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2010 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 2010 plan in October 2009. HUD approved SHA's plan in January 2010.

A summary of the plan is outlined below. The full plan and its appendices (PDF, 1.4 MB, download Adobe Reader) are also available.

Stakeholder involvement

As part of developing the MTW Plan, Seattle Housing Authority provided a variety of opportunities for residents and other stakeholders to review and comment on a draft. More than 50 people attended meetings about the plan and agency budget in September 2009.

MTW priorities

Seattle Housing Authority identified several themes and priorities for 2010 within the context of the agency’s mission and five year strategic plan, fiscal realities, and MTW’s three primary objectives.

Match Seattle Housing Authority's housing resources with the needs of low-income families

  • Explore waiting list options that would more efficiently meet applicants’ housing needs.

  • Distribute nearly 200 project-based vouchers to community housing providers to serve homeless individuals or families and provide a clear link between units of affordable housing and support services that are tailored to the individual needs of participants.

  • Pilot a project that provides financial incentives, for households that can, to move to market-rate housing and free up subsidies for homeless families.

  • Lease 22 units of Jefferson Terrace to Public Health-Seattle King County to create a medical respite facility for homeless people who need a safe place to heal after being treated at local hospitals.

  • Create 22 additional units that meet Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards for people with disabilities, depending on federal funding.

  • Create more smoke-free housing, including all new construction or substantially rehabbed units and possibly all or part of the Seattle Senior Housing Program (SSHP or Senior Housing).

  • Possibly lower the age of preference for Seattle Housing Authority’s elderly preference public housing communities from 62 to 55.

Rejuvenate Seattle Housing's communities and extend the useful life of the agency’s affordable housing stock

  • Continue to plan for the redevelopment of Yesler Terrace, including environmental review and relocation planning.

  • Bring 83 new units on line in Tamarack Place, located in Phase II of Rainier Vista (71 units affordable to extremely low income families).

  • Begin construction of 86 units at Lake City Village (51 units affordable to extremely low income families).

  • Complete renovations at Bell Tower and begin renovations at Denny Terrace.

  • Complete envelope (siding and windows) renovations at Schwabacher House, Reunion House, and Wills House in the Seattle Senior Housing Program. Begin renovations at Olmsted Manor and Nelson Manor.

  • Explore opportunities to create new housing throughout Seattle, including Fort Lawton, Qwest Field North Lot, the Yesler Terrace and Holly Court neighborhoods, potential partnerships for a HUD Section 202 or Section 811 project, and a possible partnership with King County Metro in the Northgate area.

Promote healthy communities and stable families

  • The Job Connection will make at least 175 job placements with an average hourly wage of at least $11.50, and at least 75 percent having benefits.

  • Explore innovative ways to encourage and support economic security among Seattle Housing families, including implementing pilot programs in conjunction with the Seattle Asset Building Collaborative and the Seattle Jobs Initiative.

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

  • Possibly partner with the Committee to End Homelessness to offer a financial incentive and asset-building services to residents who are paying at or near market rate to move out of subsidized housing.

  • Develop partnerships and increase funding to enhance community services, particularly for youth, and to address real and perceived safety concerns in the agency’s large communities.

  • Seattle Housing Authority and its partners have submitted a number of applications for competitive grants which, if funded, will support exercise classes for seniors, pre-apprenticeship opportunities for those seeking to work in the trades, computer labs, and wireless Internet access in selected communities.

  • Continue to support community building activities in Seattle Housing Authority communities.

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

  • Establish a local system for measuring Seattle Housing Authority’s performance in lieu of HUD’s Public Housing Assessment System.

  • Add units to the Streamlined Low-income Housing Program, which allows Seattle Housing Authority to simplify administrative procedures in communities that have both public housing and project-based vouchers.

  • Reduce the frequency of required unit inspections for housing choice voucher holders and reexamine the public housing inspection protocol.

  • Streamline income verification and rent calculations for voucher participants, including multi-year rent reviews of fixed-income households, simplified medical deductions, and increasing the threshold for counting income from assets.

  • Continue extensive resource conservation efforts, focusing on resource-efficient toilets and light fixtures, weatherization improvements, and piloting solar usage.

  • With grant assistance, begin conversion of the agency’s vehicle fleet to electric hybrid autos.

  • Improve preventive maintenance processes and reduce costs associated with making units ready to lease.

  • Increase staff training and information technology capacity.

  • Continue to refine Seattle Housing's local asset management program.

  • Maintain high occupancy and utilization levels of existing housing resources.

  • Develop a new five-year strategic plan for the agency.

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.