HACC

The HACC must conduct a reexamination of family income and composition at least annually. This includes gathering and verifying current information about family composition, income, and expenses. Based on this updated information, the family’s income and rent must be recalculated.

The HACC will begin the annual reexamination process 120 days in advance of its scheduled effective date. Generally, the HACC will schedule annual reexamination effective dates to coincide with the family’s anniversary date. Anniversary date is defined as 12 months from the effective date of the family’s last annual reexamination or, during a family’s first year in the program, from the effective date of the family’s initial examination (admission).

Notification will be sent to the email address on file with instructions to complete the online rectification process within 30 days of notice.

Quick Links

• Caseworker Listing
• Recertification Forms

For HACC policy on the interim/adjustment process see Chapter 11 of the Administrative Plan.

Family circumstances may change throughout the period between annual reexaminations. The HACC requires families to report all changes in family income and composition in writing and/or by completing and submitting an interim/adjustment request application within 30 days of the change. HUD regulations also permit the HACC to conduct interim reexaminations of income or family composition at any time.

For HACC policy on the interim/adjustment process see Chapter 11 of the Administrative Plan.

Freedom of choice is a hallmark of the housing choice voucher (HCV) program. Therefore, HUD regulations impose few restrictions on where families may live or move with HCV assistance. A family’s right to move is generally contingent upon the family’s compliance with program requirements.

Participants must first meet these requirements:

• Have lived in their current unit for at least a year and be eligible to move under their current lease agreement
• Have a current, complete annual re-certification
• Have given notice to their current landlord of their intent to move

If a family wishes to move to a new unit, the family must notify the HACC and the owner before moving out of the old unit or terminating the lease on notice to the owner. If the family wishes to move to a unit outside the HACC’s jurisdiction under portability, the notice to the HACC must specify the area where the family wishes to move. The notices must be in writing by either completing an Intent to Vacate Notice with the Landlord or providing a copy of the notice that was mailed to the landlord along with a copy of the certified receipt The HACC requires a written notice prior to the moving papers being issued. Upon receipt of a family’s notification that it wishes to move, the HACC will determine whether the move is approvable in accordance with the regulations and policies.

For families approved to move to a new unit within the HACC’s jurisdiction, the HACC will require the family to attend a mandatory briefing. The HACC will provide the family with a briefing packet that will include families of the voucher term, HACC’s payment standards, procedures for requesting approval of a unit, the unit inspection process, and the leasing process and other required information. Participants should be prepared for the class to last up to two (2) hours in order to receive moving papers.

If a family does not locate a new unit within the term of the voucher and any extensions, the family may remain in its current unit with continued voucher assistance if the owner agrees and the HACC approves. Otherwise, the family will lose its assistance. If the family has moved out of its unit and is no longer receiving assistance (no HAP made on behalf of the family) during the move process, the family must begin receiving assistance again within 180 days to remain eligible for the program.

• You can search for available units at www.affordablehousing.com
• You can review inspection results at www.results.emimms.com

Please Note:
Attending a Moving Paper Briefing does not authorize participants to move into a new unit.
All new units must be approved through the HACC’s Moving Process.

For HACC policy on the moves process see Chapter 10 of the Administrative Plan

Portability in the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program refers to the process through which your family can transfer or “port” your rental subsidy when you move to a location outside the jurisdiction of the public housing agency (PHA) that first gave you the voucher when you were selected for the program (the initial PHA).

The agency that will administer your assistance in the area to which you are moving is called the receiving PHA.

New families have to live in the jurisdiction of the initial PHA for a year before they can port. But, the initial PHA may allow new families to port during this one-year period.

What Happens Next

• You must notify the initial PHA that you would like to port and to which area you are moving.
• The initial PHA will determine if you are eligible to move. For example, the PHA will determine whether you have moved out of your unit in accordance with your lease.
• If eligible to move, the initial PHA will issue you a voucher (if it has not done so already) and send all relevant paperwork to the receiving PHA.
• If you are currently assisted, you must give your landlord notice of your intent to vacate in accordance with your lease.

Contacting the Receiving PHA

• Your case manager will let you know how and when to contact the receiving PHA. Your case manager must give you enough information so that you know how to contact the receiving PHA.
• If there is more than one PHA that administers the HCV program where you wish to move, you may choose the receiving PHA. The initial PHA will give you the contact information for the PHAs that serve the area. If you prefer, you may request that the initial PHA selects the receiving PHA for you.
• Generally, the initial PHA is not required to give you any other information about the receiving PHAs, but you may wish to find more details when contacting the (such as whether the receiving PHA operates a Family Self-Sufficiency or Homeownership program).

