Welcome to the current edition of the Section 8 Times. This quarterly newsletter is produced for Section 8 participants, owners, and property managers. The Section 8 Times strives to provide information and answer questions for both participants and property managers/owners. Staff welcomes your questions and comments. If there are topics you would like to see addressed in upcoming issues, please write us at: Section 8 Times HASCO 12625 4th Ave. W., Suite 200 Everett, WA 98204 Volume 12 Issue 1 Welcome March 2012 HASCO SECTION 8 TIMES HOUSING AUTHORITY OF SNOHOMISH COUNTY MISSION STATEMENT To provide housing opportunities that are as affordable as possible, that enhance the quality of life for individuals and families with limited financial resources, including elderly and disabled persons, and that contribute to a safer and stronger community. HOUSING AUTHORITY OF SNOHOMISH COUNTY 12625 4TH AVE. W., SUITE 200 EVERETT, WA 98204 425-290-8499 OR 425-743-4505 HEARING IMPAIRED 425-290-5785 FAX 425-290-5618 BUSINESS HOURS MONDAY—FRIDAY 8:00AM– 4:30PM Section 8 Department is closed on Fridays. Remember Daylight Savings Time. Set your clock ahead one hour on March 11th. Spring Ahead!! ATTENTION We have made a change to our alpha caseload. This means that you might have a new Housing Coordinator! Check out the updated alpha list on page 2. Remember, all changes in your income and family composition must be provided in writing to your Housing Coordinator within 10 days. It is very important you know who to send your information to. Thank you.
Transcript
Welcome to the current edition of the Section 8 Times. This quarterly
newsletter is produced for Section 8 participants, owners, and property
managers. The Section 8 Times strives to provide information and answer
questions for both participants and property managers/owners.
Staff welcomes your questions and comments. If there are topics you
would like to see addressed in upcoming issues,
please write us at:
Section 8 Times
HASCO 12625 4th Ave. W., Suite 200
Everett, WA 98204
Volume 12 Issue 1
Welcome March 2012
HASCO SECTION 8 TIMES
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF SNOHOMISH COUNTY
MISSION STATEMENT
To provide housing opportunities that are as affordable as possible,
that enhance the quality of life for individuals
and families with limited financial
resources, including elderly and disabled
persons, and that contribute to a safer and
stronger community.
HOUSING AUTHORITY
OF SNOHOMISH COUNTY
12625 4TH AVE. W., SUITE 200
EVERETT, WA 98204
425-290-8499 OR 425-743-4505
HEARING IMPAIRED 425-290-5785
FAX 425-290-5618
BUSINESS HOURS
MONDAY—FRIDAY 8:00AM– 4:30PM
Section 8 Department is
closed on Fridays.
Remember Daylight Savings Time.
Set your clock ahead one hour on March 11th.
Spring Ahead!!
ATTENTION
We have made a change to our alpha caseload. This means that you might have a new Housing Coordinator! Check out the updated alpha list on page 2. Remember, all changes in your income and family composition must be provided in writing to your Housing Coordinator within 10 days. It is very important you know who to send your information to. Thank you.
PAGE 2 HASCO SECTION 8 TIMES VOLUME 12 ISSUE 1
If you are in need of an interpreter to assist you with information in this newsletter, please contact Susie Gillikin at 425-293-0536 and she will arrange for an interpreter or translation. Arabic
Susie Gillikin على اذا آنت بحاجة الى مساعدة مترجم بخصوص المعلومات الورادة بهذه الرسالة االخبارية، الرجاء االتصال بسوزي
جيليكن425-293-0536 الرقم .ستقوم بترتيب مترجم او ترجمة وهى
Bosnian Ako si ti u potrebi za prevodiocom da te pomogne oko in formacija u novinama, molim te kontaktiraj Susie Gillikin na 425-293-0536 i ona ce aranzirati prevodioca ili prevod. Farsi اگر در مورد اطالعات اين نامه احتياج به مترجم داريد لطفا
