Solutions
Problems with Document Collection
Throughout this research, the focal challenge emerged in the form of document collection and its implications for low-income residents of New York. The fundamental issue lies in the persistent difficulties faced by applicants, especially when it comes to demonstrating eligibility for various benefits, including affordable housing.
What happens now
Currently, Housing Connect allows applicants to upload documents at any point of the application process. The property owner has access to any documents that were uploaded at Housing Connect. This is a manual process that requires the applicant to have virtual or physical possession of the document, scan or take a picture of the document and upload it to the “My Document” tab of Housing Connect. If selected, the applicant can also provide (email, in-person drop off, mail) the required documents to the leasing agent.
Why doesn’t this method work?
The burden is on the applicant. This method of document collection requires the applicant to have all documents available at the time of selection. To determine eligibility for affordable housing, the applicant must submit proof of identity, income and assets for the members of their household. This can constitute pages worth of documents and if any is missing, it will delay the process or the applicant can potentially be found ineligible. Applicants often have to miss work or school to locate all that is required. In addition, low income renters who receive public benefits provide the same documents when applying for HRA’s benefits (SNAP, medicaid, shelter, rental vouchers), anti-eviction services (Homebase, legal assistance), other subsidize housing (NYCHA, state or federal financed affordable housing).
Possible Solutions
Documentation challenges arise because housing, particularly affordable housing, is a limited resource. Individuals selected for housing must demonstrate their eligibility.
Policy solutions
Presumptive eligibility: The Local Law 297 of 2019 Report reveals that a substantial 92% of NYC applicants identify as low income, very low income, extremely low income, or have no income at all. This implies that a majority of those seeking affordable housing also qualify for other public benefits. For instance, a senior citizen relying solely on Social Security and eligible for SNAP and Medicaid must currently demonstrate eligibility for affordable housing. It seems unreasonable for an affordable housing applicant to be required to submit six pay stubs when a SNAP applicant needs only two. This exemplifies the complex and convoluted nature of navigating public benefits in our country. My recommendation is that individuals with low income who already receive means-tested public benefits, such as SNAP, be automatically presumed eligible.
Data and Document Sharing Agreement: Each time I download a location-dependent app on my phone, I encounter a prompt asking whether I am willing to share my location data. I have the option to decline, though some features may become unavailable. Similarly, the city already possesses eligibility documents, particularly for low-income renters, stored in various databases. For instance, HRA maintains identity, income, and asset information for public benefit recipients. If I receive public benefits and choose to opt in, Housing Connect should have the capability to retrieve documents from HRA. Additionally, I should have the option to consent to the sharing of these documents with the leasing agent if I so desire.
Digitizing the rules of eligibility (or rule as code): rule as code puts the power of eligibility in the hands of the applicant (or anyone else). In Cracking the Code, rule as code is described as “an official version of rules (e.g. laws and regulations) in a machine-consumable form, which allows rules to be understood and actioned by computer systems in a consistent way.” This is an enormous undertaking, but extremely promising at reducing the administrative burden for applicants and increasing the countability for the government.
Tools solution
Integration or the Digital Wallet: When an applicant is selected for an affordable unit, they must prove their eligibility by submitting a long list of documents. For many applicants, these documents already exist in other city portals and they should be shared instead of having applicants waste valuable time compiling them. For example, HRA–the agency that is in charge of public benefits in NYC– has identity, income and asset documentation for everyone who gets public benefits. The city should find ways to match affordable housing applicants with HRA’s existing document vault.
Housing Connect: Improve the functionality of Housing Connect so that it can be a true landing page for the entire process. The applicant should have the option to have the city agency HPD locate the eligibility document by ‘opting in’ to this service.