The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program determines initial eligibility for a Housing Choice Voucher as determined by Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) guidelines.  The referral is completed by the housing provider actively working with the client and constitutes a referral to Coordinated Exit. 


The process has been built in Clarity to:

  • Collect required data/documentation
  • Track referrals to the Housing Choice Voucher program
  • Track outcomes of clients referred to the Housing Choice Voucher program.


This article will take you through the process of entering data into Clarity.


Referrals to HCV

  • The case manager/outreach worker will enroll all household members using the housing voucher into the STEH Coordinated Exit program.
  • The STEH Coordinated Exit team will evaluate the referral, determine eligibility, refer the household to CMHA (if appropriate), and track/document the progress. Case managers/outreach workers will be notified if a client household receives an Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) from CHMA.

Eligibility Criteria

Persons convicted of methamphetamine production or subject to sex offender registration requirements are not eligible. Persons who owe funds to any public housing are not also not eligible; however, they can be placed on a wait list, but their balance must be $0 before they are approved for a CMHA voucher.


Case by Case determinations

Applications with the following history will be reviewed case-by-case to determine eligibility:

  • Drug related or criminal activity, especially in the past 3 years
  • An extensive history of criminal activity
  • Unsatisfactory rental history
  • Fraud
  • Non-violent criminal activity
  • Unsatisfactory landlord response
  • Previous balance to CMHA or any housing subsidy within 60 days from when pulled from wait list
  • Eviction from any public housing within the past 3 years for a serious violation of the lease
  • Utilities have to be on to complete the inspection; if the tenant is responsible for supplying any utilities, they should be in the name of an adult member of the household
  • Household must have an income of at least $50/month up to 50% of median area income*

*From the Admin Plan: "Families that report zero-income will be required to provide information regarding their means of basic subsistence, such as food, utilities, transportation, etc." Assistance can come from friends/family. 


Entering HCV Referrals into Clarity

1.  Switch to the STEH Coordinated Exit program in Clarity by using the down arrow under your name (Contact HMISsupport@end-homelessness.org if you require access to this program.)




2. Search for the Head of Household (HoH) in Clarity. Click the edit button next to the client's name. (Clients referred to the HCV program should already have a record in Clarity; however, if the client does not have a record in Clarity follow the steps to add a new client record.)

3. Go to the PROGRAMS tab, scroll to PROGRAMS: AVAILABLE, and click on the arrow next to the HCV Referral program.


4. Toggle on all applicable household members, click ENROLL.


5. The majority of the information for the referral will only be collected for the HoH. 


Program Information, Client Contact Information, and Current Situation

The first section is used to collect relevant contact information and initial eligibility.

  • Program Start Date
  • Relationship to Head of Household (only visible if enrolling a household) 
  • Case manager name / Outreach Worker Name: enter the name of the case manager working with the client in the housing program.
  • Total Number of Household Members

  • Household is ready to exit CoC housing program (Yes/No): the client/household would be exiting their housing program if not for continued financial assistance from a subsidy. Per the client case plan, client is ready to exit the program.
  • Household is stabilized in services (Yes/No): the client barriers identified in housing program have been addressed.
  • Client housed date: the date the client was housed in the housing program. If the program does not enter a housing date (i.e. SSVF) enter the program enrollment date.
  • Most recent acuity score: if housing agency is not using an acuity tool, enter "NA."


Vouching Screening 

Although only answered on the Head of Household's enrollment, these questions apply to all household members. If the HoH's answer would be "no," but another household member's answer would be "yes," answer "yes."


All drop down options are Yes/No. If "yes" is answered for "Does anyone in the household owe money to ANY subsidized housing in any state," also answer the dependent fields ("Is the debt older than 8 years?" and "Amount of debt owed").


Housing Stability and Income 

If the current landlord will not accept HCV, enter resources available to the client to support the move. For example, emergency assistance from a partner, client/household's income, agency assistance, etc.


If "Income from any source" is toggled on, add monthly income amount from the options available. Toggle on "Income Verification" if the verification has been added to the client's files with the other application documentation. Income verification can include:

  • Current year SSI/SSDI
  • Last 3 paystubs from an employer
  • 90 day print out of child support or TANF
  • Other

Required Verification 

Copies of the HoH photo IDs, birth certificates, social security cards, and background checks must be uploaded to One Drive once it is sent to you after the enrollment is completed.

  • Photo ID
  • Birth certificates for all household members included
  • Social Security cards for all household members included
  • Background Check

Referral update

All fields under the "Referral Update" heading will be completed after the client has already been enrolled. Save the HCV Referral with these fields remaining blank.

Select "SAVE & CLOSE" if enrolling an individual or "SAVE & NEXT" if enrolling a household.  Clarity will automatically take you to the program enrollment screen of each household member.

6. Once the enrollment has been completed, a report is automatically sent to STEH Coordinated Exit. The report will highlight the client's enrollment details, but this report will not contain any personal identifying information (PII). Once the Coordinated Exit team has received the report, they will contact the assigned staff noted on the HCV enrollment and provide a link to a secure One Drive folder.


7.  Upload the required supporting documentation (photo ID, birth certificates, social security cards) for the client in this One Drive folder. Once the referral enrollment has been submitted and supporting documentation has been uploaded, the Coordinated Exit team will have what they need to process the referral.


8. STEH Coordinated Exit will provide updates on the status of the referral. Assigned staff will update the client's enrollment in the "Referral Update" section of the enrollment (which can be found at the bottom of the enrollment).

9. Exit the client from the program:

  • If the client disappears or obtains housing outside of the HCV voucher during this process. Notify STEH Coordinated Exit as well.

  • If the client is denied or their voucher expires.

  • If the client is successfully housed.



Contact Us

If you need help, or wish to offer suggestions or feedback, please contact the Cincinnati/Hamilton County HMIS support team at HMISsupport@end-homelessness.org or by calling 513-263-2790 9:00am - 3:00pm Monday-Friday (excluding holidays).


When contacting HMIS Support, please do not include any Personal Identifiable Information (PII) such as names, social security numbers, birth dates, etc. Please use the Clarity Unique Identifier found on the Clarity client profile page.