A Veteran’s Success Story

We help many veterans every single year. In 2019, we assisted 227 veterans through various programs, including:

  • 5 through our Community Health Clinics
  • 1 through the Create Your Own Opportunities Program
  • 3 through our Financial Capabilities Program
  • 2 through our Homebuyer Program
  • 1 through our HCRI (foreclosure intervention) Program
  • 3 through the WIOA Program
  • 63 through our Weatherization Program
  • 54 through our Furnace Repair Program
  • 11 through our Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program
  • 8 through our Permanent Supportive Housing Program
  • 1 through our Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) Program
  • 6 through our Work-N-Wheels Program
  • 2 through our Medical Mileage Reimbursement Program
  • 85 through our Food Pantries 

Debbie Bushman, now Housing Director at Newcap, has been with Newcap for 29 years and while she was a Housing Case Manager remembers assisting a veteran whose story stuck with her all these years and whom she still stays in contact with. Here is his story:

“When I was a Housing Case Manager, I received a call about a disabled veteran that was living in a storage shed in the middle of winter. I made every attempt to contact this veteran to try to set up and appointment with him to see if there was anything that Newcap could do to help him get housed. In the beginning, he refused any program that Newcap had to offer because he didn’t want anything to do with the government. After several calls, I was able to build a relationship with him so he trusted me.

After several months of working together, we were able to find him an apartment to live in. He was so excited to finally have a place with heat and running water. I helped him get FoodShare and am still down as his representative so I can see that he is getting all the help that he needs. He also suffered form Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder so he couldn’t go grocery shopping because he felt like everyone was staring at him when he went there. I took him grocery shopping many different times during his participation in the program until he was at the point where he could go to the food pantry and store with other people.

I continued to work with him through the Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) Program until he was ready to graduate to the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program. He is still a participant that program and contacts me whenever he has a question about anything.” 

About the Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) Program: 

The Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) Program is a Housing First program providing rental assistance to individuals or families experiencing homelessness or those at imminent risk of becoming homeless. Priority is give to the disabled, those who have a disabled family member, low-income who are disabled or have a disabled family member, and those who are chronically homeless or at risk of becoming chronically homeless. Preference is then given to applicants who have been diagnosed with a mental illness. 

Eligible households must agree to actively participate in case management and be working toward housing stability based on the goals and objectives set on their Housing Stabilization Plan. All eligible households will be assisted with such services such as case management, transportation assistance with referrals to mental health services, AODA, and life skills training. This program will focus on self-sufficiency and require all program beneficiaries to participate as a condition of rental assistance. Program participants will not be terminated for failure to participate but will be re-evaluated at six months to ensure that they are working toward self-sufficiency in order to continue with assistance 

If the applicant is approved, attendance at an interview/briefing session is required. If eligible, during the briefing, the tenant is issued a coupon and also given a detailed explanation of the program and their responsibilities. When a tenant has located a unit and the owner accepts the coupon, an inspection is performed to ensure the unit is decent, safe, and sanitary under the Housing Quality Standard regulations. If the unit passes, the owner and Newcap enter into a Housing Assistance Contract. The tenant and landlord enter into a lease agreement. The lease must be for at least 6 months. 

Housing Case Managers will conduct monthly visits or more if needed. Monthly appointments will focus on individual goals, landlord/tenant issues, employment concerns, financial management, or other goals identified through various assessments. Room-by-room inspections may be done as needed. Attendance at workshops focused on self-sufficiency may be mandated. Follow-up services will be provided to families exiting the program for up to 6 months. 

Eligibility Guidelines: 

Family income must be at below 50% of the County Median Income. 

Application Process:

Applicants should contact the Program Contact for an assessment to determine preliminary eligibility. Once initial eligibility is determined, the applicant is place on the Prioritization List and offered assistance when a housing program becomes available in their community. Applicants are placed on the Prioritization List by the length of time homeless and the severity of their need. 

Learn more about this program here: http://www.newcap.org/newcap_programs/tenant-based-rental-assistance-program/

About the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program 

The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program is a federally funded housing program that provides rental subsidies to low-income families, senior citizens, handicapped, and disabled individuals who reside in rental housing to widen housing opportunities for lower income families by assisting them in obtaining adequate (decent, safe, and sanitary) and affordable housing. This will be accomplished through the utilization of the exiting housing stock and by providing rental subsidies to offset the high cost of living. 

If the applicant is approved, attendance at an interview/briefing session is required. During the briefing, the tenant is issued a voucher and also given a detailed explanation of the program and their responsibilities. When a tenant has located a unit and the owner accepts the voucher, an inspection is performed to ensure the unit is decent, safe, and sanitary under the Housing Quality Standard regulations. 

If the unit passes, the owner and Newcap enter into a Housing Assistance Payment Contract, stating the amount of rental assistance to be paid on behalf of the tenant. The tenant and landlord enter into a lease agreement. The first lease must be 12 months. Each participant and rental unit undergo an annual recertification process. 

Section 8 Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program: 

The Section 8 Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program is a voluntary five-year program for families with Section 8 vouchers. The program helps families become financially independent. The main goal of the program is to help families obtain good jobs and earn enough money so they do not need to public cash assistance. 

Under the FSS Program, low-income families are guided to opportunities for education, job training, counseling, and other forms of social service assistance, while living in assisted housing, so that they can obtain the education, employment, and the business/social skills necessary for them to become self-sufficient. An individualized plan is developed for each family, determining their goals and what kind(s) of supportive services are needed to meet them. 

The housing authority and Newcap, working with other community agencies, assist the family in getting these services. A unique feature of this program is when a family’s earned incomes goes up, instead of merely reducing the amount of rent assistance they receive, an amount equal to the reduction in assistance is placed in an escrow savings account for the family. If and when the family complete the program, they receive the entire amount in this escrow account, plus interest, to use as they choose. 

Application Process

Please contact the Newcap office to fill out an application. Families who are deemed eligible are placed on an in-house waiting list for the next available voucher. At the time assistance is offered, the applicant is sent a Tenant Information Packet, Authorization for Release of Information Form, and a list of items to send in to verify their eligibility. 

Eligibility Guidelines

Family income must be at or below 50% of the County Median Income. 

Learn more about these programs here: http://www.newcap.org/newcap_programs/housing-choice-voucher-program/