Public Comments

Policy changes and other documentation under consideration by Seattle Housing Authority and available for public comment.

Proposed policy change or document	Comment Period	Send comments to:
Safety Net Assistance Program (SNAP) Eligibility Requirements This proposed revision to the existing Safety Net Assistance Program (SNAP) would expand eligibility to allow Housing Choice Voucher households that participate in the Savings Match program to also enroll in SNAP, in case they encounter a financial hardship that would threaten to make them homeless in the first year after they voluntarily give up their subsidy. - Summary of proposed changes	Comments may be made no later than December 9, 2012	Comments can also be addressed to Beka Smith at (206) 615-3576 or bsmith@seattlehousing.org no later than December 9th.
Technical Amendment to Amended and Restated Moving to Work Agreement The Seattle Housing Authority (SHA) is proposing a technical amendment to its Amended and Restated Moving to Work Agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This amendment will be the third amendment to the agreement and concerns Section 1 of Attachment A, which defines the calculation of operating subsidy for SHA's public housing. The original language in the attachment has grown out of date and, as a result, imposes an artificial cap on the amount of operating subsidy for which SHA can qualify. This amendment will allow SHA to receive operating funding for existing public housing units that had previously been restricted to only capital funding based on the outdated language. - Amendment to SHA MTW Agreement - Amended and Restated Moving to Work Agreement	Comments may be made no later than November 30, 2012	A public hearing will be held on Wednesday, November 14th at 11:30 at SHA's Central Office at 190 Queen Anne Ave N. Comments can also be addressed to Beka Smith at (206) 615-3576 or bsmith@seattlehousing.org no later than November 30th.
2013 Proposed Budget and 2013 Draft MTW Plan Comment period is now open for Seattle Housing's 2013 Draft Budget and 2013 Draft Plan for the Moving to Work program More information	Ended October 1, 2012	Comment period is now closed. Questions can be directed to bsmith@seattlehousing.org.
Vacate Agreement for Transferring Households • The Agency has revised SHA Form 1129 – “Vacate Agreement for Transferring Households” to assist residents and management in the transfer process between two SHA communities. • The purpose of this form is to give the resident early notice about the availability of a unit and for the resident to indicate acceptance of that unit and agree to a vacate date. • According to the Vacate Agreement, the resident will have 7 days after the day the resident receives keys to the new unit to completely vacate their old unit, unless another arrangement has been discussed with management. The agency will accommodate requests for additional days to vacate the old unit due to circumstances beyond the resident’s control. • If a resident does not completely vacate the old unit, then the agency has the authority to enter and remove any remaining personal belongings and start preparing the unit for the next available resident. The belongings removed from the unit will not be stored. • This policy does not apply to ADA transfers or other special needs transfers. For more information: - Transfer policy update compared with original policy - Revised form SHA-1129: Vacate Agreement for Transferring Household	Ended July 13, 2012	Comment period is now closed. Questions can be directed to comment@seattlehousing.org.
Interior Moisture, Mold, and Fungus Remediation This proposed policy provides guidance on roles and responsibilities for how to closely coordinate work between Maintenance, Property Management and Residents to prevent, manage, and remediate units that have damage caused by excess interior moisture, mold, and/or fungus. For more information: - Interior Moisture Control Policy	Ended July 13, 2012	Comment period is now closed. Questions can be directed to comment@seattlehousing.org.
Interpretation and Translation Policy • Upon request the agency will provide a professional interpreter to assist a resident with official agency business related to obtaining and maintaining housing. For informal matters, resident has the option to have a family member, a friend, or an agency employee to assist with interpretation. • If a resident misses an appointment with a professional interpreter, then resident may be charged for the cost of the interpreter service, however a waiver is available based on circumstances. • A notice translated in multiple languages that warns of consequences if resident does not respond will be attached to official agency documents vital to a resident obtaining or maintaining housing. For more information: - Interpretation and Translation Policy draft	Ended July 13, 2012	Comment period is now closed. Questions can be directed to comment@seattlehousing.org.
Amendment to the 2012 MTW Plan and the MTW Agreement with HUD The Seattle Housing Authority is also inviting public comment on four changes related to the Moving to Work (MTW) program. The plan amendment summary explains the changes: For more information: - Summary of proposed changes - Amendment to the MTW agreement	Ended April 9, 2012	Comment period is now closed. Questions can be directed to bsmith@seattlehousing.org.
Home-based business policy The goal of the revised Home Based Business Lease Addendum and policy manual is to provide consistent standards for how Home Based Businesses should operate on Seattle Housing Authority properties. For more information, view a summary of the proposed policy.	Ended Oct. 21	Comment period is now closed. Questions can be directed to gmitchell@seattlehousing.org.
Non-smoking policy It is proposed that the non-smoking policy be expanded to and implemented in all Seattle Housing properties including Low Income Public Housing, Hope VI, Special Portfolio and privately managed properties, effective January 1, 2012. For more information, view the draft policy. (updated Oct. 31)	Ended Sept. 30	Comment period is now closed. Questions can be directed to thnguyen@seattlehousing.org.