Community Choice - HPD

Housing Preservation & Development


Section 8 / Rental Subsidy Programs

Community Choice Demonstration


Community Choice Demonstration

The New York City Community Choice Demonstration ("Demonstration" or "CCD") is a part of a national effort funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The demonstration focuses on helping families move to certain neighborhoods that provide good opportunities for children and families.

As part of the Demonstration, select families will have the chance to receive mobility-related services. Families interested in receiving these services must sign up for the Community Choice Demonstration study.

Up to half of the families who enroll in the study will be selected to receive additional services through the Demonstration. Whether a family is offered services is decided at random by a computer. It is important to know that only some families in the study receive these additional services.

Everyone who enrolls in the study will be asked to provide information about themselves and the people who live with them. They will also be asked permission to access other information about themselves and at least one child who lives with them.

Learn more about the national Demonstration.

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Participants

Who is eligible for the Community Choice Demonstration study?

The Community Choice Demonstration includes an independent evaluation—the Community Choice Demonstration study. The goal of this study is to understand what services and supports help eligible families access neighborhoods that provide good opportunities for parents and their children.

A family is considered eligible if they have a Housing Choice Voucher through HPD and at least one child aged 17 or under. Some families from the current HPD Housing Choice Voucher waitlist are also invited to participate in the Demonstration. Participation is completely voluntary. To have a chance of being offered services under the program, however, you must agree to participate and you or another parent/legal guardian must agree to enroll at least one child in the study.

We are interested in speaking with you if:

You have a Housing Choice Voucher through the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD)

You have one or more child age 17 or younger living with you

You are interested in moving with your voucher

You have a few months to search for a new home before you need to move

To learn whether you are eligible and what it means to enroll in the study, please call the CCD team at 212-863-5101.

What does it mean to participate in the Community Choice Demonstration study?

If you are interested in participating, you will be invited to meet with CCD staff. This meeting can be scheduled at HPD’s offices in lower Manhattan, at your home, or another location depending on what is easiest for you.

If you choose to participate, the following will occur:

You will be asked to answer some questions about yourself and your family such as the names and ages of the people living with you. HPD will review a form with you that explains more about the study and the requirements if you decide to participate. If you agree to participate, you will be asked some additional questions about your child’s current school experiences, and your child’s health. You will also be asked to fill out a survey that will ask about your housing situation, your thoughts on moving, your education and employment status, and your health.

If you choose to participate, you will be assigned to one of two groups. This assignment will be random, like flipping a coin, to make sure that each family that participates has an equal chance of being placed in either group. Groups will not be decided by any person. The decision will be randomly determined by a computer. The first group will be offered a Housing Choice Voucher and the usual services from HPD without any additional services. The second group will be offered a Housing Choice Voucher and a set of additional services that will assist them in searching for and moving to housing in specific areas of their choice, called CCD Mobility Areas.

You may be asked to participate in future surveys or interviews as researchers study the impacts of the services provided under the Community Choice Demonstration. Your participation in those future study activities is voluntary.

To learn about the long-term effects of being offered these services and supports, you will be asked for permission for the study team to access other information about you and your child. This permission allows researchers to access data about you and your children from different sources over time.

The study will allow for a better understanding of how to support families with a Housing Choice Voucher in finding housing in CCD Mobility Areas. Researchers will use information collected from the study to measure whether children in families that receive services and move to new neighborhoods do better in school and earn more money later in life. The study will also measure how well these services help adults in the family.

For more information about how you can participate in the study, contact the CCD team at 212-863-5101.

What services will some families be offered through CCD?

Some families who enroll in the Community Choice Demonstration study will be offered additional services to help them move to certain neighborhoods that provide good opportunities for children and families.

If you are a participating family who is selected to receive these additional services, you would work with a Mobility Counselor who will discuss your family’s housing and community needs. The Mobility Counselor will work with you to develop a family preparation plan, work with you to conduct your housing search, and assist you in contacting property owners.

We can only assist families in finding homes in certain neighborhoods called CCD Mobility Areas. To see the areas that qualify, visit the Community Choice Demonstartion Address Locator Tool.

Services offered:

Pre-move support: Help with thinking through which neighborhoods are the best fit for you and your family. The program will also help you get ready to put in applications. That looks different for every family. It might mean attending one or more workshops or getting additional support from one of our partner agencies.

Housing search assistance: Help with broker fees to find properties in CCD Mobility Areas and owners that are willing to participate in the program.

Move-related financial assistance: Help with paying the security deposit and some other move-related expenses.

Faster processing: Community Choice staff will help you and the property owner fill out the paperwork and efficiently process it at HPD.

Post-move support: Offered in the form of information and resources about your new neighborhood.

If you have at least one child age 17 or younger living with you and a Housing Choice Voucher through HPD or are on HPD’s waitlist and were contacted by us, please call 212-863-5101.

Address Locator Tool

Clients and property owners can use the Community Choice Demonstration Address Locator Tool to identify if a property is in a CCD Mobility Area and the highest amount HPD can pay for a unit in that area* by voucher size.

