Bnai Brith Homecrest House

Applicant Information:  Understanding the Application Process

Each Homecrest House application is date/time stamped.  Apartments are then offered on a first-come, first-served basis as they become available.  When a vacancy becomes available, the applicant at the top of the “Waiting List” will be offered the apartment.  HUD rules do not allow us to skip over applicants in the Waiting List (they consider that giving applicants preferential treatment).

When we have a vacancy, we go down the “Waiting List” starting at the top.  If the first applicant declines, the apartment is offered to the next applicant and so forth.  We will go down the “Waiting List” until we come to an applicant who accepts the apartment.

You must accept the specific apartment that is offered to you.  Applicants do not have a choice of which building, which floor or which side of a building, etc.

When an applicant is offered an apartment, the applicant can choose to either accept the specific apartment or decline the apartment.  If you decline for whatever reason (say you are not ready to move), you can request that your name be placed at the bottom of the “Waiting List.”  Then, you must wait until your name reaches the top of the “Waiting List.”

You can only go to the bottom of the “Waiting List” once.  If you decline an apartment a second time, your name must be removed from the “Waiting List.”  Then, you must re-apply (complete a brand new application and provide updated documentation) to Homecrest House because at that point your information will be eight (or more) months old. 

When you come to your Initial Certification Interview, you are nearing the top of the “Waiting List” (perhaps four or five applicants are ahead of you).  However, we will not be able to give you an exact timeframe of when an apartment will become available.  This is because we must depend on current residents giving their 30-day notice and moving out. 

It is possible that you could quickly reach the top of the “Waiting List” – even if you are number four or five.  Sometimes we receive multiple vacancy notices from residents. Or, all of the applicants ahead of you could decline the offer.  Therefore, we can’t give you a specific timeframe because it depends on the number of vacancies we receive and what the applicants on the “Waiting List” ahead of you decide.

Please understand that applicants are notified as soon as an apartment becomes available.  However, we may not be able to give you a thirty-day notice.