Eligibility

Eligbility Criteria

To qualify for admission into the Housing Authority of Joliet’s Conventional Public Housing Program, an applicant household must meet the following criteria:

The household must be defined as a family as set forth within the Housing Authority of Joliet’s Admission and Continued Occupancy Policy;

Qualifying as an Eligible Family
For the Conventional Public Housing Program, the Housing Authority of Joliet defines a "family" as an individual or a group of individuals who share residency, have income and resources available to meet family needs, and have demonstrated a stable family relationship. This may include married and unmarried partners, related and unrelated individuals and single people.
The household must contain at least one member who is either a citizen or eligible non-citizen (24 CFR Part 200 and Part 5, Subpart E).

Citizen and Non-Citizen Status
Individuals need not be a United States citizen to apply for housing assistance, however they must be a United States citizen or have eligible immigration status to receive housing assistance. Individual household member eligibility will be verified at the time a household is scheduled to lease an available rental unit. Households that do not have acceptable citizenship or immigration status at the time of leasing may lose all or part of the household’s housing assistance.

The household must have an Annual Income at the time of admission that does not exceed U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development low-income limits for occupancy;

Annual Income Limits
The Housing Authority of Joliet’s Conventional Public Housing Program utilizes annually established U.S. Department of Hous ing and Urban Development income limits to determine if an applicant household is eligible to receive assisted housing.

* Household Size is the number of people who will legally reside within the home.
***Maximum Household Income for the low income limit represents an amount that is 80% of the Median Family Income for the Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Illinois area. Income limits are adjusted annually by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (Effective Date: March 19, 2009)

The household must provide Social Security Number for all household members, age 6 or older, or will provide written certification that the youth do not yet possess a valid Social Security Number;

Mandatory Social Security Numbers Prior to admission into the Housing Choice Voucher Program, the Housing Authority of Joliet requires households to provide verification of Social Security Numbers for all household members who are age 6 and above if a household member was issued a number by the Social Security Administration. This requirement also applies to any persons who later join the family after being admitted to the assisted housing program. Failure of the household to furnish verification of Social Security Numbers is grounds for the Housing Authority to deny admission or terminate tenancy.

The household’s members must meet or exceed Applicant Selection and Suitability Criteria as set forth within the Housing Authority’s Administrative Plan (AP).

Applicant Selection and Suitability Criteria The Housing Authority of Joliet is responsible for ensuring that new households that participate in the Housing Choice Voucher Program are not currently engaged in criminal activities. For this reason, the Housing Authority of Joliet screens applications as most other property management agencies do. To be considered suitable to receive an offer of housing assistance from the Housing Authority of Joliet, all applicants must demonstrate that through an assessment of current and past behavior the ability: To pay rent and other charges as required by the dwelling lease in a timely manner; To care for and avoid damaging the rental unit and site common areas; To not create health and safety hazards, and to report maintenance needs in a timely manner to the landlord; To not interfere with the rights and peaceful enjoyment of others and to avoid damaging the property of others; To not to engage in criminal activity or alcohol abuse that threatens the health, safety or right to peaceful enjoyment of other residents or staff and to not engage in drug-related criminal activity; To not ever have been convicted of manufacturing or producing methamphetamine, also known as "speed" To comply with necessary and reasonable rules and program requirements of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Housing Authority; and, To comply with local health and safety codes by maintaining the rental unit in a safe, decent and sanitary manner.

Criminal History Screening

The Housing Authority of Joliet screens all applicants for criminal history. If an applicant’s criminal history indicates that they may not be suitable for the program, the application shall be denied. Denial of housing assistance is automatic if an applicant has been involved in certain offenses, such as:

Please note that ineligibility time periods begin after the date of conviction and do not include any time that an individual may be incarcerated.