member of your household have a disability for which you need a reasonable accommodation such as grab bars in the unit?“. He writes in these accommodations.
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  • Anita does not have an Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP) voucher. Raphael checks “no” to the question “Do you currently have a voucher from the Massachusetts Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP)?“.
  • Anita does not already live in housing authority property. Raphael checks “no” to the question “Are you requesting a transfer to move from one apartment to another within the same Housing Authority?” He writes N/A next to the questions that do not apply to Anita.
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  • The last part of question 9 is the “List of Housing Selections for Public Housing”. This is where Raphael checks off the communities Anita wishes to live in and the types of housing where she wishes to live. He checks off Family housing and Elderly/Handicapped housing in both the community where they live and in Framingham, where Anita works. He knows that there is not much point in checking off other communities, as Anita is unlikely to get a unit because she doesn’t have local preference. He is very careful NOT to click boxes for places and/or housing types where Anita does not wish to live. He knows that turning down an offer of housing will get Anita removed from that waiting list, and turning down 3 offers of housing will get her removed from ALL lists for units at every housing authority where she has applied.
  • He also knows that “Shared Living” on this form has nothing to do with the Shared Living program of the Department of Developmental Services, but instead refers to a type of congregate public housing that some housing authorities administer.
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• Question 10 is the Applicant’s Certification and Fair Information Practices Act — Statement of Rights.
  • Raphael reads the first part of question 10, the “Applicant’s Certification”, carefully. He realizes there are consequences to turning down offers of housing. If Anita is removed from one or more waiting lists for turning down housing, she will need to apply again, and will lose any preferences or priorities for a three year period. As a result, he plans on updating the application at least annually, to make sure only places Anita is willing to live are checked off. He has Anita sign and date the applicant’s certification.
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  • The second part of question 10 is the “Fair Information Practices Act – Statement of Rights”. This section lays out Anita’s rights regarding use of the information she has shared with the housing authority. It also makes clear that providing false or incomplete information is a criminal offense. Raphael has Anita sign and date this section.
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• The final part of the application (which is not numbered) is the Applicant Permission to Release Information. This gives any housing authority considering Anita’s application permission to verify information in her application. Rafael sees that this must be signed or Anita can be refused housing assistance. He has Anita sign and date this section.
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• The next step is submitting the application.
  • It is a good idea to make a photocopy of your application for your files. However, make sure you submit the original, not the photocopy.
  • You may submit the application to any local housing authority. Most people submit the application to their local housing authority, or to the one closest to where they live. To find a list of housing authorities and their addresses, click here.
  • You may choose to submit the application in person or by mail.
    • If you submit it in person, ask them to review the application for completeness, and to give you a written receipt. This might take the form of them time stamping your photocopy and giving it back to you.
    • If you mail the application, it is a good idea to physically go to the post office and mail the application “certified mail, return receipt requested”. That way, you will be able to track it and ensure it was received.
• Take steps to make sure you don’t get removed from the waiting list. Consider registering for the CHAMP website, and updating your application at least annually online.

You can view a complete copy of Anita’s hypothetical application here.

When you are getting to the top of the list

When your family member approaches the top of the list, they will be contacted by the housing authority in question and asked to fill out the “Supplemental Application — Income and History”. (You can view a paper copy of the Supplemental Application — Income and History here.) The supplemental application will ask far more detailed questions, including:

• Sources and amounts of all income and assets (this would include any money you regularly give them or expenses you pay for them, such as uncovered medical expenses).
• Amounts of household expenses for your family member, including un-reimbursed medical expenses (this would include the uncovered medical expenses you pay for them), health insurance premiums, child support paid by them, and alimony paid by them.
• Rental history for the previous five years.
• Two personal references who are not relatives or household members; doctors or employers can work for this.
• Information on any pets (note: many housing authorities only permit one pet, if any, generally a cat or a dog, with a weight limit — 30 pounds is common).
• Criminal history.

Click here to return to the overview of the CHAMP.

(Please note that nothing on this website is intended as legal advice, there is no guarantee the information provided is accurate, and using the information provided does not guarantee one will receive a housing voucher. For a complete legal disclaimer, please click here.)