The Community Choice Demonstration (CCD) helps families with Housing Choice Vouchers find homes in “Opportunity Areas” across the Pittsburgh-Allegheny County region. These neighborhoods have great schools and local services, but they have often been hard for voucher holders to move into because of high costs, or property owners who don’t know much about the voucher program.

Qualifications

To join the Community Choice Demonstration, families need to:

• Have at least one (1) child aged 17 or younger
• Have a Housing Choice Voucher from either the Allegheny County Housing Authority or the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh

A number of families from the Allegheny County Housing Authority or the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh’s current Housing Choice Voucher waitlist are also being invited to participate in the Demonstration.

Benefits to Participating Families

Families participating in the CCD will receive assistance moving to Opportunity Areas. This assistance includes support for before and after moving, help searching for a home, financial assistance for moving costs, and faster processing.

Benefits to Property Owners

The ACHA and the HACP ensure that rents in Opportunity Areas are fair for owners and affordable for families. Owners who rent to program families can get bonuses and help finding good tenants. Program staff works to make sure both the owner and the tenant have a positive experience.

Enrollment

Families with Housing Choice Vouchers from the ACHA or the HACP are eligible for enrollment in the Community Choice Demonstration. Contact DHS-CommunityChoice@alleghenycounty.us, if you are interested in participating in the Demonstration.

Potential families may also be invited to apply to participate in the Community Choice Demonstration if they are on the current ACHA or HACP’s Housing Choice Voucher waitlists.

To qualify for enrollment, families must:

• Have a Housing Choice Voucher from the ACHA or the HACP
• Have one child that is age 17 or younger.

The CCD Enrollment Coordinator will contact eligible families about six (6) months before their current lease ends. New applicants will be contacted when their application is processed.

A lottery determines which families will receive extra assistance. If a family is not chosen, they will receive the standard services provided to Housing Choice Voucher holders by the ACHA or the HACP.

Participating Families Selected to Receive Services

If your family is chosen to receive CCD services that will assist you in searching for and moving to housing in specific areas of your choice, called Opportunity Areas. Participants will work with a Housing Coach who will discuss your family’s housing and community needs, develop a family preparation plan, work with you to conduct your housing search, and assist you in contacting property owners.

Participation Benefits:

• Pre-move support
• Housing search assistance
• Move-related financial assistance
• Faster processing
• Post-move support

Community Choice Demonstration FAQs & More Demonstration Information

You can find answers to common questions about the Community Choice Demonstration on the YWCA website.

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The Pittsburgh Allegheny County Community Choice Demonstration project is part of a national study funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Locally, it is run by Allegheny County Housing Authority, Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh, the YWCA, and Allegheny County. We are studying how receiving additional services affects a family’s ability to move to better areas. For more information about the national study, visit their website.