Local Preference

Only persons who meet the qualifications below will be considered for Local Preference.

1. Involuntarily Displaced Preference (includes Victims of Domestic Violence)

This preference applies to applicants who are displaced and are not living in standard, permanent replacement housing, or are unable to live in their current residence because of:

• Demolition or disposition of their residence as a result of local, State, or Federal mandates.
  
  
• Residing in a multifamily rental housing project when the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) sells, forecloses upon, or demolishes the project.
  
  
• Residing in a project covered by a profit-based Section 8 Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) contract at, or near the end of, the HAP contract term.
  
  
• Providing information on criminal activities to a law enforcement agency and, after a threat assessment and to avoid reprisals, the law enforcement agency recommends housing the family to reduce risk of violence to the family. The housing authority will take reasonable precautions to assist the law enforcement agency in concealing the new location of the family in cases of witness protection.
  
  
• Being the victim of one or more hate crimes and vacating the home because of the crime or the fear of such a crime. A hate crime is actual or threatened, physical violence or intimidation that is directed against a person on his property and is based upon the person’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, familial status, or sexual orientation, and is of a continuing nature.
  
  
• Being the victim of domestic violence, defined as applicants who have been subjected to or victimized by a member of the family or household. The housing authority will require evidence that the family has been displaced as a result of fleeing violence in the home. Applicants are also eligible for this preference if there is evidence that the family is currently living in a situation where they are being subjected to or victimized by violence in the home. The housing authority will consider the following criteria to establish this preference:
  
  
  • Evidence of actual or threatened physical violence directed against the applicant or the applicant’s family by a spouse or other household member who lives with the family. Such violence must be documented as being of a continued nature.
    
    
  • The applicant must certify that the abuser will not reside with the applicant unless the housing authority gives prior written approval.
    
    
  • The applicant may be transitioning from an interim-housing program designed to assist victims of domestic violence and their children.
    
    
  • An applicant who lives in a violent neighborhood or is fearful of other violence outside the household is not eligible for this preference.

    The housing authority will take reasonable precautions to assist the law enforcement agency in concealing the new location of the family in cases of domestic violence.

• Facing the imminent placement of a family’s child or children in out-of-home care, or the delay of the discharge of a child or children to the family from out-of-home care due to the lack of adequate housing (such as those who qualify for the housing authority’s Family Unification Program). The "lack of adequate housing" means the family is:
  
  
  • Living in substandard housing,
    
    
  • Homeless,
    
    
  • Displaced by domestic violence, or
    
    
  • Living in an inadequately sized unit.
    
    
• Facing the imminent release from an authorized children’s care facility (such as a foster-care home) or other juvenile facility due to reaching the maximum age allowable at the facility. Applicants must have a need for affordable housing as certified by the Ventura County Human Services Agency/Children and Family Services. Such applicants must meet all Section 8 Program requirements, including minimum age qualifications.

2. Substandard Housing Preference (includes Homeless)

This preference applies to applicants whose dwelling meets one or more of the following criteria:

• Is dilapidated, as cited by officials of the local code enforcement agencies;
  
  
• Does not have operable indoor plumbing;
  
  
• Does not have a usable flush toilet or bathtub/shower inside the unit for the exclusive use of the family;
  
  
• Does not have electricity or has inadequate or unsafe electrical service;
  
  
• Does not have a safe or adequate source of heat;
  
  
• Should, but does not, have a kitchen; or
  
  
• Has been declared unfit for habitation by a government agency.

This preference also applies to applicants who are homeless and are considered to be living in substandard housing due to:

• The lack of a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence, and
  
  
• Having a primary nighttime residence that is a supervised public or private shelter providing temporary accommodations, or an institution providing temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized, or a public or private place not ordinarily used as a sleeping accommodation for people.

Families who are residing with friends or relatives on a temporary basis may be evaluated for inclusion in the homeless definition.

3. Disability Preference

This preference applies to applicants who are disabled or have a disabled member of the family, as defined in this plan. Proof of disability will be required at time of selection from the waiting list. The housing authority may not adopt a preference for admission of persons with a specific disability.

4. Veteran/Active Serviceperson Preference

This preference applies to applicants who are veterans or active servicepersons. "Veteran" shall mean:

• A head of household;
  
  
• A spouse of the head of household;
  
  
• A divorced spouse of an individual;
  
  
• A widow of an individual; or
  
  
• A widower of an individual:who has been honorably discharged from a branch of the military service of the United States of America or is a reservist or a National Guardsman, after serving at least 182 consecutive days, and whose discharge can be confirmed by submission of a Department of Defense (DoD) Form 214. The discharge must be classified as "general" or better.

“Active Serviceperson” shall mean an individual currently serving in a branch of the military forces, including a reservist or National Guardsman, to the United States of America and who has served at least 182 consecutive days.

5. CalWORKS Program Participant Preference

This preference applies to applicants who are qualified and approved participants in the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKS) welfare reform program. Applicants must be in "good standing", in compliance with identified welfare-to-work program requirements, and have a need for affordable housing as certified by the Ventura County Human Services Agency.

6. Preference to Enable Assisted Living Housing

This preference applies to qualified, Medicaid-eligible applicants (Medi-Cal eligible in California) who may use Housing Choice Vouchers in assisted living facilities to remain independent and avoid premature institutionalization. Such applicants are at risk of being placed in hospitals, nursing facilities, or intermediate care facilities due to the need for assistance with some activities of daily living. They must have the physical ability to live independently, but need assistance with activities of daily living that may include personal care, transportation, meals, nursing care, laundry, medication monitoring, security, or housekeeping. Applicants must not require continual medical or nursing care.

Note: Facilities such as nursing homes, convalescent hospitals, or board and care homes providing continual medical, nursing, or psychiatric services are not eligible under this provision. An assisted living facility may be owned by a public, proprietary, or private nonprofit corporation or association.

Applicants who claim any aforementioned preference(s) must also qualify for a Residency Preference.

Residency Preference

This preference applies to residents of the Area Housing Authority’s jurisdiction. "Resident" shall mean a person who currently lives, works, or has been hired to work within the AHA’s area of jurisdiction (Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Ojai, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, and the Unincorporated areas of Ventura County).

Selection from the list shall be made without regard to race, creed, color, religion, sex, handicap, national origin, familial status, or sexual orientation.

The selection process from the waiting list will be prioritized according to the following:

1. Residency Preference and Involuntarily Displaced, Substandard Housing, Disability, Veteran/Active Serviceperson, CalWORKS Program Participant Preference, or Preference to Enable Assisted Living Housing
2. Residency Preference
3. Involuntarily Displaced, Substandard Housing, Disability, Veteran/Active Serviceperson, CalWORKS Program Participant Preference, or Preference to Enable Assisted Living Housing
4. Others.