Moving to Work Demonstration Program

Moving to Work (MTW) is a demonstration program for public housing authorities (PHAs) that provides them the opportunity to design and test innovative, locally designed strategies that use Federal dollars more efficiently, help residents find employment and become self-sufficient, and increase housing choices for low-income families. MTW allows PHAs exemptions from many existing public housing and voucher rules and provides funding flexibility with how they use their Federal funds. PHAs in the MTW demonstration have pioneered a number of innovative policy interventions that have been proven to be successful at the local level, and subsequently rolled out to the rest of the country’s PHAs. Currently, there are 126 MTW PHAs nationwide.

MTW Expansion Information

Updated September 27, 2022

HUD is thrilled to announce that 87 agencies, representing communities across the nation, have been selected for the expansion of the MTW Demonstration Program. PHAs and individuals interested in learning more about the MTW Demonstration Program can find everything they need to know about the MTW Expansion by going to the MTW Expansion webpage. Additional links can also be found in the right-side navigation panel on that page.

What's New with MTW

HUD Selects PHAs for the Asset Building Cohort!

September 27, 2022

HUD announced the agencies selected to receive MTW designation under the Asset Building Cohort of the MTW Expansion. This cohort will study Asset Building and will be comprised of 18 PHAs that are high performers with under 6,000 combined Housing Choice Vouchers and public housing units. These agencies will test asset building initiatives, which are defined, for purposes of this cohort, as activities that encourage the growth of savings accounts and/or aim to build credit for assisted households. PHAs selected under this cohort will have access to a “Community of Practice” to help develop ideas and best practices to further the goals of the Asset Building Initiatives.

HUD is now accepting applications to the MTW Asset Building Cohort!

April 26, 2022

PIH Notice 2022-11 invites interested PHAs to apply to the fourth cohort of Moving to Work (MTW) demonstration program. The fourth cohort will study Asset Building and will be comprised of 30 PHAs that are high performers with under 6,000 combined Housing Choice Vouchers and public housing units. The fourth cohort of the MTW Expansion will test asset building initiatives, which are defined, for purposes of this cohort, as activities that encourage the growth of savings accounts and/or aim to build credit for assisted households. PHAs selected under this cohort will have access to a “Community of Practice” to help develop ideas and best practices to further the goals of the Asset Building Initiatives. HUD will seek to bring in resources from other experts in asset building to contribute to the Community of Practice – like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Announcement of MTW Expansion Landlord Incentives Cohort

January 27, 2022

HUD announced the Landlord Incentives cohort of the expansion of the Moving to Work (MTW) Demonstration Program. Through this cohort, HUD will evaluate landlord incentives and their impact on participation in HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher Program to improve residents’ ability to use vouchers in their community. With the addition of the 29 PHAs selected for this cohort, HUD will have added a total of 70 PHAs to the MTW Demonstration Program since January 2021. MTW PHAs are now in 38 states and the District of Columbia. MTW encourages an entrepreneurial spirit to think of and create solutions in a new way. MTW agencies have directly influenced national policy for 25 years, paving the way for the future delivery of federally assisted housing. PHAs in the MTW demonstration have pioneered several innovative policy interventions that have been successful at the local level, and subsequently rolled out to the rest of the country’s PHAs. This latest cohort focused on landlord incentives continues this tradition of policy innovation benefiting residents of HUD-assisted housing. Interested PHAs will be able to apply to a future cohort in Spring 2022, when HUD will invite small- and medium-sized PHAs to apply to a cohort that will evaluate asset-building initiatives.

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