Instructions: To find out if an address is in a CCD Mobility Area and to determine the amount a voucher can pay, you can enter the address in the search bar. If the address appears in the blue area, it is in a CCD Mobility Area and qualifies for the supports that come with the demonstration. You can also determine the maximum voucher payment amount (the payment or exception payment standard) by voucher size by clicking in that area.

*Families with income can afford higher rental amounts. The numbers displayed in the table are for clients with $0 income using average utility allowances. If you think the utilities for the unit might be higher than average because they pay for additional utilities beyond electricity, the top rent the family can afford will be lower.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Housing Choice Voucher?
A Housing Choice Voucher, historically called “Section 8,” is a rental subsidy for low- income households in the United States. The Housing Choice Voucher Program is the largest federal subsidized housing program for low-income households in the US. State and regional authorities operate 2,500 voucher programs around the country. In New York City, the HPD and NYCHA operate the Housing Choice Voucher program.

The Housing Choice Voucher Program is not an entitlement program, and only about a quarter of families who qualify for the program actually receive a voucher. There are typically long wait lists for families who want to receive vouchers.

Families who receive vouchers search for housing on the private rental market. The voucher acts as a coupon, so families can find housing affordable to them, and they only pay a portion of the rent. Families may only pay up to 40% of their income towards their housing costs (both rent and utilities). If the family has no income, the voucher will typically cover the whole cost of the rent and provide the family with a subsidy to pay utilities. Vouchers are subject to regional rental ceilings where the housing authority can pay only up to a certain amount for a unit based on the neighborhood, bedroom size, and amenities included in the unit.

How much is the voucher worth?
Housing Authorities are subject to limits set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which sets regional limits on how much the public housing authority (PHA) can pay based on the number of bedrooms the family qualifies for. The limit is called the Payment Standard, and in the New York City the Payment Standard is dependent on the location of the unit. Payment standards apply to all HPD voucher holders; successful participation in the Community Choice Demonstration is limited to the areas in blue. Visit nyc.gov/hpd-payment-standards to find information for clients in our traditional voucher program.

Use the Community Choice Demonstartion Address Locator Tool to see whether a property qualifies for the Community Choice Demonstration. The search tool will also provide the user with the estimated rental price limit for that neighborhood. The numbers provide an estimated rental price a Housing Choice Voucher family with no income can afford.

There are two important factors to keep in mind. First, families with income may choose to look for units priced above the established price limit because they can pay a larger portion of the rent. Second, although the price limit helps families figure out how much they can afford based on the location, the rental price agreed upon between the HPD and the property owner must be similar in price to other comparable units in the area fair market rate. HPD will look at comparable units in the area (based on amenities, size, and type of unit) to make sure that the rental amount the property owner requests is a fair price based on the market.

What are the CCD Mobility Areas? Where are they?
CCD Mobility Areas are neighborhoods or communities in New York City where children and families are expected to have the best opportunity to thrive. Researchers and local experts developed the list of CCD Mobility Areas based on data on school quality, long-term economic outcomes for children, poverty rates and other social and economic neighborhood criteria. CCD Mobility Areas are defined based on census tracts, which are area designations developed by the U.S. Census Bureau.

You can look at the CCD Mobility Areas using the Community Choice Address Locator Tool.

I have a voucher and I am interested in the program. Who should I contact?
For more information about how you can participate in the study, contact the CCD team at 212-863-5101.

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Property Owners

What does it mean to work with the Community Choice Demonstration?

The Community Choice Demonstration connects families with Housing Choice Vouchers to property owners who maintain quality housing in CCD Mobility Areas in New York City where children and families can have the best opportunity to thrive.

The Housing Choice Voucher program is a federal rental assistance program that helps low-income families find housing in the private rental market. Families with vouchers only pay a portion of their income towards their rent, and the voucher covers the rest. We make sure that the unit will be affordable for the family before reaching out to property owners.

Why property owners love working with the Community Choice Demonstration:

Reliable, on-time rent payments: HPD pays its portion of the rent through direct deposit to your bank account.

Lease-up bonus: Property owners who lease up with a Community Choice Demonstration client will receive a bonus in the amount of 50% of one month’s rent.

Supported families: Tenants receive coaching to help ensure that they will make a successful transition into their new home and security deposit assistance.

Faster processing: Community Choice staff will help you fill out the paperwork and efficiently process it at HPD.

Asset protection: Have peace of mind when you lease-up with a program tenant knowing that you can access a Damage Mitigation Fund of up to $2,000 in the rare event that a tenant leaves their unit damaged.

Free listing service: Fill vacancies quickly and save on advertising costs through our exclusive unit list for homes in your area.

Rent to a family in need of a home: Families in the program are looking for homes in CCD Mobility Areas to give their kids the best chances at success. They need property owners, like you, who will give them a chance too.

