Moving to Work Demonstration Program

Moving to Work (MTW) is a demonstration program for public housing authorities (PHAs) that provides opportunities to design and test innovative, locally designed strategies that use Federal dollars more efficiently, help residents find employment and become self-sufficient, and increase housing choices for low-income families. MTW allows PHAs exemptions from many existing public housing and voucher rules and provides funding flexibility with how they use their Federal funds.

Public housing agencies administering the Public Housing program and/or the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program may be selected by the Secretary to participate.

Low-income public housing and voucher residents.

2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program.

PHAs annually submit an MTW Plan or MTW Supplement to the PHA Plan, as applicable, to HUD, which documents new and ongoing MTW activities. Plans and MTW Supplements must include criteria for: (A) families to be assisted, which shall require that at least 75 percent of the families assisted by participating demonstration public housing authorities shall be very low-income families, as defined in section 3(b)(2) of the United States Housing Act of 1937; (B) establishing a reasonable rent policy, which shall be designed to encourage employment and self-sufficiency by participating families, consistent with the purpose of this demonstration, such as by excluding some or all of a family's earned income for purposes of determining rent; (C) continuing to assist substantially the same total number of eligible low-income families as would have been served had the amounts not been combined; (D) maintaining a comparable mix of families (by family size) as would have been provided had the amounts not been used under the demonstration; (E) assuring that housing assisted under the demonstration program meets housing quality standards established or approved by the Secretary; and (F) may request assistance for training and technical assistance to assist with design of the demonstration.

The program office reviews and approves the MTW Plan. Public and Indian Housing (PIH) field offices and the MTW Office review the MTW Supplement to the PHA Plan, and the field office approves the MTW Supplement to the PHA Plan.

The program office or PIH field office must notify the PHA within 75 days after the PHA submits the Plan or MTW Supplement to the PHA Plan of disapproval. If the PHA is not notified of disapproval within 75 days, the MTW Plan or MTW Supplement to the PHA Plan shall be considered approved.