KHA HCV Frequently Asked Questions - 10/11/22 Waitlist Opening

Date Posted: 10/04/2022

Category: KHA Wait List

Kendall Housing Authority (KHA)
Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program

Wait List Opening
October 11, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. CST through October 11, 2022, at 4:30 p.m. CST

UNDERSTANDING HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER (HCV) PROGRAM

The Kendall Housing Authority (KHA) Housing Choice Voucher Program (formerly known as Section 8) plays a vital role in housing families with children, the elderly and people with disabilities across Kendall County.

Using federal funds provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the voucher program helps participant families pay for housing in the private market, such as apartments, duplexes, condominiums, townhouses and single-family homes.

Participant families contribute 30-40% of their income toward rent and utilities and KHA pays the remainder directly to the property owner. Since there are more families who need rental assistance than there are funds available, KHA uses a waiting list to administer the program.

Generally, when a voucher becomes available, the family at the top of the waiting list is contacted and screened for eligibility. Once selected from the waitlist, the family follows the steps outlined below:

Apply and interview
Attend a voucher briefing
Select a unit, submit a Request for Tenancy Approval
Await inspection results
Await rent determination
Sign the lease
Move in, pay rent and utilities
Comply with HUD and KHA's rules and regulations

How to Apply?

On the above-mentioned dates, APPLY ONLINE at: www.kendallhousing.org. A valid email address is needed to complete the preliminary application; and KHA will only accept ONLINE applications through Rent Cafe. Please see below for detailed instructions on how to create a Rent Café account if you have not done so already. The Rent Café account allows applicants to check the status of their pre-application by visiting the Applicant Café link via www.kendallhousing.org 45-60 days following submission of the pre-application. You must successfully submit a pre-application online during the open period. The preapplication includes information on the head of household as well as each household member. Please have available the 1) Head of Household mailing address, 2) Valid email address, 3) Total household income, 4) each household member's First and Last Name, Date of Birth, SSN, Gender, Race, and Ethnicity, and Relationship to Head of Household.

Avoid Scams

There is no cost to submit a pre-application for the KHA HCV waiting list. KHA will never ask for your debit or credit card or any other form of payment to submit a preapplication for its services. Additionally, DO NOT provide personal information to anyone claiming they can guarantee a spot on the waiting list, improve your chances of selection for the KHA HCV waiting list, or ensure that you will receive any KHA benefits!

Reasonable Accommodation

Pre-applications will NOT be provided or accepted at the KHA's Yorkville, IL location unless you have been pre-approved for a Reasonable Accommodation. Your reasonable accommodation request must be written and must describe the reason why the online pre-application process prevents you from accessing the pre-application. The written request must be RECEIVED BY FRIDAY, September 16, 2022, at 4:30 p.m. CST by:

Mail to: Malinda Smith, Program Manager, DuPage Housing Authority, 711 E. Roosevelt Rd., Wheaton, IL 60187
Fax to: Attention: Malinda Smith, Program Manager (630) 690-0702; or
Email: msmith@dupagehousing.org

NOTE: THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR ANY MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS, A REQUEST FOR MEDICAL RECORDS OR A REQUEST TO PROVE ANY CLAIMED DISABILITY OR A DESCRIPTION OF SAME. Individuals with hearing or speech disabilities using TDD or TTY technology may call Illinois Relay Services for assistance.

PLEASE NOTE: You will not be able to submit your pre-approved Reasonable Accommodation paper pre-application before 10:00 a.m. CST on Tuesday, October 11, 2022, when the wait list officially opens!

How to Prepare for the Wait List Opening

I. CREATE A USER ACCOUNT
IMPORTANT: When the KHA HCV wait list opens, the Wait List Pre-application will contain sensitive information about the applicant that is considered confidential. That information will be maintained in a User Account on our secure database. Access to the information in a user account will only be available to the applicant and KHA so you must create a user account before you can submit an online Pre-application to apply for the KHA HCV waiting list. Unless permission for a Reasonable Accommodation has been granted, Pre-applications can only be completed and submitted online within your User Account.

