July 27 PHA Annual Plan Public Hearing

Jacksonville Housing is developing its PHA Annual Plan for FY2022 in compliance with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requirements.  

The Administrative Plan amendments (listed below) are available to the public for review at the Administration office located at 1300 Broad Street N, Jacksonville, FL 32202. The hours of operation are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 pm. 

Public comments are welcomed during the comment period June 9, 2021 through July 23, 2021. Any comments concerning the changes to the PHA Annual Plan must be made in writing and either emailed to Cathy Hunt or submitted to the main office at 1300 Broad Street N, Jacksonville, FL 32202, by 2:00 p.m. on July 23, 2021. All public comments are included in the PHA Annual Plan submission. 

In addition, a public hearing will be held at 5:00 PM on Tuesday, July 27, 2021, in the Administrative Office located at 1300 Broad St. N, Jacksonville FL 32202.

COVID-19 precautions are in place. The Public Notice will be updated prior to the Public Hearing with remote access to the meeting.

"If a person decides to appeal any decision made by the Jacksonville Housing Authority or any committee thereof with respect to any matter considered at this meeting or hearing, he or she will need a record of these proceedings, and that, for such  purposes, he or she may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based."  Florida Statutes 286.0105.

06/09/2021 - Jacksonville Housing (JH) is making the following changes to its Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Administrative Plan... 

These changes will be formally adopted 10/01/2021 and implemented once approved by HUD. Changes are identified with the words CHANGE START & CHANGE END, and the full documents are available for review in the Jacksonville Housing administration office during regular business hours. 

Administrative Plan:

B. Local Preferences CFR 982.202 (d) & 982.207

Current Local Preferences

1. Families that include a person with disabilities.
   
   
2. CHANGE START: Elderly. Elderly family means a family whose head (including co-head, spouse, or sole member) is a person who is at least 62 years of age. It may include two or more persons who are at least 62 years of age living together, or one or more persons who are at least 62 years of age and living together. CHANGE END
   
   
3. Veterans. A person who served in the active military service and who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable. Military Reserve members also qualify if currently serving honorably or discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. If the veteran dies before being admitted to the program, then the spouse of the veteran shall maintain their place and preference on the waiting list. Status is to be verified by:
   
   1. A DD 214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) will serve as proof of service for those no longer active or reserve duty; or
   2. A current enlistment contract and/or unexpired military identification card will serve as appropriate proof of veteran status for those still in active reserve status or current enlistment.  
      
      
4. CHANGE START: Mainstream Voucher. Individuals who are between 18-61 years of age and disabled. CHANGE END
   
   
5. Displacement preference. A person or family displaced is defined as one whose dwelling is condemned by governmental action (federal, state or local), or a person whose dwelling has been extensively damaged or destroyed as a result of a declared disaster or otherwise formally recognized under federal disaster relief laws.
   
   
6. Preferences for victims of Domestic Violence: Applicants who are victims of domestic violence will receive a preference. In order to qualify for a preference on the waitlist for Domestic Violence, applicants should provide documentation that incidents of domestic violence have occurred within the past year. 
   
   Status is to be verified by:
   1. Police report or incident report
   2. Restraining order
   3. Referral from domestic violence shelter (e.g., Hubbard House)
      
      Confidentiality of applicant status shall be maintained by the agency in accordance with the provisions of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994.
      
      
7. Residency preference. Applicants who are residents of Duval County. To qualify for this preference, applicant will be required to submit documentation to confirm residency. This may include, but is not limited to current lease, current utility bill(s), verification of school attendance of minor household member(s), verification of employment within the county for any household member, or adult household members who are active participants in an education or training program located within the physical limits of Duval County if the education or training program is designed to prepare individuals for the job market. 
   
   The residency preference shall not have the purpose or effect of delaying or otherwise denying admission to any program based on the race, color, ethnic origin, gender, religion, disability, or age of any member of an applicant family. 

C. Units Not Decent, Safe and Sanitary

1. Owner Responsibilities

If the Housing Authority notifies the owner that he has failed to maintain a dwelling unit in a decent, safe and sanitary condition and the owner fails to take corrective action within the time prescribed in the notice. The Housing Authority may exercise any of its rights or remedies under the Housing Assistance Payments Contract, including abatement of housing assistance payments (even if the family continues in occupancy) and termination of the contract. If the family does not owe the agency money or has a repayment agreement which is paid current and wishes to be housed in another dwelling unit with HCV assistance and the housing authority determines to terminate the Housing Assistance Payments contract, the housing authority shall issue to the family another voucher. At any time the unit has failed a second inspection, the family may be allowed to move (unless a delinquent debt is owed). Any request for a third inspection must be in writing and approved by a supervisor.

CHANGE START: Effective October 1, 2021, JH will charge landlords a fee for all third (3rd) and fourth (4th) unit Housing Quality Standards (HQS) inspections. The fee for a third inspection shall be $50.00, and the fee for a fourth inspection shall be $75.00. Payment must be made at the time the landlord requests the 3rd or 4th HQS inspection. Payment must be by check or money order and may be mailed or delivered to 1300 Broad Street N., Jacksonville, FL 32202, and marked to the attention of "HCV Operations Manager." Under no circumstances will a fifth (5th) inspection be approved, and if eligible, the client shall be issued a voucher to relocate. CHANGE END