Arlington panel hears changes to housing grant program, wait-list portal and eligibility

County housing staff briefed the Arlington Commission on Aging on planned changes to the housing grant program, including a new online wait-list portal and administrative regulation updates that will reshape eligibility and how the program is administered.

Ashlyn Stevenson, the housing navigator for the housing grants program, said the county’s current housing grant budget is $17,700,000 and that the FY27 package includes a one-time supplement of $1,300,000. She said the county’s manager proposed a new spending cap tied to the completion of a wait-list technology system; the cap’s implementation is delayed until that portal is operating, which staff said will be in October 2026. “Our current housing grant budget is 17,700,000,” Stevenson said.

Why it matters: staff said the portal is intended to make application and recertification work more efficient and to improve tracking. Under the new process, an initial 14-day enrollment window will generate a randomized lottery; staff said they expect to hold about 500 active slots on the wait list and estimate as many as 15,000 preliminary applicants may attempt to register during the open window.

Stevenson reviewed changes to who is eligible for assistance under the proposed administrative regulations. Current eligibility categories include working families with minor children, people 65 or older, people who are totally and permanently disabled and county-supported behavioral health clients, and a youth pilot (ages 18–24 or those aging out of foster care). Staff said the draft regs would narrow some disability-related eligibility (tying it to being deemed disabled under county programs) and would remove the youth-aging-out pilot from future eligibility lists. Those changes are pending the county manager’s signature.

Stevenson also described recertification and hardship rules: households that fail to meet eligibility or that miss recertification may be subject to termination but would be granted a 60-calendar-day hardship period, with a possible additional 30-day extension if documentation supports it. Staff said recertification notices will be sent 90 days before due dates to give residents more time to comply.

Commissioners and attendees pressed staff on access for older adults without reliable internet or smartphone access. Stevenson and other staff said the ADRC and library volunteers will assist applicants with online registration, and paper applications will remain an option for those who need them. Staff outlined outreach plans to senior properties and resident-services coordinators at Carlin, Culpeper Gardens and Hunters Park to provide in-person assistance during the rollout.

On who will be affected, staff said current participants will remain enrolled; the regulations are unsigned and staff estimated the number affected by the eligibility narrowing would be “very, very small.” For residents who lose eligibility because they are not receiving SSI/SSDI, staff said county supports will include help applying for those benefits and a transition clause in the regs to avoid abrupt displacement.

What happens next: staff said the portal and related administrative regulations will move through final sign-off and technical implementation; the county will communicate details and hold volunteer-assisted enrollment at libraries and community centers during the open period. Commissioners asked staff to return with additional operational details and to confirm paper-based accommodations and direct outreach lists for highest-risk residents.