Remind the less fortunate of this rare opportunity to get some housing assistance!

Always Appreciative, "ANGELnWard14"

Technical Difficulties

Please Note: Our application is experiencing technical difficulties. If you are unable to complete an entry form now, please try again later.

The online lottery entry form will be available from now through Friday, August 19, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern.

Anyone who applies at any time before Friday, August 19, at 11:59 p.m. will have an equal chance of being selected in the lottery.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

A call to the 1-800--223-4969 Number was also met with a "try again later" customer service rep. When I asked about doing the application over the phone; she said that was only for "Disabled Folks and Seniors"....

SERIOUSLY ILL PREPARED APPLICATION PROCESS...... Computer glitches, citizens being told to try again later and time delays. Absolutely unacceptable.

Always Appreciative, "ANGELnWard14"

http://realneo.us/content/get-your-section-8-lottery-ticket-week5-days-only#comment-31612

right! i took off work to fill out the app early this morning, and from 8 am till 10 am i couldn't fill out the app on-line, nor call in to tech support! what i waste of time!

Thank you for your interest in the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority, Housing Choice Voucher Program. You must complete our online entry form in order to enter the lottery. No in-person, paper entry forms will be accepted. Completing the online entry form is an easy, step-by-step way to enter the lottery for a chance for your name to be placed on the waiting list.

You must complete the entire entry form in order for it to be valid. Once you have entered all of the required information, you will submit the entry form, receive a confirmation number, and have an opportunity to print or email your confirmation number for your records. Winning lottery entry confirmation numbers will be posted onto the website at applycuyahogacounty.tenmast.com.

Before you begin completing the entry form, make sure you have your date of birth, Social Security number, address, general income information and names of household members.

Important: You must be at least 18 years old to submit an entry form. Entry forms for minors cannot be accepted. Only one entry form will be accepted per adult.

Seniors and persons with disabilities can contact the Lottery Call Center at 800-223-4969 for assistance with submitting an entry. In addition, if you have any questions regarding the entry form, you can also contact the Lottery Call Center at 800-223-4969.

Always Appreciative, "ANGELnWard14"

Am I to understand that EDEN HOUSING CORPORATION, a not for profit agency that provides housing vouchers is advising low income people that they "MUST BE HOMELESS" to receive assistance????? YES...

Low income families who partially qualify for some of EDEN's "subsidized assistance programs" MUST BE HOMELESS TO FULLY QUALIFY FOR THIS ASSISTANCE.... So, long term low income people are beginning to STOP PAYING RENT JUST TO WAIT FOR AN EVICTION AND THEN FULLY QUALIFY TO RECEIVE this assistance....YES, this is happening all over Cleveland.....

Talk about a nice little quota filled game that manipulates all levels of the low income and mentally ill people of our region. While I recognize that there are truly unstable, mentally ill people who need direct intervention; I also know many mentally ill people who are obsessive compulsive about paying their bills and not ever being homeless again; let alone being directed into collaboration with MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE case managers who will ultimately SEIZE their rights to Manage their own money as part of the game of "Case management".... WOW! 

I am appalled by this for some families...Moreover, the creates hardships for good landlords who provide low rent housing to these low income families and who have helped many of them through the years....these landlords are getting rear ended by this not for profit industry that is systematically cultivating a crop of EVICTED persons who no longer will qualify to rent regular houses because they chose to "play the game for their vouchers!"

What an amazing system we have in Cleveland....but what will happen when these Not for profit housing agencies RUN OUT OF QUOTAS???? 

EDEN HOUSING is a multi million dollar business that provides low income housing vouchers to citizens. While they have grown amazingly through the years, building new housing developments and providing vouchers to countless quotas----they have also created an application and priority list that literally puts citizens into homeless waiting status before they can truly qualify for this assistance...

So, unless a landlord spends upwards of $500 to evict a tenant who stops paying the rent to get on this program---the tenant cannot even begin to get on the list or get assistance to stop a pending eviction. That's a huge profiteering business for housing court, for these agencies to use the evicted tenants as quotas and to keep ascertaining huge federal grants to sustain their organizations and pretend that they are doing good for our community.