با خانم سوزی گيليکن با شماره تلفنتماس بگيريد و ايشان ترتيب مترجم ويا 0536-293-425
.ترجمه اين نامه را خواهند داد
Hearing Impaired Sign language interpreters are available upon request to assist you. Russian Если у Вас возникли вопросы в связи с данным информационным бюллетенем, и Вы нуждаетесь в помощи переводчика, обратитесь к Сюзи Гилликин по телефону 425-293-0536, и она организует заказ переводчика или перевода. Somali Hadii aad ubaahan tahay inlagaaga tarjumo wararka warqadaan fadlan lasoo xiriir Susie Gillikin 425-293-0536 waxay ku diyaarinaysaa turjuman ama fasire. Spanish Si usted necesita un intérprete para que le ayude con la información de esta publicación favor de llamar a Susie Gillikin al 425-293-0536 y ella le conseguirá un intérprete o traducción. Ukrainian Якщо Вам потрібна допомога перекладача, щоб зрозуміти цей інформаційний бюлетень, зверніться до Сюзi Гiллiкiн за номером 425-293-0536, і вона домовиться відносно перекладача або перекладу. Vietnamese Nếu quý vị cần thông dịch viên giúp hiểu thêm thông tin trong tập tin này, xin vui lòng gọi cho Susie Gillikin theo số phone 425-293-0536 và cô ta sẽ sắp xếp một thông dịch viên hoặc giấy tờ đã được phiên dịch
Section 8 Staff Contact Information The Section 8 and Rental Assistance department is open on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 8:00 a.m. and closes at 4:30 p.m. The Section 8 and Rental Assistance department is closed on Fridays. Intake, VASH, FUP, NED II Programs Housing Coordinator Phyllis Renteria Ext # 511 Assistant Coordinator Misty Dyer Ext # 561
Housing Coordinator Caseload for Landlord Calls Client’s (Tenant) Last Name begins with: A to Cox Stephanie Keimig Ext # 549 Coxa to Hayn Candace Grambo Ext # 512
Hayn to McKi Julie Wood Ext # 528 McKi to Sco Christine Schroeder Ext # 558 Sco thru Zz Joni Ayson Ext # 540 Assistant Coordinator Caseload for Tenant Calls Client’s (Tenant) Last Name begins with: A to Cox Linda Bond Ext # 533 Coxa to Hayn Deby Horton Ext # 515 Hayn to McKi Jessica Buckingham Ext # 564 McKi to Sco Virginia Redden Ext # 529 Sco Thru Zz Tamra Close Ext # 571 Section 8 and Rental Assistance Supervisors Manu Morgan – Director Ext # 535
The College Bound Scholarship Program will help pay tuition at any state funded college or university in Washington. To participate in the program, students must complete the application during their 7th and 8th grade years. To be eligible to apply, you must meet one of these requirements:
Are eligible for free or reduced price lunch. Are a foster youth (regardless of income). Receive TANF benefits. Meet the family income requirements in the chart:
You must be eligible when you apply for the scholarship. Your family’s income will be used to verify scholarship eligibility in your senior year of high school. If you meet these eligibility requirements, you and your parent or legal guardian must complete the application while you are in 7th or 8th grade. You must apply by June 30th of your 8th grade year! You can apply online at www.hecb.wa.gov/collegebound or request a paper application by calling 1-888-535-0747. As a College Bound student, you promise to: Graduate from a Washington state high school or home
school with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher. Demonstrate good citizenship in your school and community
and stay crime free. Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in a timely manner. Apply to an eligible college. Don’t miss out on this opportunity! If you have questions or need assistance with the process, please call Cathy at 425-293-0518. If your student is an 8th grader this year, this is their last opportunity to apply for this program! Remember the deadline to apply is June 30th of your 8th grade school year!!