Before Porting, Things You Should Know

• Subsidy Standards: The receiving PHA may have different subsidy standards. In other words, the initial PHA may have issued you a three-bedroom voucher, but the receiving PHA may, if appropriate for your family, issue you a two-bedroom voucher. Note, however, that the PHA’s subsidy standards must comply with fair housing and civil rights laws. This includes processing reasonable accommodation requests that are necessary for qualified individuals with disabilities.
• Payment Standards: The payment standards of the receiving PHA may be different for each PHA. Payment standards are what determine the amount of the rent that the PHA will pay on your behalf. If a receiving PHA’s payment standards are lower than the initial PHA, then the portion of the rent you pay may be more than what you were paying at the initial PHA.
• Re-screening: The receiving PHA may re-screen you using their own policies, which may be different than the initial PHA’s policies and could result in them denying your request to move. When contacting the receiving PHA, you may want to ask whether they re-screen families moving into their area under portability and what are their policies for termination or denial of HCV assistance. This will assist you in determining if the receiving PHA’s policies might prevent you from moving to their jurisdiction.
• Time Management: You should manage the move so that you have enough time to arrive at the receiving PHA before the initial PHA voucher expires; otherwise, you may lose your assistance.

Once at the Receiving PHA
The receiving PHA will issue you a voucher to search for a unit in its jurisdiction. Your voucher must be extended by 30 days from the expiration date on the voucher issued by the initial PHA.

• When you submit a request for tenancy approval, the time on your voucher will stop until you are notified in writing whether the unit is approved or denied. The request for tenancy approval is the form you will submit to the receiving PHA once you find a unit, so that the receiving PHA can determine whether you may rent that unit under the program.
• If you decide that you do not want to lease a unit in the area, the receiving PHA will return your voucher to the initial PHA. The initial PHA is not required to, but may, extend the term of your voucher so that you may search for a unit in the initial PHA’s jurisdiction or port to another jurisdiction.
• Any additional instructions will be provided by the receiving PHA. PHAs must comply with all nondiscrimination and equal opportunity requirements in the portability process, including, but not limited to, the Fair Housing Act, Section 504 of the of the Rehabilitation Act, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Incoming Portability
If you would like to be assisted in HACC’s jurisdiction you must initiate contact with your current PHA regarding the portability process.

Incoming portability requests can be received by the HACC from the initial PHA via the following methods:

• Via email to: Portability@thehacc.org
• Mail to: Housing Authority of Cook County, Attn: Incoming Portability, 10 S. LaSalle Suite 2200, Chicago IL 60603
• Via fax to:  312-237-4272

Outgoing Portability

• If you are a current HACC HCV program participant and wish to relocate outside of HACC’s jurisdiction, you must initiate contact with your caseworker. For assistance in searching for the Housing Agency in the jurisdiction you wish to move click here.

As a housing participant your housing assistance may end for various reasons, including non-compliance with program rules, criminal activity, and changes in household circumstances. Below are common grounds for termination:

Failure to Meet Program Requirements

• Recertification Failure – Not completing mandatory recertification procedures.
• Failure to Supply Requested Information – Not providing documentation or information when requested.
• Failure to Use Unit as Primary Residence – Using the assisted unit as a secondary or vacation home.
• Failure to Notify Before Vacating – Leaving the unit without proper notice to the agency.
• Dual Housing Assistance – Receiving assistance for more than one unit at the same time.

Unreported or False Information

• Unreported Income or Household Members – Not disclosing income changes or adding members without notification.
• Fraud or Misrepresentation – Providing false information during application or recertification.
• Ineligibility – Discovery after admission that the household was never eligible.

Criminal or Dangerous Behavior

• Criminal Activity – Involvement in drug-related, violent, or other criminal acts that threaten others.
• Drug-Related Activity – Use or distribution of illegal drugs.
• Alcohol Abuse – Repeated alcohol abuse affecting others’ safety or peaceful enjoyment.
• Violent or Abusive Behavior – Threats or aggressive behavior toward agency staff.

Lease and Property Violations

• Lease Violations – Such as non-payment of rent, utility shutoffs, or unauthorized guests.
• Failed or Missed Inspections – Refusing inspections or not addressing required repairs.
• Excessive Property Damage – Causing significant damage to the unit.

Absences and Changes in Household Status

• Extended Absence from Unit – Being away from the unit for more than 180 consecutive days.
• Income Increase – When a family’s income rises to a level where they can afford the full rent without assistance.
• Ownership or Interest in Unit – Owning or having a financial interest in the assisted unit.