List your eligible units today! Not sure if your unit is in a CCD Mobility Area? Check the Community Choice Address Locator Tool.

For more information contact the CCD team at 212-863-5101.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Housing Choice Voucher?
A Housing Choice Voucher, historically called “Section 8,” is a rental subsidy for low- income households in the United States. The Housing Choice Voucher Program is the largest federal subsidized housing program for low-income households in the US. State and regional authorities operate 2,500 voucher programs around the country. In New York City, the HPD and NYCHA operate the Housing Choice Voucher program.

The Housing Choice Voucher Program is not an entitlement program, and only about a quarter of families who qualify for the program actually receive a voucher. There are typically long wait lists for families who want to receive vouchers.

Families who receive vouchers search for housing on the private rental market. The voucher acts as a coupon, so families can find housing affordable to them, and they only pay a portion of the rent. Families may only pay up to 40% of their income towards their housing costs (both rent and utilities). If the family has no income, the voucher will typically cover the whole cost of the rent and provide the family with a subsidy to pay utilities. Vouchers are subject to regional rental ceilings where the housing authority can pay only up to a certain amount for a unit based on the neighborhood, bedroom size, and amenities included in the unit.

How much is the voucher worth?
Housing Authorities are subject to limits set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which sets regional limits on how much the public housing authority (PHA) can pay based on the number of bedrooms the family qualifies for. The limit is called the Payment Standard, and in the New York City the Payment Standard is dependent on the location of the unit. Payment standards apply to all HPD voucher holders; successful participation in the Community Choice Demonstration is limited to the areas in blue. Visit nyc.gov/hpd-payment-standards to find information for clients in our traditional voucher program.

Use the Community Choice Demonstartion Address Locator Tool to see whether a property qualifies for the Community Choice Demonstration. The search tool will also provide the user with the estimated rental price limit for that neighborhood. The numbers provide an estimated rental price a Housing Choice Voucher family with no income can afford.

There are two important factors to keep in mind. First, families with income may choose to look for units priced above the established price limit because they can pay a larger portion of the rent. Second, although the price limit helps families figure out how much they can afford based on the location, the rental price agreed upon between the HPD and the property owner must be similar in price to other comparable units in the area fair market rate. HPD will look at comparable units in the area (based on amenities, size, and type of unit) to make sure that the rental amount the property owner requests is a fair price based on the market.

As a property owner, I have never worked with a tenant with a Housing Choice Voucher before. What should I expect in the rental process?
Renting your property to a family with a voucher follows a very similar process as leasing to a family without a voucher. It includes a few extra steps to make sure you and the tenant will make a successful match.

We encourage property owners to screen voucher families the same way they would with any other applicant. You will want to consider, however, that the voucher will count towards a large portion of the rent (if not all of it), so many property owners have different, more flexible income criteria for voucher holders.

After an applicant goes through your screening criteria, you turn in a packet of information to HPD called the Landlord Package. This proves that you are the owner of the unit and lists the amenities included in the unit.

Once HPD has the Landlord Package, you and HPD must agree on the rent amount. HPD will look at comparable units in the area (based on amenities, size, and type of unit) to make sure that the rental amount requested is a fair price based on the market.

Lastly, an HPD representative will inspect the unit to make sure that it meets Housing Quality Standards. These standards were created to ensure that our federal tax dollars are not used to house families in units that are subpar and unsafe.

After the unit passes inspection, HPD will mail you a Housing Assistance Payment (HAP for short) contract to sign and return back to HPD with an executed tenant lease. The effective date of the subsidy will be listed on the HAP contract. The tenant can sign the lease and pay their deposit and move into the unit as of the effective date. Subsidy payment is dependent on HPD receiving the signed HAP contract and signed lease back within 60 days of the date of the letter enclosed with the HAP Contract – the Conditional Approval to Move In. The contract shows that you have agreed to receive the part or all of the rental payment from HPD.

Each month, you receive the rent from HPD and the tenant. If the tenant’s income goes down, HPD will pay a larger portion of the rent so that the unit is always affordable for the tenant.

Inspections are typically conducted biennially, so if the tenant wants to live in your unit for two years, the Housing Authority will come to inspect the unit.

What are the CCD Mobility Areas? Where are they?
CCD Mobility Areas are neighborhoods or communities in New York City where children and families are expected to have the best opportunity to thrive. Researchers and local experts developed the list of CCD Mobility Areas based on data on school quality, long-term economic outcomes for children, poverty rates and other social and economic neighborhood criteria. CCD Mobility Areas are defined based on census tracts, which are area designations developed by the U.S. Census Bureau.

You can look at the CCD Mobility Areas using the Community Choice Address Locator Tool.

I may have a unit in a CCD Mobility Area. How can I check?
Use the the Community Choice Address Locator Tool to look up if a property is in a CCD Mobility Area and qualifies for benefits as part of the Community Choice Demonstration. The search tool will also provide the user with an estimated rent range in that area. The numbers provide an estimated range of rents a Housing Choice Voucher family with no income can afford.