Family Size 2010 income must be less
than or equal to
Monthly Income
2 $27,200 $2,300
3 $34,300 $2,900
4 $41,300 $3,400
5 $48,400 $4,000
6 $55,500 $4,600
7 $62,600 $5,200
8 $69,600 $5,800
Each additional family member
Add $7,000 Add $600
PAGE 4 HASCO SECTION 8 TIMES VOLUME 12 ISSUE 1
� Direct Deposit for rent checks is available—Save time and money by signing up for direct deposit of housing assistance payments (HAP) to your bank account. You may download the Direct Deposit form at HASCO’s website: www.hasco.org under “Landlord Information” or contact Carole Freeman at 425-290-8499 Ext. 520. � W-9 Forms—We require landlords to attach a copy of their W-9 form to RFTAs. Please make sure to attach the W-9 with the RFTA. We can not request an inspection of the unit until we receive a proper W-9. � Do you want to make sure the unit is up to our standards? Housing Quality Stan-dards and ways to prep for an inspection are available online at HASCO’s website: www.hasco.org under “Landlord Information—Prepping for an Inspection”. Print it out and use it as a checklist when you or your tenants prepare the unit for inspection. � HUD will not allow us to pay the HAP for any month following the death of a tenant. The contract will terminate automatically upon the death of a single member household, including sin-gle member households with a live-in aide. We urge you to work with the deceased tenant’s family or friends to ensure the unit is vacated in a timely manner or proper payment is made for additional rent of the unit. � Don’t Forget New Law - Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act: Under this new law, new owners who take possession of a property through foreclosure during the term of an exist-ing lease shall not terminate the tenancy (except for good cause as specified in the HAP Contract) on the date the property was sold. The new owner must provide the tenant a notice to vacate at least 90 days from the date of the sale if the owner will occupy the unit as a primary residence or before the end of the lease period. � Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) - The law is meant to protect victims from conse-quences of domestic violence. An incident or incidents of actual or threatened domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking will not be construed as a serious or repeated violation of the lease by the victim or threatened victim of that violence and shall not be good cause for terminating the as-sistance, tenancy, or occupancy rights of the victim of such violence. � Do’s: We expect landlords to collect the tenant’s portion of rent every month — no matter how small the amount; We ask that all landlords provide the Housing Authority with a copy of any 10-day, 3-day or vacate notices and We expect that all landlords follow Fair Housing policies including advertising their units. � Don’ts: We (HUD also) do not allow landlords to accept side payments or extra rent in excess of the rent approved by HASCO — even if the tenant says you can and We do not allow landlords to charge tenants extra fees for month-to-month or short term leases, pet rent, renter’s insurance, or separate fees for washer or dryers. ***In an effort to keep our landlords updated on important program information, we will continue to provide brief program information that is printed on the monthly HAP check statements. You may also contact our staff for further updates & guidance.***
Important Program Information “Landlords Please Remember…”
PAGE 5 HASCO SECTION 8 TIMES VOLUME 12 ISSUE 1
VOA Community Information Line 2-1-1
Times are tough for everyone. Many of us are seeking assistance from community resources and services. But, just as help is needed, these very agencies are also going through budget crunches and changes. In these changing times, it is hard to know where to turn for help and assistance. Many programs we have relied on in the past are no longer available. With all of these changes, the VOA Community Information Line at 2-1-1 can provide the information you seek. By calling 2-1-1, you receive information based on the updated avail-ability of services and resources. You can also access their on-line services data base at win211.org. At this site, you can conduct searches for needed services within your own zip code. Let the Community Information Line help you find just the resource or service you are looking for.
Free Income Tax Preparation and E-Filing It’s money you’ve already earned—File it, claim it and get it! If you earned between $1-$49,000 in 2011 (eligibility based on filing status), you may qualify to claim up to $5,750 from the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Imagine what extra money in your pocket could do. They are multiple free tax preparation sites throughout Snohomish County open until April 14th, 2012. To locate the site nearest you, call 2-1-1 and ask for free tax preparation. 2-1-1 staff can also tell you what documents you will need to bring with you.
It’s Your Money, Claim It!
Preparing for Your Inspection Here are some tips prepared by our inspection staff to help you pass your next inspection: � Thoroughly clean all kitchen appliances including the oven, range top and drip pans. Grease build up can cause fires. � 14-inch clearance must be maintained around heaters so that furniture, drapes, bedding, etc. will not catch on fire. � All smoke detectors must have working batteries. Non-working detectors will fail the inspection. � All electrical outlets and light switches are required to have cover plates. Cracked or broken plates must be replaced. This is an electrical hazard and a fail item.
PAGE 6 HASCO SECTION 8 TIMES VOLUME 12 ISSUE 1
What is Fair Housing? It is important that landlords and tenants are aware of Fair Housing policies for Washington State in addition to federal policies. The Fair Housing Act and amendments, as well as local and state fair housing laws, protect people from negative housing actions because of their: •Race, color or national origin •Religion •Disability or age •Sexual orientation •Sex/Gender or gender identity •Marital/Familial status (Including presence of children under 18) What issues are covered under the Fair Housing Act? Almost ALL housing related matters are covered, including:
•Advertising •Renting a house, an apartment, condo, etc. •The lease terms or conditions of a rental •Reasonable accommodations or modifications for a person with a disability
What makes discrimination illegal? Discrimination means being treated differently and less favorably than others.
