The Habitat Company Online Wait List Opening Procedures Attachment to Tenant Selection Plan Step 1: Opening the Wait List Long Grove House Section 8 Project Based Subsidized Waitlist Opening The Habitat Company is pleased to announce the opening of its (family) wait list for Long Grove House located at 2001 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60616. The pre-application period will span over a two week period. Pre-applications will be accepted online only, between January 21, 2014 @ 9:00 a.m. and February 2, 2014 @ 11:59 p.m. Step 2: Applying for the Wait List Online To be considered for the Wait List, interested applicants should apply by completing the online preapplication. Pre-application forms will be available online during the time period that the waiting list is open. The pre-application link is located at the bottom of this notification page. To ensure the fairness of the pre-application process, applicants are required to apply online. Paper preapplications will not be available at the property or at The Habitat Company Regional Office. All applicants are treated equally, no matter when they apply during the open pre-application period. It makes No Difference if you are the first or last to apply; you stand the same chance of being selected for the Wait List through a random lottery process. The online pre-application process allows you to apply at a time and place convenient for you and eliminates the need for standing in long lines. You may apply using any computer, tablet or smart phone with Internet access. It is OK to have someone apply for you if you need help using a computer. If you don t have Internet access, free computer access is available at local library branches and many community centers. Libraries/Community Center located near the Property o China Town Branch Library, 2353 S Wentworth Avenue, Chicago, IL 60616, (312) 747-8013 o Martin Luther King Branch Library, 3436 S King Drive, Chicago, IL 60616, (312) 747-7543 o Chinese Community Center, 250 W 22 nd Street, Chicago, IL 60616, (312) 842-8010 o Fosco Park Community Center, 1312 S Racine Avenue, Chicago, IL 60608, (312) 746-5086 o Reach Out Community Center, 2243 S Troy Street, Chicago, IL 60623, (312) 617-3581 1
You may also complete an online pre-application at the Property during limited hours while the wait list is open. Management team members will be available to assist at the property management office located at: Long Grove House- Day Room 2001 S Michigan Avenue Chicago, IL 60616 On the following dates and times: Tuesday January 21, 2014 10am 1pm Wednesday January 22, 2014 2pm 5pm Friday January 24, 2014 10am 1pm Monday January 27, 2014 2pm 5pm Wednesday January 29, 2014 10am 1pm Friday January 31, 2014 10am 1pm The pre-application requires certain information on all members of the applicant s household. Before you begin the online process, be sure you have all of the following information with you: Birthdate and SSN for all members of your household Income & Asset Information for all members of your household HH size and composition Minority status (optional disclosure by the household) Need for accessible unit Please assemble all necessary information listed above before you sit down to begin the online pre-application process. Partially completed online forms cannot be submitted or saved for later. Once a pre-application is started online, you must complete and submit at that time to obtain an Application Receipt. Pre-applications will be available online in English and Spanish. After you have successfully applied, you will receive an online Application Receipt with an Application ID. Please print this for your records. 2
Eligibility Guidelines In order to qualify for Section 8 housing, the family must meet the following requirements: Applicant must 18 years of age or older Have a total annual gross income less than the ANNUAL income limits shown below. 1 Person 2 People 3 People 4 People 5 People 6 People 7 People 8 People $41,250 $47,150 $53,050 $58,900 $63,650 $68,350 $73,050 $77,750 In addition, all applicants will be required to: Verify U.S. citizenship or legal immigration status Pass criminal background history review Pass tenancy history review Preferences: No residency preference will be established. Reasonable Accommodations Long Grove House provides low income housing to eligible seniors/families and has an obligation to provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and participants if they or any family members have a disability. An applicant with a disability may request information about obtaining assistance with the preapplication process or making Reasonable Accommodations by contacting Long Grove House at (312) 225-6300, between the office hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday to Friday. As a reasonable accommodation, the alternative method of applying for those who cannot apply online will be to mail-in a request for a paper pre-application. The pre-application must be mailed back and postmarked by January 31, 2014. Management staff will complete the online pre-application using the paper pre-application. Additional Information Additional information will be available on Habitat s website at http://www.habitat.com/whatwe-do/affordable-housing. Specific questions can be directed to the Management Office, as specifically instructed in the advertisement and/or flyers. To complete a pre-application for the waiting list, visit http://www.habitat.com/what-wedo/affordable-housing, and follow the online instructions. 3