I do not advise tenants to stop paying their rent to get these vouchers. If you plan to stop paying rent----to get an eviction...please---talk to your landlord and simply move out into a shelter. You don't have to be "evicted" to be homeless. An eviction will stay on your record and possibly prevent you from getting decent housing at a later date. Moreover, double check that part of getting those vouchers does not require you to sign over your Social Security checks to a mental health agency that then "Case Manages" your financial affairs for you.

What kind of agency would underhandedly advise tenants that they "MUST BE HOMELESS" to receive assistance????? UNREAL, Cleveland!!!! 

While there are people who direly need help...these type of agencies are creating families that will become CODEPENDENT on them for resources because of their methodologies... Is this a healthy way to help Clevelanders get on their feet and "stabilized"....???? NO...It's a way to enslave folks into "NEEDING HELP!" 

Surreal....

I just had to advise a tenant that her choice to stop paying her rent was going to ENSLAVE her into this program.... putting her and her children into a shelter and forcing her to LOSE everything...to include her own sense of ownership in her life...  These tenants are being BRAINWASHED into believing that "EDEN" is going to save them...and then after all that----

THERE IS NO QUARANTY THAT THIS FAMILY WILL EVEN GET A VOUCHER!!!!

Can you imagine???

Come on people....low income folks can qualify to buy houses and own property and be productive participants in our world....and still enjoy living well; without serving as a quota for these programs. There are countless options to embrace and have faith in besides serving as a quota! 

Always Appreciative, "ANGELnWard14"

Countless Families receive some semblance of SSI/SSD in greater Cleveland... The average amount of their SSD/SSI for "need based minimum" level of disability is approximately $689 per month.

A family of 2 persons on low income can qualify for up to $367 per month in food stamps.

A family of 3 persons on low income can qualify for around $493 per month in food stamps.

Now, if you earned that $689 per month, then you would qualify for HEAP/PIP PLus...making both your gas  (6%-$41) and electric (6%-$41.00) of your income....not to exceed 12% of your monthly income...

Rent: $450 (Based on fair market rent for a 2 bdrm apartment)

Gas: $41 (PIP Payment)

Electric: $41 (PIP Payment)

Phone:  $30.00/month (AT & T base service with USA Lifeline credit of $12.34/month With INTERNET)

============================

$562/Month Estimated budget for base cash expenses does not include costs for automobile, insurance, or basic living needs like laundry and cleaning supplies.

****That leaves $127 per month for a tenant to afford their life needs.... and if they SMOKE CIGARETTES....which cost approximately $5/day ($150/month)....then know that their initial budget will be unsustainable in a short period as they won't be paying the base list of bills above.

I strongly recommend that will direct deposits from banks that will help set up auto bill pays...that any landlord welcoming a tenant of this degree will REQUIRE that all of the above basic bills be set up on direct bill pay BEFORE signing any lease agreement. This will help stabilize low income tenants in advance and keep things balanced for all involved.....

Always Appreciative, "ANGELnWard14"

Angel, this sounds reasonable but you did not figure in cost of medical supplies.  Sometimes, even under Medicare/Medicaid there is still some costs for prescriptions and other medicines taken on a regular basis.

So, sometimes lowincome people must stagger their bills in order to afford even keeping close to making it by.  I know some individuals who only take their meds every other day in order to follow some type of regiment, therefore, if their bill were direct-pay, they would not be able to hit-skip from one month to the other.

The saddest part of all this is that for the past couple of years those on disability have not received any cost of living raise - even though clearly the cost of living has gone up.  Our city officials/councilpersons took it on themselves to add a charge for garbage pick up - that dollar amount is passed on to home-owners and renters with money matters already stressed to the limit.

A lot of people who suffer from serious health problems cannot afford to even think about eating healthy food.  Have you seen the cost of fresh fruit these days?  Those living off $200-300 foodstamps per month look for sales on Ramon Noodles, 49 cent mac & cheese, cheap tuna and bruised discounted apples.   Being thankful for something is better than nothing.

Skipping one bill or the other (robbing Peter to pay Paul) is the way for poor people.

