When a family’s position is reached on the wait list, the PHA will determine the family’s eligibility. If the family is eligible, the PHA will then admit that family to the program. As part of the admission procedures, the PHA must provide an oral briefing that includes a description of the program, the responsibilities of the tenant and the owner, where a family can look for housing, and how portability works.1 If the family is currently living in a high-poverty census tract in the PHA’s jurisdiction, the briefing must explain the advantages of moving to an area that does not have a high concentration of poor families.2
Along with the oral briefing, the family is to receive an information packet that explains the nature of the rent calculation, the lease addendum that the HCVP requires, information to assist the family in finding a home, and the all-important Request for Tenancy Approval. This information packet is separate from the actual voucher, but they are generally issued at the same time.