ELIGIBILITY and APPLICATION PROCESS

Family Permanency Project

The YWCA Housing Program provides a wide range of flexible and optional services for families who are homeless as a result of domestic violence. These services reflect the differences and individual needs of survivors and their dependent children, with choice to the course of action that is best for them. FPP offers individualized services such as safety planning, advocacy services, case management, and referrals to other services for counseling, employment, child care, legal, support groups, etc.

MINIMUM ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

  • Be a survivor of recent domestic violence who has already accessed emergency services (such as shelter, legal assistance, advocacy)
  • Be pregnant or parenting dependent children in the home
  • Able and willing to work toward achieving identified goals
  • Homeless as defined by one or more of the below:
  • Literally Homeless
  • Imminent Risk of Homelessness
  • Homeless under other Federal Status
  • Fleeing or Attempting to flee DV
  • Meet eligibility guidelines of the Pierce County Housing Authority
  • Ability to pass PCHA background search and meet required immigration status
  • and income guidelines
  • Have no outstanding warrants
  • Owe no monies to ANY Housing Authority
  • Meet and maintain requirements and expectations of the Pierce County Housing Authority
  • Applications must be complete with copies of all required documentation attached, when submitted to the Housing Program Manager
  • Birth Certificates (certified copy) for all family members
  • Income (i.e. pay check stubs, Award letter for TANF, SSI, Child Support etc.)
  • Food Assistance (Award Letter for Food Assistance)
  • Washington ID for all family members 18 YRS. OR OLDER
  • Social Security cards for all family members
  • Immigration Status
  • Bank Account Statements
  • Pregnancy
  • Any omission of or falsification of information necessary to the application process (statements made verbally or in writing, required documents, etc.) may result in the candidate’s application being rejected, at any point in the application process up to the issuance of the housing voucher.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Persons interested in the FPP housing program are provided with an Application, and an Agency Referral Form. The application and referral allows the Program Manager to assess the eligibility of the candidate. When a candidate returns their completed application, referral, and copies of required documentation the Program Manager will review the packet for completeness to establish if the candidate meets the minimum eligibility criteria.

If the packet does not meet the eligibility criteria the Program Manager will contact the referring agency and/or candidate to let them know of their ineligibility and the reasons why they will not be considered for housing.

PLEASE NOTE: Applications will be kept on file for 60 days after which it is the candidate’s responsibility to remain in contact with the Housing Program Manager (253-272-4181x229) to keep the application on file.

The Program Manager will contact candidates whose applications are on file when there is a vacancy. Following is the procedure of the Program Manager when there is an opening in the housing program:

1) Once there is a vacancy in the FPP housing program, it is a THREE step process before a candidate is accepted into the housing program:

  1. Selection Panel

The Selection Panel consisting of four staff persons including the Program Manager reviews each qualified candidate’s application, referral, and ensures all required documents are attached, then unanimously selects a candidate for the housing program.

  1. Interview

Once a selection has been made, the Program Manager will contact the candidate’s Case Manager and/or the candidate to set up a meeting to interview the candidate. The interview consists of the Program Manager, Housing Case Manager, and the candidate. The interview is to establish whether this program is a good fit for the candidate’s needs and situation, explain the housing program, and discuss the candidate’s goals.

  1. Intake Process

Once the program staff has determined that the first two steps of the process have been successfully completed by the candidate, the candidate’s information will be forwarded to the Housing Authority for their processing. If at any time during the intake, waiting, or processing period, information surfaces that demonstrate omission or falsification of information, extenuating circumstances, or unsafe/inappropriate behaviors occur, the Program Manager will hold an additional meeting with the candidate to reassess if the candidate is still positioned to enter the program. The YWCA reserves the right to nullify any candidate application up to the date of issuance of the housing voucher.

2) After the interview the candidate will be notified whether or not they have been selected to participate in the housing program. The Program Manager will notify all remaining candidates of the decision.

The Family Permanency Project is a program that supports eligible and qualified candidates in setting personal goals for safety, stability, and a path to economic self-sufficiency. It is a community-based program with a focus on advocacy and connection to community resources. It is not a clinically based program. The YWCA is committed to each individual’s success, but it is up to each person to take the steps, with support from the staff, to reach their own goals. The YWCA is also committed to a “do no harm” philosophy; we do not wish to set any person or family up for failure as there are long-term impacts to credit and rental history. For this reason we take the time

to apply this multi-step process, to ensure the best opportunity exists for each person’s success in this program.

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