Moving To Work

Resources / November 17, 2017

In 1996, Congress authorized the Moving to Work Demonstration program. The program allows selected public housing authorities (PHAs) to design and test ways to promote self-sufficiency among assisted families, achieve programmatic efficiency and reduce costs, and increase housing choice for low-income households. There are roughly 38 PHAs participating in the MTW demonstration program. In 2016, Congress expanded the demonstration to include 100 additional PHAs. Participating PHAs may waive many statutory requirements otherwise applicable to the public housing and Voucher program. PHAs favor the program but tenants and advocates have had a mixed response depending on which rules are waived and the effect of the changes on the lowest income families. NHLP continues to monitor the expansion of the program as well as existing MTW jurisdictions and its impacts on tenants.

Statutory and Regulatory Authority

HUD recently published an Operations Notice on the MTW Expansion that proposes guidelines for agencies that will be part of the MTW expansion.
HUD then Updated Its Operations Notice on the MTW Expansion.
HUD proposed changes to Form MTW 50900, the primary source of data that HUD receives to evaluate a PHA’s participation in MTW and its compliance in meeting its stated objectives.

Comments to HUD

NHLP submitted comments to HUD on the Operations Notice focusing on five areas of MTW administration that will have the greatest impact on tenants: waiver, resident participation, funding, regionalization, and evaluation.
NHLP submitted comments on the Proposed Changes to Form MTW 50900 given its significance as the only way that tenants, advocates, and other stakeholders can monitor MTW agencies.