Too bad we probable won't ever see any of our government officials giving up a gourmet meal and dinning on Ramon Noodle Soup or mac & cheese out of a box.

I am not an expert on Eden as a non-profit. I just know about the west side housing and was supportive of the concept of housing the homeless. This is one of the only ways for people to go from living under a bridge to having a home. We all keep talking about the need for homeless folks to have a home. They can't pass a credit check because they have no address and the job history is sketchy. They do have to agree to certain things, like no drugs, training, etc.

Being low income is hard enough, and the numbers are growing. Being homeless is another shame on our society, so lets support the efforts to provide homes. 

I think that rather than fight over the crumbs, demand the whole loaf.

The homeless is a whole other story.  They get a bad rap no matter what they do.  You're right DW, being homeless is another shame on our society - shame really is, if they're out of sight - they're out of mind.

They are significant elements of this concept of housing vouchers.... I just got so frustrated by the way some of the programs, "PROGRAM PEOPLE TO MAKE QUESTIONABLE CHOICES!" 

Always Appreciative, "ANGELnWard14"

No doubt, there surely is an ass-backwards approach in ways that would best benefit both the homeless and the low-income citizens.   Almost any program or offer of hope is extended with the mind frame of keeping the poor poorer and the homeless exiled from our midst.

Supposedly, we elect intelligent members from our society and it seems that just as soon as they go on th payroll they lose all sense of what it is to be human.

Like seniors and disabled folks who must sell their scripts to buy food and household supplies to survive....

Perhaps future landlords will NOT always be consumed by greed and will begin to regulate some fair rents in Cleveland that are "reasonable" for people on low income that reduce their stresses. With housing pices at all time lows; people can renovate houses for a lot less and provide adequate housing for people on low income...So that there are more choices than Section 8, CMHA, and EDEN.... for finding "affordable living".

Always Appreciative, "ANGELnWard14"

Countless tenants have been brainwashed by the local "AGENCIES" that if they get a "full eviction" (Which costs landlords upwards of $500)...then they will qualify for some rental assistance!!! What a big business....

Tenants cannot get a PRC from welfare without a FILED eviction...3 day notices to vacate do not count.

Tenants cannot receive any of the countless resources without "FULL EVICTIONS'...and most don't tell the landlords...So, they sit in houses for months without paying rent while concurrently frauding welfare and sometimes frauding social security=== about paying rent to get their welfare and food stamps.....because they are telling welfare that they are paying the rent with their income, when they are not! 

Then, they get vouchers to move into the next unit! Isn't that nice? 

CHOICES....choose to pay the rent. Choose to be evicted. Choose to be enslaved into the system that is driven by "quotas of choosers!".....

Always Appreciative, "ANGELnWard14"

Come on Cleveland Housing Court.... ALL landlords are NOT bad guys....

The system around us has driven an entire population of QUOTAS to abuse good landlords! 

Tenants stealing utilities, vandalizing rehabbed homes, and squatting in a landlords' house without paying rent....get treated like "poor abused people" who have then "earned" the right to get "VOUCHERS" for their next pad????? 

When do you "JUDGES" start holding these tenants responsible and accountable for the tens of thousands of dollars in damages that they create for property owners???? 

Always Appreciative, "ANGELnWard14"

This is my first time participating in this blog and I find the comments interesting, informative and sometimes amusing. This particular comment caught my eye because I happen to work in the unique environment that is the Cleveland Housing Court and happen to strongly disagree with Ms. Hill. I am one of several Housing Court Specialists assigned to assist in our walkin clinic that provides assistance to thousands of landlords and tenants every year. We all work very hard to assist as many people as we can on a daily basis going through the legal system. We are not attorneys and cannot give legal advice but we are able give crucial assistance and information that helps a majority of the people walking through our doors. Similar to the assistance that I gave Ms. Hill when she was going through a difficult time with her own tenant (a family member). She was successful in her action in court. We strive to treat everyone fairly and never make assumptions because after working there all these years, many of us seasoned "veterans" in this field know that there are many sides to every story. Most landlords and tenants never come to our court. We see the ones that are troubled on both sides or that happen to have encountered some bad luck in a particular situation. We assist people no matter the language barrier, income level, disability, etc. You would be surprised to hear how many litigants, both landlords and tenants, can barely read or write. The reality is that there is good and bad on both sides. Responsible and irresponsible. No other city in the entire state of Ohio provides the level of service that myself and my fellow colleagues provide to our community here in Cleveland. Landlords and tenants in other cities or suburbs are on their own. I have the priviledge of working with some of the most talented and fairminded legal minds in the system. Are there people that take advantage of the system? No doubt. Bringing a housing issue into a court of law should be a last resort. Unfortunately, many times a landlord and a tenant cannot resolve their issues on their own. In those instances, you can tell them that they are more than welcome to stop by the 13th floor of Justice Center and ask to see a Specialist. We are open Monday thru Friday from 8:30am to 4:00pm.

