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KHA Preference Categories

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Kendall Housing Authority
Housing Choice Voucher (HCV)
Program Wait List Preferences

Instructions for Reviewing/Updating Selected HCV Preferences

During the process of completing your online Wait List application, you may have selected one or more Preferences. Housing Authority Preferences are used to give a priority to serving applicants on the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Wait List that qualify for a Preference.

IMPORTANT: If you are selected to be on the HCV Wait List, your position number will be "fluid" which will move up or down. Both you and your fellow Applicants will be updating preferences by either adding or removing them. As a result, all position numbers will constantly shift when the list is reordered, based on total preference points and then date/time of application, so that everyone moves to their appropriate spot.

All Preferences selected by the applicant must be verified as currently existing at the time of eligibility determination (when you receive a letter from the Housing Authority indicating that your application has been selected from the Wait List) and before the applicant can be admitted to the HCV Program.

Applicants unable to verify a selected Preference or found to be ineligible for a selected Preference at the time of eligibility determination will lose the Preference points. The applicant's pre-application will then be returned to a lower position on the wait list prior to applying the Preference(s). There will be NO EXCEPTIONS to this requirement.

It's therefore extremely important that PREFERENCES be reviewed regularly and updated as necessary so that your selected Preferences apply to your CURRENT HOUSEHOLD SITUATION and can be VERIFIED by the Housing Authority when your application is selected from the Wait List.

To View Your Selected Preferences:

  1. Log into your online RENTCafe account and your Home page will appear.
  2. Select the 'Apply or Update Application' icon on your Home page.
  3. You will then be on the Waiting List Application Updates page. At the bottom of the page, select the 'Apply/Update Application' button.
  4. Your Application to the Housing Choice Voucher Wait List will then appear. Proceed through the application and select the 'Save and Continue' button at the bottom of each page to move through the application until you reach the Preferences Section. Add or remove Preferences as necessary and select the 'Save and Continue' button to save your changes. For descriptions and more information regarding the Preferences, select the link entitled 'CLICK HERE' appearing within the page's text.
  5. Proceed through the balance of the application, selecting the 'Save and Continue' button to move through the pages until you reach the end where you will need to accept the Terms and Conditions and select the 'Save and Continue' button to submit the application to record your Preference update.

Housing Authority Preferences are used to give a priority to serving applicants on the wait list that qualify for the preference. Once an applicant is on the wait list, additional points from any preferences chosen are applied. These additional points move the application to a higher position on the wait list, allowing the applicant to be served sooner. If a preference no longer applies to the applicant, it is their responsibility to remove it from their Café Account as all preferences will be verified upon their selection from the wait list. If any applicant is unable to verify a preference they select, or found ineligible for a preference they select, the preference points for any non-qualified preference will be deducted and the pre-application will be returned to the wait list. The list will then be re-ordered to move the applicant to their qualified position based on date/time of application, then on any remaining preferences.

The KHA uses weighted, general preferences for applicants. You qualify for any of the approved KHA General Preferences based on the preference category and your status or condition within each category.

Kendall Housing Authority Jurisdiction Map. It is showing an outline to depict what areas are served in the county.

Only those Towns listed below are within the Jurisdiction of the Kendall Housing Authority:

  • Bristol
  • Lisbon
  • Millbrook
  • Millington* (Kendall side only)
  • Minooka* (Kendall side only)
  • Montgomery
  • Newark
  • Oswego
  • Plainfield* (Kendall side only)
  • Plano Plattville* (Kendall side only)
  • Sandwich* (Kendall side only)
  • Yorkville 

Note: All sections within Kendall County are considered low poverty areas and voucher holders may explore the full range of the county when searching for rental housing.

Important: Those towns marked with an asterisk (*) in the chart above extend beyond the boundaries of Kendall County, so the landlord must supply a copy of the tax bill directly to the Kendall Housing Authority (KHA) to ensure that the housing you select exists within the jurisdiction of the KHA.

