Portability Information


What is Portability?

An eligible family that has been issued a Housing Choice Voucher may use that voucher to lease a unit anywhere in the United States where there is a housing agency operating a Housing Choice Voucher program. This feature of the program is referred to as portability. 

The public housing authority/agency (PHA) that issues a voucher to a portable family that wants to move to a different jurisdiction is referred to as the "initial" PHA. The PHA in the jurisdiction in which the family wishes to relocate to is referred to as the "receiving" PHA.

The receiving PHA has the option of (1) administering the family's voucher for the initial PHA  or (2) absorbing the family into its own voucher program. Under the first option, the receiving PHA bills the initial PHA for the family's housing assistance payments and the fees for administering the voucher. Under the second option, the receiving PHA pays for the family's assistance out of its own program funds, and the initial PHA has no further relationship with the family.

PORTING IN PROCESS

Housing Choice Vouchers program participants from another jurisdiction within the United States can use their vouchers to port in to the Garland Housing Agency's voucher program. In order to do so, the voucher participant must notify the PHA where they currently receive assistance from that they want to utilize the portability option of the voucher to transfer to the Garland Housing Agency's jurisdiction. 

Once the portability request is approved, the initial PHA will issue a voucher and must contact the Garland Housing Agency on the voucher holder's behalf. The initial PHA must promptly notify the Garland Housing Agency to expect the incoming family. This means the initial PHA contacts the Garland Housing Agency on your behalf either by phone, fax or e-mail. Simply referring the family to HUD or to a website for information on the Garland Housing Agency does not fulfill the obligations of the initial PHA.

All portability paperwork should be submitted by the initial PHA using one of the contact methods below:

  • Mail: Garland Housing Agency, ATTN: PORTABILITY   210 Carver St.; Suite 201B, Garland, TX 75040
  • E-mail: GHA@GarlandTX.gov
  • Fax: 972-205-3388  Attention: Portability 

The required paperwork should include the following:

  • HUD-52665 Family Portability Information form
  • Client's current voucher
  • Current 50058 form
  • Current E.I.V report
  • Client's current income verifications
  • Client contact address, email and phone number 
  • Birth Certificates of all members of the household
  • Social Security cards of all members of the household
  • Driver's license cards for all of age members of the household (if applicable)

Please note, per Garland Housing Agency's Administrative Plan, if any member of the household has a history of drug-related criminal activity within the last five (5) years or a history of violent criminal activity within the last ten (10) years, program assistance will be denied. Drug related criminal activity includes the possession, sale or deliver of an illegal control substance. Violent criminal activity is activity that has as one of its elements the use, attempted or threatened use of physical force against the person or property of another which may include all assaults with or without a deadly weapon, terrorist threats, rape, murder, sex offenders. Criminal background checks will be conducted annually for all participant families including those porting into the PHA program.

In addition, the voucher size the family is eligible for may change based on family composition and Garland Housing Agency's occupancy standards (2 people per bedroom regardless of age or gender).

Before visiting or contacting the Garland Housing Agency, please allow our Portability Department to contact you via mail, phone or e-mail. After all the portability paperwork has been received by Garland Housing, our Portability Department will contact you to set up an appointment to come into our office.

Current Payment Standards may be viewed by clicking on the link located below:

2023 Payment Standards effective 1/1/2023 - 12/31/2023


PORTING OUT

If you have a voucher through the Garland Housing Agency and wish to port out to another housing authority, please contact your case worker for more information.

For more information on how portability process works, please see the attached brochure: "How Portability Works"