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2009 MTW Plan

Each year, Seattle Housing Authority adopts an annual plan that describes activities planned for the following fiscal year and highlights Moving to new Ways (MTW) initiatives. The Board of Commissioners adopted the fiscal year 2009 plan in October 2008.

A summary of the plan is outlined below. The full plan and its appendices (PDF, 2.32 MB, download Adobe Reader) are also available.

Stakeholder involvement

As part of developing the MTW Plan, residents and others had opportunities to review and comment on a draft. More than 30 people attended a public hearing about the plan and annual agency budget in September 2008.

MTW priorities

Seattle Housing Authority identified several themes and priorities for 2009 within the context of the agency's mission and five year strategic plan, declining federal resources coupled with increasing costs, and the three primary MTW objectives.

Match housing resources with the needs of low-income families

  • Explore wait list options that would more effectively meet applicants’ housing needs. Potential strategies include piloting one or more communities with no wait list, establishing separate wait lists for studios and one bedrooms, and moving applicant choice to the end of the application process.

  • Analyze the presence and causes of concentrations of residents and participants by income, race, and other characteristics. Develop action plans to address areas of concern which the agency can most effectively influence.

  • Complete the reconfiguration of the Scattered Sites portfolio.

  • Expand the agency's ability to serve low-income households with special needs.

  • Work with community partners and adopt policies to increase service-enriched housing for elderly residents, formerly homeless households, veterans and those in need of intensive services. Strategies may include creating program-specific wait lists for service-enriched housing, suitability criteria changes, piloting a pet-free environments, and increasing the number of units used by service providers to provide housing and services.

  • Increase the number of Seattle Housing Authority units that meet Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards for people with disabilities.

  • Seek opportunities to create additional smoke-free units.

  • Implement strategies to help households with limited English proficiency access and be successful in affordable housing.

  • Increase the percentage of Housing Choice Vouchers that are Project-based in response to community need.

  • Renew the elderly designation for Westwood Heights and Ballard House.

Rejuvenate and extend the useful life of the agency's affordable housing stock

  • Address short and long-term capital needs in the Seattle Senior Housing Program (SSHP).

  • Complete homeWorks high-rise renovation program.

  • Plan for the redevelopment of Yesler Terrace, including selecting a preferred alternative and financing.

  • Complete rental housing construction at High Point and begin the construction of new rental units at Rainier Vista.

  • Begin the revitalization of Lake City Village with the help of a $10.5 million HOPE VI grant.

  • Complete the rehab of 44 units at The Douglas Apartments.

  • Conduct envelope repairs at Bell Tower, Longfellow Creek and Wedgewood Estates.

  • Explore with the City of Seattle new strategies to maximize our common purposes of increasing and preserving low-income housing.

Promote connected communities and stable families

  • Explore innovative ways to encourage and support economic security among Seattle Housing Authority families, including implementation of the Seattle Asset Building Initiative pilot project and a partnership with Seattle Jobs Initiative to promote stronger links between the housing, workforce, and community college systems.

  • Offer a safety net to residents who give up their public housing subsidy to move to private market housing.

  • Develop partnerships to enhance community services, particularly for youth in the agency's large communities.

  • Implement the Family Self-Sufficiency program (FSS) policy changes to improve FSS participant outcomes and increase program efficiencies.

  • The Job Connection will make at least 175 job placements with an average hourly wage of at least $11.00 and at least 75 percent having benefits. Six-month retention rate will average at least 70 percent.

Maximize Seattle Housing Authority's limited resources to fulfill its mission

  • Further refine the agency's asset management approach.

  • Revise procurement policies to streamline processes and improve outcomes.

  • Establish a local system for measuring the agency's performance in lieu of the assessment systems of the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

  • Look for ways to reduce the administrative burden on Seattle Housing Authority and future and current tenants and participants.

  • Continue participation HUD's Moving to Work program.

  • Seek and implement innovative strategies to increase resource conservation.

  • Develop and refine technology resources, including working toward consolidating property management software, enhancing reporting capacity, and expanding use of document imaging.

  • Maintain 97 percent Housing Choice Voucher utilization.

  • Achieve an average vacancy rate under three percent in public housing and no greater than two percent in SSHP and Section 8 New Construction.

For more information about the MTW annual plan or the MTW program, contact Andria Lazaga, Asset Management Coordinator, at alazaga@seattlehousing.org or 206-615-3546.