If you answer Yes to any of the following questions, you already have a User Account and don't need to create another one:

Are you a Participant currently on the Housing Choice Voucher Program in DuPage County under the DuPage Housing Authority?
Are you a Participant currently on the Housing Choice Voucher Program in Kendall County under the Kendall Housing Authority?
Were you a Participant on the Housing Choice Voucher Program in DuPage County under the DuPage Housing Authority but are no longer on the HCV program or no longer live in DuPage County?
Were you a Participant on the Housing Choice Voucher Program in Kendall County under the Kendall Housing Authority but are no longer on the HCV program or no longer live in Kendall County?
Were you on any Wait List for the DuPage Housing Authority that opened in 2016, 2019 or 2022, or any Wait List for the Kendall Housing Authority that opened in 2008 or 2018 or 2021?
Are you a participant or former participant of the Illinois Rental Housing Support Program (RHSP) administered through DuPage Housing Authority or Kendall Housing Authority?

If you have an account and forgot your username or password, please contact the Compliance Department for Nadya Reusche at nreusche@dupagehousing.org or Jim Stafford at jstafford@dupagehousing.org for assistance.

It is not required but it is highly recommended that before the KHA HCV waiting list opens for pre-applications at 10:00 a.m. Central, on Tuesday October 11, 2022, that you:

visit the Kendall Housing Authority website at www.kendallhousing.org;
select the 'APPLICANTS' tab from the top menu bar followed by 'Applicant Housing RENT Café' to create your User Account. Once it directs you to the 'Login' webpage,
select the 'Click here to register' link, then
select the 'I do NOT have a registration' button option
a form will then appear; follow the steps to create your account by entering your email address as a username and create a password that you choose. Please note that passwords must be a minimum of 10 characters, and must include at least one upper case letter, one lower case letter, one number and one symbol, such as a dollar ( $ ) or pound ( # ) sign.

Note: Once you create the user account, you will receive an email confirming your Rent Café user account was created. You are now ready to complete the pre-application once the KHA HCV Wait List opens for pre-applications.

It is also recommended that you review the information about wait list KHA HCV PREFERENCES as you will be asked to select any that apply to you when you complete the application. The list of local preferences and their definitions can be found on the KHA website at www.kendallhousing.org. Click the APPLICANTS tab and select Local Preferences.

Knowing what local preferences, if any, that you may qualify for before you start to fill out the pre-application will allow you to complete the pre-application more quickly and accurately - giving you a better chance of getting onto the wait list.

IMPORTANT: All preferences chosen must be verified as currently existing at the time of eligibility determination and before you can be admitted to the HCV Program. Applicants not qualified for a selected preference at time of eligibility determination will lose the preference points and must be returned to the KHA HCV Wait List. In this matter there are NO EXCEPTIONS!

II. WHEN THE WAIT LIST OPENS ON OCTOBER 11, 2022
NOTE: If you already have a User Account created, proceed to Step 1. If you have not created the User Account, you must do it at this time. See the earlier instructions in number I. CREATE A USER ACCOUNT section above.

Step 1 - Complete the Pre-application
The pre-application is several pages of questions that should on average take 3-5 minutes to complete. All questions indicated as required must be answered. Most questions are answered by clicking in boxes or circle (radio buttons). Make sure to select any KHA HCV Preferences that you qualify for.
Step 2 - Submit the Pre-application
Once the pre-application is completed and all required questions are answered, you must click the SUBMIT button to submit the pre-application. Note: Once you submit the pre-application, you will receive a confirmation email that the pre-application was successfully submitted and received by KHA.

III. AFTER THE WAITING LIST CLOSES
Pre-application Status
The need for rental assistance in Kendall County is much greater than the total number of vouchers available each year in the county. That means that the successful submission of a pre-application provides a chance for applicants to be selected for the HCV Wait List. However, successful submission of a pre-application by an applicant does not guarantee that the applicant will be selected for the HCV Wait List. Within 45-60 calendar days after the close of the KHA Waiting List pre-application period on 4:30p.m. CST October 11, 2022, you will receive an email notification of the status of your pre-application of either On List or Not On List:

On List - this email notification confirms the pre-application was successfully submitted and received within the number of applications to be accepted to the wait list.
Not On List - this email notification confirms the pre-application was successfully submitted but was received after the number of applications to be accepted to the wait list. Pre-applications not filled out completely as required may also generate a Not On List email notification.