HCV Program
How Does It Work?
The Housing Choice Voucher Program is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and provides housing assistance on behalf of families or individuals. The program assists low-income households to rent decent, affordable housing in the community of their choice. Participants are free to choose any housing units in the private market that meet program requirements. HUD provides the income guidelines and fair market rents based on family size and market rents for the area where a family resides. Participants are required to pay approximately 30% of their income toward the requested rent.
The West Hartford Housing Authority administers a Housing Choice Voucher program for families residing in the West Hartford community and is also a subcontractor for the Housing Choice Voucher Program and CT Rental Assistance Program for the Connecticut Department of Housing.
Types of Assistance
Tenant-Based Vouchers (aka Housing Choice Vouchers or HCV)
Allow program participants to choose a privately owned apartment. Tenant-based vouchers may be used anywhere in the United States or Puerto Rico with a public housing authority operating a Housing Choice Voucher Program.
The West Hartford Housing Authority administers the tenant-based program for consumers residing in the town of West Hartford and is also a subcontractor for J.D. Amelia & Associates through the Department of Housing’s Rental Assistance Program (RAP). Every apartment must pass an initial and annual Housing Quality Inspection to ensure that the unit/home is safe.
- Register Waitlist Status
- HCV Administrative Plan – DOWNLOAD PDF
- Rent Increase Request Form – DOWNLOAD PDF
- Interim Change Request Form – DOWNLOAD PDF
- Notice to Vacate – DOWNLOAD PDF
Family Self Sufficiency (FSS) program
The Family Self Sufficiency (FSS) program is designed to help create more financially stable families that contribute financially and socially to the West Hartford community. Self-sufficient families add to the economic base of the community at large. They become customers to local businesses and stakeholders in their neighborhoods.
Families who participate in the Housing Choice Voucher FSS program are provided opportunities for education, job training, and other forms of social service assistance. The FSS program links families to needed services in order to meet individual goals. These services include:
- Financial literacy
- English as a Second Language (ESL) classes
- Job preparedness and job search assistance
- Career assessment and career development
The West Hartford Housing Authority also partners with other agencies and businesses to provide a greater network of resources and services for participating families. Some of the partner agencies and businesses include:
- Town of West Hartford Human Service Department
- Hillcrest Area Neighborhood Outreach Center
- Jewish Family Services
- CT Works
- Hartford Construction Initiative/Jobs Funnel
- Capital Community College
- Goodwin College
- Webster Bank
To learn more about the FSS program, contact Midian Ortiz, the WHHA FSS Coordinator.
Project-Based Vouchers (PBV)
Use is restricted to specifically designated apartment complexes. There could be a number of apartment complexes in an area designated solely for project based use. Public Housing Authorities are allowed to project base only a potion of their total voucher authority, as prescribed by HUD.
DOH Programs
Nine public housing authorities, including West Hartford Housing Authority, have a contractual relationship with John D’Amelia & Associates to administer approximately 8,000 Housing Choice Vouchers and Rental Assistance Program (RAP) vouchers allocated to the Connecticut Department of Housing. This includes participants in the Family Unification, Mainstream and Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) programs. As one of John D’Amelia’s sub-contractors, the West Hartford Housing Authority now administers over 2,100 vouchers in seventeen cities/towns.
Housing Quality Standards
Housing Quality Standards (HQS) ensure that your home is safe, healthy and comfortable. Every apartment must pass an initial and annual HQS inspection. The booklet “A Good Place to Live!” can help you to understand how the inspection process works. It goes into more detail about the basic requirements of the house or apartment.