Home Forward 2023 Draft Moving to Work Plan Has Significant Termination Reforms Including Crime and Drug Related Provisions.

 The Home Forward DRAFT MTW Plan for 2023 was included in the last Board meeting packet HERE. 

In looking through the document I noticed a number of significant proposed changes to termination provisions, including several that relate to crime and drug policies. I have highlighted those provisions below in a bold italic font . 

I don't yet see the draft published for public comment but it should appear HERE soon: 

Changes proposed include: 

   • Do not terminate a household’s assistance because the owner evicts the household. Eviction and lease enforcement is a landlord/tenant issue. Home Forward’s mission is to shelter people.

• Terminate assistance 365 days after a household’s income reaches the level where Home Forward will pay no subsidy (Housing Assistance Payments) on behalf of the family, rather than 180 days under the applicable regulation. This gives households more time to complete an income recertification and regain assistance if they have a loss of income, thus promoting housing stability.

• Allow households to be absent for up to 270 days of exiting specific institutional settings, as detailed in Home Forward’s administrative plan, rather than at the overall regulatory limit of 180 days. For example, Home Forward would not terminate assistance sooner than this for someone who is participating in a residential treatment program for substance abuse, or someone exiting a substance abuse treatment facility. This prevents homelessness and housing stability.

• Do not terminate a household’s assistance because of illegal drug use or alcohol abuse. This recognizes that use of illegal drugs and abuse of alcohol are health issues, and that Home Forward should not terminate housing assistance because family members have substance abuse challenges.

• Terminate assistance for drug-related criminal activity only if a household member has been convicted of felony manufacture or distribution and will be absent for more than 60 days due to incarceration. Home Forward does not want to terminate housing assistance for relatively minor infractions that historically have been shown to result in convictions on a racially disparate basis.

• Terminate assistance for violent criminal activity only if tenant has been convicted for a felony violent crime and will be incarcerated for more than 60 days. Home Forward does not want to terminate housing assistance for relatively minor infractions that have been shown to result in convictions on a racially disparate basis.

• Do not report reasons for “adverse terminations” in the income verification system. Such reporting in the EIV system may create a significant deterrent to recipients’ access to additional housing opportunities.

Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog.