APPLICATIONS FOR HOUSING ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS ARE TAKEN DAILY. YOU MAY APPLY AT ANY TIME IN THE OFFICE OR ON LINE. YOU MAY ALSO FILL OUT THE APPLICATION ON LINE AT THE HRA OFFICE.  THE HOUSING AUTHORITY MAY CLOSE THE WAITING LIST BECAUSE IT HAS A SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF APPLICANTS IT CAN SERVE IN A REASONABLE PERIOD OF TIME ON THE LIST.

Families wishing to apply for the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) Program will be required to complete an application for housing assistance. Applications can be made in person at the St. Cloud Housing & Redevelopment Authority, 1225 W. St. Germain Street, St. Cloud MN 56301 or on-line at this website. Applications will only be mailed upon request to accommodate a disability or it would be a hardship for the family to come in.

When the waiting list is open, completed applications will be accepted from all applicants. The St. Cloud Housing & Redevelopment Authority will later verify the information in the applications relevant to the applicant’s eligibility, admission, and level of benefit.

Persons with disabilities who require a reasonable accommodation in completing an application may call the St. Cloud Housing & Redevelopment Authority to make special arrangements to complete their application. A Telecommunication Device for the Deaf (TDD) is available for the deaf.

The application process will involve two phases:

The first phase is the initial application for housing assistance or the pre-application. The pre-application requires the family to provide limited basic information including name, address, phone number, family composition and family unit size, racial or ethnic designation of the head of household, income, and information establishing any preferences to which they may be entitled. Proof of citizenship or eligible immigration status will also be required at this time. This first phase results in the family’s placement on the waiting list.

Upon receipt of the families pre-application, the St. Cloud Housing & Redevelopment Authority will make a preliminary determination of eligibility. The St. Cloud Housing & Redevelopment Authority will notify the family in writing of the date and time of placement on the waiting list and the approximate amount of time before housing assistance may be offered. If the St. Cloud Housing & Redevelopment Authority determines the family to be ineligible, the notice will state the reasons why they are ineligible. At that time the family will have the opportunity to request an informal review of this determination.

An applicant needs to report in writing, or in an equally effective manner as a reasonable accomodation if there is the presence of a disability, changes in their applicant status including changes in family composition, address or preference factors. The St. Cloud Housing & Redevelopment Authority will annotate the applicant’s file and will update their place on the waiting list.

The second phase is the final determination of eligibility, referred to as the full application. The full application takes place when the family nears the top of the waiting list. The St. Cloud Housing & Redevelopment Authority will ensure that verification of all preferences, eligibility, suitability selection factors are current in order to determine the family’s final eligibility for admission into the Housing Choice Voucher Program.

Organization of the Waiting List
The waiting list will be maintained in accordance with the following guidelines:

The application will be a permanent file;
All applications will be maintained in order of preference and then in order of date and time of application;
Any contact between the St. Cloud Housing & Redevelopment Authority and the applicant will be documented in the applicant file.
Note: The waiting list cannot be maintained by bedroom size under current HUD regulations.

Families Nearing the Top of the Waiting List
When a family appears to be within two months of being offered assistance, the family will be invited to an interview and the verification process will begin.

It is at this point in time that a criminal background check will be completed. The information will be reviewed and action taken if necessary in 4.8, actions for denial. The St. Cloud Housing & Redevelopment Authority must notify the family in writing of this determination, and give the family the opportunity for an informal review.

The family will complete a full application, present Social Security Number information, and sign the Consent for Release of Information forms.

UPDATING THE WAITING LIST
No less than annually, the Housing Authority will update the waiting list by mailing letters to applicants to determine whether they continue to be interested in Housing. The Housing Authority will remove names of applicants who fail to respond.

APPLICANTS FOR BOTH PUBLIC HOUSING AND HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER ASSISTANCE:
Applicants who applied for both Public Housing and Housing Choice Voucher Assistance, and who are admitted into a Public Housing unit after April 26, 1993, may remain on the waiting list for Housing Choice Voucher Assistance.