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23 <br /> <br />While the public housing and voucher programs have similar intent and are both funded by <br />HUD, the regulations for the programs do differ. To name a few of the more important <br />differences, see below: <br />• In public housing, the Housing Authority owns the units and in the HCV Program, the <br />units are owned by various private property owners. This difference allows HCV <br />participants a “choice” in selection of the location of their home, as well as serves to <br />mitigate concentrations of poverty. <br />• In public housing, the Housing Authority does not have the ability to request a rent <br />increase each year but instead must rely solely on federal funding to provide for its <br />capital needs and unit subsidy. <br />• With the HCV Program, there is no mechanism for having Resident Councils but public <br />housing allows for the creation of resident councils at the various complexes. The <br />bylaws of OCHA does allow for resident representation on the Board of Directors. <br /> <br />In the case of the new Local Rent Supplement Program, the County has the opportunity to craft <br />a program that provides for flexibility given specific needs found throughout all areas of the <br />County, as Orange County has rural, urban and suburban characteristics. County staff has <br />recommended that in several instances the new program mirror the current HCV Program <br />policies to mitigate confusion among constituents and alleviate potential legal ramifications, as <br />well as follow industry best practices. <br />As it specifically relates to the criminal background checks and being less restrictive, note the <br />following: <br />• Staff proposes that the Orange County Local Rent Supplement Program “mirror” the <br />criteria of the current HCV Program as it relates to criminal background checks, etc. The <br />current HCV Program screening criteria is less stringent than the Town of Chapel Hill’s <br />screening criteria, as I read in the materials forwarded by Commissioner Greene, unless <br />additional changes have been made to Chapel Hill’s policy since it was adopted. The <br />proposed LRSP policy, as well as the current HCV policy, allow the flexibility to review <br />each applicant on a case-by-case basis whereas The Town of Chapel Hill has a more <br />rigorous, set criminal screening criteria. <br />• The chart below compares the proposed Orange County LRSP policy with the Town of <br />Chapel Hill’s policy: <br /> <br />Orange County Local Rent Supplement Program <br />Town of Chapel Hill <br />• Currently engaged in is defined as any use of illegal drugs during the previous six <br />months. <br />• The following chart summaries the exclusionary periods of ineligibility for admissions to <br />the public housing program, based on criminal activities: <br /> <br />Table 1: Chart summaries the <br />exclusionary periods of ineligibility <br />for admissions to the public housing <br />program, based on criminal activities <br /> <br />CRIMINAL ACTIVITY <br /> EXCLUSIONARY <br />PERIOD <br />Registered Sex Offenders LIFE <br /> <br />Manufacturing Methamphetamine <br /> <br /> LIFE