Housing Court is very user friendly and the specialists  provide valuable services to both sides- landlords and tenants.  Tens of thousands of people have used the services of housing court specialists and Cleveland residents/property owners should appreciate the services that are offered by housing court-for free.

The specialists will sit down with either party and explain the process, necessary paperwork, legal rights, etc., and they do offer a valuable service to the community.  No appointment necessary. No take a number and we might see you three hours later either.

As a former employee of housing court, I can honestly say that the specialist provide a valuable service to the community and have helped thousands of citizens in the community.

Housing Court is a very unique court and I would be surprised to learn of any other housing court across the country that offers the services that Cleveland Housing Court provides.

I apologize for directing my frustration at the HOUSING COURT itself...Perhaps I just hoped that you would see the abuses at this level and be able to react with advocacy in the larger spectrum of housing relief programs... which I strongly feel are being used abusively right now by countless people.

My frustration point blankly is with a list of these "abusive tenants" who get vouchers when they are acting like derilicts...DELIBERATELY. That simply frustrates and offends me...perhaps because when the tenants are in "immediate" trouble and before it is a "FULL EVICTION" status---that they are "REFUSED" direct help to sustain their current tenancies especially when they were paying rent until there was a major problem that interrupted their ability to remain stable...per say like if their household was disrupted by automotive breakdowns, lost work due to medical issues, or something realistic...and then they just needed help to stabilize the circumstances WITHOUT an eviction.... They end up being told by these agencies to wait for the FILED EVICTION in order to get any assistance.... which is actually costing landlords more money...

I am glad that you joined this Housing Court Specialist....because your position in this matter may help you to further advocate programs that don't fully lead to evictions for "those type of families"... The Cuyahoga County welfare program for PRC is about the same way....they would have helped with auto repairs but not with paying the rent someone took money to repair a car with to balance the budget....unless there is a FILED eviction.

I agree-you all at housing court see all kinds. I admire the time you all offer to each family and side of the table...It's CONSUMING to do that kind of work...and sadly-there are no "lawyers available to give that legal advice to the indigents passing through your doors" which leaves most people in these cases struggling to find resolves which often don't come WITHOUT a filed eviction. (as in my case).... 

Lately, I have been hearing about quite a few tenants who literally have stopped paying their rent SIMPLY SO THAT THEY CAN GET VOUCHERS.... They are "WAITING FOR THEIR EVICTIONS' so that they can receive "EMERGENCY VOUCHERS & HOUSING ASSISTANCE THROUGH PLACES LIKE EDEN...

That is sad that they are being told this by professional housing agencies.  I know your position on this matter sees it all; but invariably; I believe that these agencies are misleading many families that would otherwise not have made choices to stop paying their rents...and at the end of the day; there is no guarantee any tenant who STOPS paying rent and gets evicted will defintively get the vouchers.

As for HOUSING COURT....I respect your position as the "mediators"....I just hate seeing bad tenants lie to your courts---as they did in my case---and make the landlords the bad guys.....and then those tenants move on to their next 'victim landlords'. I just pray that good landlords are not treated like crap when bad tenants take advantage of them....(and I did experience that for one brief moment in your office after the tenants "LIED" to you and had you believing all kinds of hogwash! But luckily you were able to verify the facts and realize the crap that they told you was not true so that we could deal with the facts...I know that they violated you that day as much as they violated me and I appreciate that you helped me work through the issue of evicting them because it was UGLY in every direction.) 

