Eligibility criteria for Housing Choice Voucher applicants were revised by Seattle Housing Authority's Board of Commissioners in a unanimous vote on April 21. Applicants who have been incarcerated for certain crimes will now be eligible to receive a voucher after a 12 month waiting period once their incarceration ends. The new standard will help to lower the regulatory barriers that make it difficult for homeless people to secure housing.

Seattle Housing Authority staff members are seeking an extension to the agency's "Moving to Work" status. This designation has allowed the Housing Authority to implement local strategies tailored to Seattle's needs, even when they conflict with HUD regulations. The current MTW contract is due to expire in 2009. On May 19 SHA will hold a hearing to consider a ten year extension that would continue to allow for regulatory flexibility, though it would require additional reporting.

Seattle Housing Authority has created a new waiting list of 4,000 households for its Housing Choice Voucher program (Section 8). Those 4,000 were selected at random from nearly 12,400 households that entered a lottery for waiting list positions conducted in March and April. Of those on the new list, 600 have already been notified to receive a voucher. The new waiting list is expected to last for about two years.

Community members gathered at Rainier Vista on April 24 to celebrate Arbor Day by planting both living trees and a sculptural tree that celebrates the stories of the community. The sculpture, provided through the efforts of Iron Monkeys Collaborative and Ignition Northwest, incorporates a bench with panels that detail the story of the nearby Whirligigs that were created by Asa Mercer Middle School students with help from SouthEast Effective Development Arts.

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