There are two ways to apply to the CHAMP: using a paper application; or online. As of July, 2020, you will need to use a paper application if you wish to apply for both a portable Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP) voucher and for a unit in public housing. If you only wish to apply for a unit in public housing, you can choose to apply either on paper or online. In the near future, it should also be possible to apply for AHVP online.
We will walk through the process 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 both a portable AHVP voucher and for a unit in public housing.
Paper application
- Download the 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.
- It states that if you want to apply for just an AHVP portable voucher, answer questions 2-6, skip question 7, and answer question 8.
- If you want to apply for just elderly/disabled and/or family housing, answer questions 1-5, skip question 6, and answer questions 7-8.
- If you want to apply for BOTH AHVP and elderly/disabled and/or family housing, answer all questions.
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 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.
(Click on the image to enlarge it, and click the back button in your browser to return to this page.)- 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 question 7, 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”.
- 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.
- Question 6 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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- 25 housing authorities offer AHVP vouchers. You do not have to live in a community that offers a voucher to apply, and you do not have to use a voucher in the community that offers it. Raphael checks off all the boxes to maximize Anita’s chance of getting a voucher.
- Question 7 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 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.
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- The next three questions address other modications and accommodations for disability.
- 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?“.
- 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.
- The next three questions address other modications and accommodations for disability.
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- The next section of question 7 is called “Additional Information”.
- 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 witin the same housing authority?“
- The next section of question 7 is called “Additional Information”.
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- The last part of question 7 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.
- Question 8 is the Applicant’s Certification and Fair Information Practices Act — Statement of Rights.
- Raphael reads the first part of question 8, 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 application.
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- The second part of question 8 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.
- 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.)
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