This game to get vouchers and push for evictions is becoming epidemic in our community anymore with everyone vying for all of these Federal grants to get vouchers....

I Love you with all my heart, my housing specialist...we experienced a very challenging case together... Without you, I probably never would have saved my home or recovered from the damages that resulted from dealing with low income, disabled, and abusive "bad tenants!" It was the most heart wrenching experience of my life to EVICT MY OWN DISABLED BROTHER, his terminally ill wife, and 4 children-2 of which are disabled. Paying a moving company to put their belongings on the curb and recovering my home after they practically "destroyed it inside out" has been an exhausting road to travel. Our (my brother & I)  relationship is forever severed due to the maliciousness of their actions. Even when they got vouchers-they still didn't get back on track with paying their rent...they just kept on abusing the situation after the first eviction...So, we went back and finally got a full eviction the second time.... It was pretty ugly. NEVER RENT TO FAMILY! Accepting that their drug addictions were more important than anything under the sun was the hardest thing to accept and answered all the "WHY's" to the entire case. It was not easy and it never will be something I will understand....but it is the raw underlying truth in many "inexplicable" cases.

 I apologize Housing Specialist, I just take it personally when I see so many tenants pulling stunts to abuse decent landlords who put them in "A" condition homes and then see them vandlize the houses and violate the landlords. Tactics like intimidation, stealing utilities, and breaking things maliciously to "punk" landlords is offensive too. But, you see it all...I don't need to tell you. I know you put lots of heart into caring for "both sides" in a "fair way". I respect your position on the issues at hand...

I do have one question for you.......

IS THERE ONE AGENCY IN NEO THAT ACTUALLY HELPS PREVENT EVICTIONS WITHOUT HAVING AN EVICTION FILED BY PROVIDING RENT RELIEF ON BEHALF OF A TENANT TO THE LANDLORD? 

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FloraDora aka floridorigrl,

Diana speaks very highly of you.   I am glad she cleared this up. :)

Judge Pianka scared me so bad that I almost peed my pants and lost all composure....He was slamming slum landlords after being really nice to them.... I froze in his courtroom and couldn't breath. He frightened me severely when I first started dealing with the criminal housing violations created by "bad tenants" when I was out of town taking care of my dad.

I think part of me wishes I had seen him "SLAM A FEW TENANTS" the way he slammed those landlords! (Like putting vandalizing tenants in jail for criminal damaging of properties, theft of utilities, and so on!) 

Perhaps that would have seemed like a social justice rarity I have missed in our community! I am sure he's done it-but I have not seen him do it, that's all....

2)  Can someone please get a video of Judge Pianka truly yelling at a "bad tenant" and putting them in their place for abusive actions on a good landlord???? 

Perhaps if these "bad tenants" begin to realize that Judge Pianka is not just holding "landlords" accountable----then those tenants will begin to think twice about violating housing providers and agencies and programs that are meant for people truly in need.

3) 

A) Will Judge Raymond Pianka petition/lobby the Social Security Administration to create a law that forces tenants to pay their landlords out of their social security check before it is distributed to them and B) to force the government to allow landlords who were sheistered by Social Security beneficiaries to get garnishments out of SSI/SSD checks to pay back the landlords they violate along the way? These recipients appear to think that they can violate landlords over and over!!!! Perhaps if the laws didn't protect them---they would think twice!!! 

Always Appreciative, "ANGELnWard14"

use the link above and refer all folks to this website to apply.

I PERSONALLY BELIEVE THAT THIS VOUCHER APPLICATION PROCESS SHOULD BE EXTENDED 1 DAY BECAUSE OF ALL THE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES THAT CRASHED THE APPLICATION WEBSITE ON MONDAY....PREVENTING COUNTLESS FOLKS FROM BEING ABLE TO APPLY WHEN THEY HAD THE TIME/OPPORTUNITY.

Always Appreciative, "ANGELnWard14"

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2015/07/father_arrested_on_unrelated_w.html