MTW AMERICA’S HOUSING POLICY LAB

MTW AMERICA’S HOUSING POLICY LAB www.HUD.gov/MTW

MTW What Is Moving To Work? 1 AMERICA’S reated by Congress in 1996, Moving to Work (MTW) is a Cost Savings andHOUSING CDepartment of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) POLICY LAB demonstration program that allows housing authorities to Effectiveness: design and test innovative, locally-designed strategies for • Moving to biennial, instead of providing low-income families with affordable housing and annual, rent determinations for new paths to economic independence. some households (this MTW

innovation was adopted by HUD for all agencies). What are MTW’s “MTW is currently the • Simplifying rent calculations. Goals? only HUD program through which public • Utilizing funding flexibility Congress established three housing authorities can (“fungibility”) to support security, statutory goals for MTW: self-sufficiency, and development wholly transform their activities without the burdensome 1 Reduce costs and achieve operations, programs accounting required by multiple greater cost effectiveness in and housing. The restricted funding allocations. Federal expenditures; broad flexibility to waive statute and • Replacing inefficient systems for 2 Give incentives to families with regulations allows ensuring housing quality standards children where the head of these agencies to and rent reasonableness with household is working, is seeking better serve and house risk-based, technologically work, or is preparing for work by driven solutions. participating in job training, their residents and educational programs, or broader communities • A host of other administrative programs that assist people to while streamlining their reforms, both large and small, obtain employment and become internal operations.” that are increasing efficiency economically self-sufficient; and From: HUD’s August 2010 and reducing overhead. 3 Increase housing choices for Report to Congress low-income families. How Are Housing Authorities Using MTW? 2 TW agencies are using their flexibility to design and Mmodify programs and housing models that meet their Incentives for communities’ unique needs. Self-Sufficiency • Modifying rent calculation formulas Evaluating the Success of MTW to provide non-punitive incentives for participants to increase their ach agency is evaluating the success of its MTW initiatives. earnings and save for the future. E Many work with local universities in this effort. Most of • Crafting local self-sufficiency this research is measuring quantifiable outcomes like the programs that account for each employment rate for able-bodied residents; increases in community’s socio-economic family income; amount of funds leveraged for affordable characteristics and opportunities. housing and supportive services; number of housing units in • Developing Employment Centers mixed-income environments; and the distribution of housing and Programs that help residents units and housing opportunities in assessing success. prepare for and obtain steady, good paying jobs. “So we should move aggressively to identify, test and evaluate a variety of new approaches and to institute 3 and spread effective initiatives, to help more poor Increase Housing children advance and poor adults surmount barriers Choices to success in the labor market.” Robert Greenstein, Founder and Executive Director, Center on Budget • Redeveloping old properties and and Policy Priorities; Feb. 4, 2013, NY Times developing new ones, thereby sustaining and creating a wide range of housing options for MTW Public Housing Agencies low-income families. With the most recent expansion, 39 Public Housing Authorities (of 3,400 nationally) are now • Constructing mixed-income designated as MTW agencies. These include large and small agencies in all parts of the country. housing; acquiring or renovating Alaska Housing Finance Corporation Orlando Atlanta Housing Authority Philadelphia Housing Authority senior and supportive housing Housing Authority of Baltimore City Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh and designing local rental subsidy Boulder Housing Partners Portage Metro Housing Authority programs that respond to specific Cambridge Housing Authority Home Forward Charlotte Housing Authority San Antonio Housing Authority community needs. Housing Authority of Champaign County Housing Authority of the County of Chicago Housing Authority San Bernardino • Creating “sponsor based” District of Columbia Housing Authority San Diego Housing Commission programs with local nonprofits Delaware State Housing Authority Housing Authority of the County that provide housing and Keene Housing Authority of San Mateo King County Housing Authority Housing Authority of the County supportive services to special Lawrence-Douglas County of Santa Clara needs populations that non-MTW Housing Authority Seattle Housing Authority housing authorities cannot Lexington-Fayette Urban County Tacoma Housing Authority typically reach. Housing Authority Tulare Housing Authority Lincoln Housing Authority Vancouver Housing Authority • Developing local homeownership Louisville Metro Housing Authority Reno Housing Authority Massachusetts Department of Housing Columbus Metro Housing Authority programs that allow working and Community Development Holyoke Housing Authority families to purchase homes and Minneapolis Public Housing Authority Fairfax County Redevelopment begin building assets. Elm City Communities and Housing Authority Oakland Housing Authority