Help a client start a Texas housing search: a guide for case managers

The short answer

Start with what your client needs and get their consent. Write down the basic search details, not their private documents. Compare only places that work for the household. Keep a locator search and each agency application on separate tracks. Then hand your client a plan they can act on themselves.

A referral isn’t a housing offer. Our referral page for professionals explains how your client starts a search with us.

Start with what matters to your client

Ask which locations, unit features, budget and move date work for the household. Explain the difference between asking a locator for help and applying for public assistance. Let your client pick the route.

With your client’s permission, use the housing inquiry for the basic search details. Note how your client wants to be contacted and whether they’re OK with us following up.

What to write down for the search

Use this worksheet to get the search started. None of it needs a document attached.

• Preferred areas and how far your client can travel.
• Bedrooms needed and any access features.
• Monthly housing budget and cash on hand to move in.
• Move deadline and any urgent need for help.
• Whether your client already has a voucher, and which agency issued it.
• A safe way to reach your client, and consent for a referral.

Share only what’s needed

Don’t upload ID, bank statements or medical records in a regular referral message. Ask the provider for its secure channel and the exact documents it needs. Keep income records and ID off any printed shortlist you share.

Confirm fees and document requirements with each provider before you suggest your client pay to apply.

Compare locations across Texas cities

Talk with your client about work, school, care, transportation and support needs. Don’t steer a household based on assumptions about who lives in a neighborhood.

A lower base rent in another city may not lower the total cost. Count travel, utilities and the cash needed to move.

Local application steps by city: Austin · San Antonio · Houston · Dallas · Fort Worth.

For each place that could work, write down the property’s county, the agency, how to apply and the next step. A city name doesn’t tell you which agency covers the address or which income table applies. A metro name isn’t a program.

If your client already has a voucher

Ask the agency that issued the voucher about the move before your client commits to anything. HUD’s voucher guidance covers portability, the rules for moving a voucher to another agency’s area. Don’t assume it works right away somewhere new. The two agencies may need to work together on it.

Use an income comparison that cites its source

Use our published income comparison as a first check, not as proof your client qualifies. It shows each table with its source date. HUD’s MTSP dataset covers the standard tax credit figures shown. Other programs, or a property’s own limits, can be different.

TDHCA’s limit resources explain why each property’s own rules matter. Write down the county, household size row and designation you used. Then ask the provider to confirm them. Don’t promise approval based on a rough income comparison.

Keep each application separate

Your client can have a locator inquiry and several public program applications. Those records aren’t connected to each other. For each provider, write down:

• The property or program.
• How to apply.
• The confirmation.
• The next step.
• The deadline.

Keep the community search separate from agency waiting list applications. Give your client copies of every confirmation and deadline.

Make the handoff count

• Mention any urgent notice or deadline, without promising it will be extended.
• Share only the search details that are needed, through the right channel.
• Give your client the official resource links so they can act on their own.
• Use the housing search checklist to track next steps.
• In a city’s property finder, save the addresses you want and print your saved list.

Screening is the provider’s decision

We look at each community’s screening criteria before we add it to your client’s list. The community or agency still decides screening, fees and approval.

• Housing referral guidance for professionals
• City and statewide assistance contacts
• How our free locating service works