Step 3: Closing the Waitlist Long Grove House Section 8 Project Based Subsidized Waitlist Closed Once the waitlist is closed, the following instructions will be posted online. The pre-application period for Long Grove House Section 8 waitlist lottery is now closed. If your household completed a pre-application and was selected for the lottery, you will receive a letter from us in the mail by the end of February letting you know that your household was selected at random to be placed on our household waitlist for Section 8 assistance. If you have specific questions that are not answered in our online FAQ section, please call Long Grove House at 312-225-6300. 4
Step 4: Processing Pre-Applications and Conducting Lottery Pre-application forms must be completed in their entirety online at the time the waiting list is opened to be eligible for the lottery. Any pre-applications not completed in their entirety will not be accepted via the online system. Resident selection will be based on a lottery. A lottery procedure is preferred over a first-come, firstserve procedure, as the latter procedure may disadvantage non-local applicants. A random lottery will be conducted after the closing of the waiting list pre-application period. Households will only be placed into the lottery once. Duplicate pre-applications will not be accepted. Pre-applications will be selected and ordered using an online random lottery system after Management stops accepting pre-applications at 11:59pm on February 2, 2014. Only 600 applicants will be randomly selected for Long Grove House Section 8 waiting list Applicants selected in the lottery will be placed on the Waiting List Applicants selected from the Lottery and placed on the Waiting List will be notified in writing. Applicants not selected in the Lottery will not be notified. As a reminder, where an applicant applies or when s/he submits an online pre-application will NOT affect the person s chances to be chosen for the Wait List. All online pre-applications submitted between the time periods mentioned above will go into a lottery and selected randomly. **Placement on the Waiting List does not guarantee residency; final determination of residency will be made after the formal pre-application is completed, processed and approved. Lottery Procedures Once the pre-application period is closed and all pre-applications have been received, an online random lottery drawing will be automated and completed by the lottery administrator. Names chosen will be placed on the wait list in the order drawn. If a property has different waiting lists for each unit size, applicant households will be placed on the waiting list they ve requested, as long as it meets occupancy standards for that unit size. If the property has residency preferences, first preference for those units shall be given to such households, in conformity with state and federal civil rights laws. Residency Preferences, if applicable, will be noted in all advertisements and flyers. 5
Step 5: Notify Selected Applicants and Maintain Wait List The lottery administrator will retain a list of all households and will notify all applicants of their placement on the waiting list within two weeks of the lottery being held. Applicants not selected, will receive no communication from the Property. After the initial lottery, waiting lists shall be maintained as described in the Tenant Selection Plan. It is the responsibility of the household to report any futures changes in household size. Changes in household size should be reported in the manner outlined in the Tenant Selection Plan. 6
Entire Application Process: The application process consists of the following steps: Online Waitlist Opening Online Waitlist Opening Online Pre-application Collection Online Preapplication Collection Waitlist Closed Waitlist Closed Random Lottery held for placement and order on the wait list Random Lottery 600 Applicants added to waitlist When unit becomes available, Applicant will complete a formal Application during an interview with Management Applicant ON List - Written Notification Mailed When Unit becomes available - Application Interview Applicant NOT on list No Further Notification Applicant undergoes income eligibility review and screening requirements Eligibility/Screening Process If Applicant is approved, they will be approved for Move-in Approved Rejected If Applicant is rejected, they will be removed from the wait list Move In Removed from Wait List 7