Discrimination can mean a failure to reasonably accommodate a person’s disability Discrimination can mean a landlord’s neutral policy has a greater negative effect on one group of people of a
certain protected class more than another group of people. For example, an overly restrictive occupancy policy has the effect of discouraging families with children more than any other type of household
With permission from Kristina Miller of the HUD-Office of Fair Housing & Equal Opportunity office, the above infor-mation was presented in a webinar called “The Basics of Fair Housing”. The next webinar is scheduled for 3/15/12 from 1 PM to 4 PM. Landlords and tenants can sign up for this free event and receive additional information of up-
coming webcasts at: http://www.hud.gov/local/index.cfm?state=wa&topic=calendar. Should you have further questions regarding the Fair Housing Act, please contact Kristina Miller by email at [email protected] or by phone at 509-368-3214.
HUD has formed a partnership with GreatSchools to improve the educational outcomes of families assisted under the Section 8 and Rental Assistance pro-grams.
The GreatSchools website provides parents with the tools to make informed edu-cational choices for their children & become even more involved in their chil-dren’s education. For example, GreatSchools will provide parents tailored infor-mational materials, including a video tutorial. For more information, visit the online webpage at: http://www.greatschools.org/
Also, GreatSchools has developed a fact sheet outlining the essential steps to choosing the right school.
Fraud Cases In our newsletters, we publish program requirements and information to help both the landlords and assisted tenants with understanding their roles while receiving housing assistance through HASCO. Below is a case to share with you in hopes of preventing our landlords and tenants from re-porting incomplete or inaccurate information: Gwendolyn Fisk, Yousha
Wheeler, Ernestina Martinez, and Mary Murillo, former Hawthorne Housing Au-thority (Hawthorne) Section 8 tenants and a land-lord, were each charged in Los Angeles County Su-perior Court, Los Angeles, CA, with allegedly com-mitting grand theft and perjury and offering or at-tempting to offer a false instrument for recording. In addition, former Hawthorne Section 8 tenant Cathy McClain was sentenced to 270 days incarceration and 3 years probation and ordered to perform 30 days of community service and pay Hawthorne $15,358 in restitution for her earlier guilty plea to committing grand theft. Between August 2003 and January 2010, the above defendants allegedly and McClain admittedly failed to report income, accurate house-hold composition, or their familial relationship with their Section 8 landlord on housing or other certifications and together obtained $129,019 in hous-ing and $16,514 in other assistance they were not enti-tled to receive.
Tenants, please be honest and report any changes in your household income, size, etc. when they happen and when you are filling out our required paperwork. Landlords, please notify us prior of changes you’d like for the lease, contract rent, utilities, and ownership of the unit. If you don’t know whether to report a change, the best thing you can do is contact us as soon as possible. Thank you!
Snohomish County Domestic Violence
Services of Snohomish County Call 425-25-ABUSE
(425-252-2873)
IMPORTANT REMINDER FOR TENANTS REGARDING REPORTING CHANGES IN INCOME & YOUR HOUSEHOLD:
If you answered yes to any of these ques-tions, these changes need to be reported in writing to your Housing Coordinator within 10 days. The following forms are available online at www.hasco.org and they will help you determine what you need to do to verify the change:
Change in Family Circumstances Packet
Add a Member Packet Add a Minor Packet
Important: Don’t ignore your mail! Ignor-ing Housing Authority inquiries or requests for information may make things worse. If you don’t understand or have any questions or concerns, call us!
Have you lost your job?
Did you get a new job?
Have you considered adding a new member to your household?
Has any member of your house-hold moved out?
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE
PAID CASCADE
THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF SNOHOMISH COUNTY 12625 4TH AVE W, SUITE 200 EVERETT, WA 98204
How Has My Section 8 or Rental Assistance Changed My Life?
Are you willing to share with HUD and other elected officials how the Section 8 and/or rental assistance offered through the Housing Authority of Snohomish County (HASCO) has benefitted your family? HASCO wants to share your story to inspire others about the housing programs we offer in addition to seeking more Section 8 Vouchers for Snohomish County. If you would like to submit your story, please contact your assigned housing representative. Your housing representative will send you a release form with further information to help you with sharing what your life was like prior to receiving the housing assistance and how the assistance has improved your family’s circumstances. Thank you.
LANDLORD OF THE QUARTER HASCO wants to acknowledge the many landlords or property managers who work hard to provide our program participants with safe and affordable housing. Many go the extra mile helping clients with paperwork, inspections and leases. Others work hard to provide a safe and inviting neighborhood through special community events, block watches and excellent maintenance of the complex and units. HASCO will recognize a Landlord or Property Manager of the Quarter in the Section 8 Times. If you would like to nominate your landlord or property manager for this special recognition, please submit your Landlord or Property Manager’s name, your name, property address and why you would like them to receive this recognition in writing to:
HASCO Section 8 Times 12625 4th Ave. W., Suite 200
