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Portability Information

CDA Portability Brochure

HUD's How Portability Works

 

Frequently Asked Portability Questions

 
 
 

Answer: Effective August 1, 2021, the CDA is absorbing incoming portable program participants.

Answer:  Follow these steps to ensure timely processing:
  1. You must contact your Initial Housing Authority- IHA- (where you are currently subsidized) and request to port to the City of Madison.
  2. If determined eligible by your IHA, your IHA will issue your voucher to you and send your voucher and other required documents to the Community Development Authority, CDA, which is the City of Madison's Housing Authority for Section 8 assistance.
  3. The CDA will contact you when we receive your portability paperwork from your IHA. We will either call you (if your IHA provides a phone number) or e-mail our portability application to you at the e-mail address provided by your IHA. You may also contact us to update your phone number and mailing address.
  4. Fill out and return our portability application, along with any additional documentation needed to process your application. Additional required documents will be listed in the cover letter attached to the portability application we mail to you.
  5. Once we receive a completed portability application, and any required documents, the CDA will determine if you are eligible to port to the City of Madison.
  6. If you are found eligible to port to the City of Madison, we will send your CDA voucher and other documents to you by email. If you prefer to schedule an in-person appointment to receive your documents, please let the CDA Specialist know.
  7. DO NOT SIGN A LEASE BEFORE YOU HAVE ATTENDED YOUR ORIENTATION, RECEIVED YOUR VOUCHER AND MAX RENT LIMIT, AND RECEIVED CONFIRMATION THAT YOUR UNIT HAS PASSED HQS INSPECTION.
Answer:  Your IHA may send your portability paperwork to us by email, fax, or mail to the following address:
 
Phone:  608-264-9260

FAX: 608-266-4735 or 608-264-9261

Mail:   Community Development Authority
Attn:   Section 8 Portability
           PO Box 1785
           Madison WI 53701-1785
 

Answer:  Your current housing authority should send your paperwork 6-8 weeks before you plan to move to the City of Madison. We will mail you a CDA portability application within one week of receiving your portability paperwork from your IHA. Once we receive your completed application and required documents, it will take about one week to process your application and contact you to make your voucher issuance appointment. The date we set for your appointment will depend on caseworker and client availability.

Answer:  If you will have zero $0 income when you arrive in the City of Madison, your max gross rent limit (rent plus tenant paid utilities) will be the payment standard for your voucher unit size (see chart below). If you will have income when you arrive, your max gross rent limit will be the payment standard plus 10% of your Adjusted Monthly Income. This will be determined at your voucher issuance appointment.

Payment Standards

Effective April 1, 2023

Bedroom Size  Payment Standard
SRO $830
Efficiency $1107
1 Bedroom $1,301
2 Bedroom $1,515
3 Bedroom $1,991
4 Bedroom $2,245
5 Bedroom $2,581
6 Bedroom $2,918
 

Answer:  Possibly. If your voucher expires less than 30 days from the date it was received by the CDA, we can provide one 30 day extension. Further extensions may be provided at our discretion, not to exceed 90 days from your original voucher expiration date. We will require you to request extensions from your IHA first. If your original voucher from your IHA expires, and the CDA provides an extension, that extension will only be valid in the City of Madison. You will not be able to return to your IHA, or move somewhere else, with an expired voucher.

Answer:  Your voucher unit size will be determined at your voucher issuance appointment based on the following policies:
  • The CDA will assign one bedroom for each two persons within the household. Persons of different generations will be allotted separate bedrooms. Persons of the opposite sex (except spouses/partners), 6 years of age and older, will be allotted separate bedrooms. Two siblings under the age of 6, of any gender, will be allotted one bedroom.
  • Foster children will be included in determining unit size only if they will be in the unit for more than six months.
  • Live-in-aides will be allocated a separate bedroom. No additional bedrooms are provided for the attendant's family.
  • Single person families will be allotted one bedroom.
  • A family that consists of a pregnant woman, with no other persons, will be treated as a two person family.
Answer:  Yes. If you have not yet arrived in the City of Madison at the time you are considered eligible to port to the city of Madison, or if you are elderly or disabled, you may receive your voucher by mail or email. You will need to visit our office and meet with the Portability Housing Specialist once you have arrived in Madison (accommodations may apply for people who are elderly or disabled).
 
Answer:  If you locate a unit in the Dane County HA's jurisdiction (outside the City of Madison city limits), you must request from your IHA to have your paperwork forwarded to the Dane County Housing Authority. We are happy to forward your paperwork to DCHA, but we must receive written approval from your IHA to do so. Your IHA may require us to return your paperwork to them so that they may resend it themselves. You may not have enough time on your voucher to complete that process. The Dane County Housing Authority manages Section 8 assistance in Dane County, outside the city limits of Madison, including: Sun Prairie, Fitchburg, Middleton, Monona, McFarland, Stoughton, Verona, and others. If you wish to move to one of these areas, please request your paperwork be sent to the Dane County Housing Authority.
Answer:  The CDA will screen your portability application for any Sex Offender Registry requirements. The CDA may make a determination to deny or terminate Section 8 assistance in accordance with 24 CFR Part 5, and 24 CFR 982.552 and 982.553. The CDA may also deny a portability application due to insufficient funding.
 
Answer:  We will notify you and your IHA that you have been denied to port to the City of Madison and your paperwork will be returned to your IHA.
 
Answer:  You may view some vacancy listings on our website. Although over 500 landlords in Madison participate in the Section 8 program, not very many of them list units with us. Other resources include:
Answer:  The CDA does not provide any emergency housing. If you do not have a place to stay in Madison while searching for a unit, you can contact the Housing Navigation Services at:
  (608) 826-8093
 
Answer:  Please contact CDA Portability Housing Specialist: Danielle Skinner
  608-264-9260

 

 

 

 


 

Last Updated: 12/04/2023

City Ordinance

A City ordinance was passed 4/1/2007, requiring all landlords to take applications from Voucher holders.

Español

Si usted desea hablar en Español con un miembro del personal de la CDA, favor de llamar al (608) 266-4868.

Provee su nombre y un numero de teléfono de contacto.

Un miembro del personal de la CDA entonces devolverá su llamada usando un servicio de interpretación telefónica.