Category One: Residency Preference
You are eligible for the Residency Preference if:

  1. You are a full-time Resident of any municipality or township within the KHA service area of Kendall County; or
  2. One or more adults in the household is employed at least 30 hours per week within the KHA service area of Kendall County; or if one or more adults in the household is a participant for at least 30 hours per week within the KHA service area of Kendall County in an accredited employment training program designed to prepare individuals for the job market.

If your household fits any of the two (2) statuses or conditions listed above, you qualify for One (1) Point in this preference category.

Category Two: Family Preference
You are eligible for the Family Preference if:

  1. At least one household member is a minor child under 18 years old; or
  2. The head of household or spouse is at least 62 years of age or older; or
  3. At least one household member is disabled.

If your household fits any of the three (3) statuses or conditions listed above, you qualify for One (1) Point in this preference category.

Category Three: Veteran Preference
You are eligible for the Veteran Preference if:

  1. The applicant head of household is a military veteran who separated from the service with any classification except dishonorable.

If your household fits this status or condition listed above, you qualify for One (1) Point in this preference category.

Category Four: Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking Preference
You are eligible for the Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault or Stalking Preference if:

  1. You have been determined to be a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking as described and prescribed under the Violence Against Women's Act (VAWA), and
  2. You submit required documentation to qualify for the preference.

It is important to note that Kendall Housing Authority DOES NOT make the determination if an applicant is a victim of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault or Stalking. We only make a determination if you qualify for the preference. 

While self-certification is acceptable documentation under VAWA to determine if a person is a victim, it IS NOT ACCEPTABLE documentation to qualify for the KHA Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault or Stalking Preference.

To qualify for this preference, documentation that supports the determination must show you are being displaced or have been displaced within the housing authority service delivery area due to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking, with written verification from the police, a social service agency, court, a physician, and/or a public or private facility giving shelter and/or counseling to victims.

If your household fits this status or condition listed above, you qualify for One (1) Point in this preference category.

Category Five: Family Self-sufficiency (FSS)/ HUD Program Preference
You are eligible for the FSS Demonstration Program Preference if:

  1. You are enrolled in the HUD Family Self-sufficiency Program (FSS); or
  2. You are enrolled in any other HUD Demonstration Program. Demonstration Programs are HUD sponsored programs that after a determination of good cause and subject to statutory limitations, have been given authority to grant waivers to regulations that govern those programs [24 CFR 5.110].

If your household fits any of the two (2) statuses or conditions listed above, you qualify for One (1) Point in this preference category.

PLEASE NOTE: This preference DOES NOT mean you are living or participating in another HUD Housing Program.

Category Six: Involuntary Displacement Preference
You are eligible for the Involuntary Displacement Preference if:

  1. A government action or a state or federally declared natural disaster involuntarily displaced you from a domicile in the KHA service area of Kendall County.

If your household fits this status or condition listed above, you qualify for One (1) Point in this preference category.

Category Seven: Homeless Preference
Proving the Homeless Preference is the most difficult preference to prove. Though it is not required, it is highly recommended that homeless persons seek assistance from social service agencies or other public or private organizations or providers of supportive services for homeless persons. Your eligibility for any Homeless Preference chosen can then be supported by documentation from that agency or organization.

If the Homeless preference is selected, applicants must qualify based on the REQUIREMENTS STATUS, plus meet one or all of the requirement's CONDITIONS (as indicated) to be eligible for the homeless preference.

Applicants can only qualify based one requirement status (A, B or C), and those who do qualify for One (1) Point in this preference category.

To Qualify as Homeless Under Requirement Status A:
You are an individual or family who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, PLUS any one (1) of the three (3) Conditions listed below must also apply:

  1. Condition #1: You have a primary nighttime residence within the KHA service area of Kendall County, that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings, including a car, park, abandoned building, bus or train station, airport, or camping ground;

    OR

  2. Condition #2: You are living in a supervised publicly or privately-operated shelter within the KHA service area of Kendall County, designated to provide temporary living arrangements (including congregate shelters, transitional housing, and hotels and motels paid for by charitable organizations or by federal, state, or local government programs for low-income individuals);

    OR

  3. Condition #3: You are exiting an institution within the KHA service area of Kendall County, where you resided for ninety (90) calendar days or less and you resided in an emergency shelter or place not meant for human habitation within the KHA service area of Kendall County, immediately before entering that institution.

To Qualify as Homeless Under Requirement Status B:
You will imminently lose your primary nighttime residence within the KHA service area of Kendall County, PLUS all three (3) Conditions listed below must also apply:

  1. Condition #1: Your primary nighttime residence within the KHA service area of Kendall County will be lost within fourteen (14) calendar days of the date of application for homeless assistance; AND

  2. Condition #2: No subsequent residence has been identified; AND

  3. Condition #3: You lack the resources or support networks, e.g., family, friends, faith-based or other social networks needed to obtain other permanent housing.

To Qualify as Homeless Under Requirement Status C:
You are an unaccompanied youth under 25 years of age, or a family with children and youth, who do not otherwise qualify as homeless under this definition, PLUS all four (4) Conditions listed below must also apply:

  1. Condition #1: You are defined as homeless under Section 387 of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5732a), Section 637 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9832), Section 41403 of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 14043e-2), Section 330(h) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254b(h)), Section 3 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2012), Section 17(b) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786(b)), or Section 725 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a); AND

  2. Condition #2: You have not had a lease, ownership interest, or occupancy agreement in permanent housing at any time during the sixty (60) calendar days immediately preceding the date of application for homeless assistance; AND

  3. Condition #3: You have experienced persistent instability as measured by two moves or more during the 60-day period immediately preceding the date of applying for homeless assistance; AND

  4. Condition #4: It can be expected for you to continue in such status for an extended period of time because of chronic disabilities, chronic physical health or mental health conditions, substance addiction, histories of domestic violence or childhood abuse (including neglect), the presence of a child or youth with a disability, or two or more barriers to employment, which include the lack of a high school degree or General Education Development (GED), illiteracy, low English proficiency, a history of incarceration or detention for criminal activity, and a history of unstable employment.

How Do I Prove a Preference?

Preferences selected must be verified. Once you have been selected from the HCV Wait List, you will be required to submit verifiable documentation to prove that you qualify for any preference chosen when your household completes their intake and eligibility certification. There are many agencies and organizations that can provide the documents you need to prove the preference you select, so the number of acceptable documents is too long to list them all. A partial list of documents that may prove a Preference you selected includes:

  • Affidavit-Certificate of Residency (only from a Drivers Service facility)
  • Bank Statement
  • Canceled Check
  • Certified Grade School /H.S./College/University Transcript
  • Credit Report (issued by Experian, Equifax or TransUnion
  • Deed/Title
  • Mortgage or Rental/Lease
  • Ins. Policy (homeowner's or renter's)
  • Letter on Official School Letterhead
  • Medical Claim or S.O.B. (from private insurance company or public (government) agency
  • Official mail received from a Private, Not-for-Profit, Social Service, State, County, City, Village, Township or Federal Government agency
  • Homestead Exemption Receipt
  • Jury Duty Notice or Voter's Card
  • Selective Service Card
  • SS Annual Statement/ Award Letter
  • SSDI Statement
  • Supplemental Security Income Benefits Statement
  • Pay Stub or Electronic Deposit
  • Pension or Retirement Statement
  • Report Card from Grade/High School or College/University
  • Tuition invoice/official mail from college or university
  • Utility Bill (electric, water, refuse, telephone land/cell, cable or gas)
  • Adoption Records
  • Birth Certificate
  • Court Order
  • Illinois Driver's License or IL ID Card
  • Military Service Record (DD214)
  • Naturalization Certificate
  • US Passport (valid with date of birth)
  • USCIS Forms - I-551 (Alien Reg. Card); I-571 (Refugee Travel Doc.);I-766(Employment Auth. Card); I-797A (NOA Status Change); I-94 (Arrival/Departure) w/ Valid Passport
  • U.S. Military ID Card
  • U.S. Visa
  • Federal/State Tax Return

Revised 08/29/2022