🧩 Configuring the Screening Form for Lotteries
Before launching a lottery, staff must configure the screening form that households will complete to enter. Public House supports screening forms for both standard and weighted lotteries.
For All Lotteries:
- Staff choose a Screening Form Template in the Screening tab when setting up the Housing Program Campaign.
- The screening form must collect all basic eligibility info (e.g., income, household size).
- Households must complete this form to be considered for the lottery—even if they’re already a Prospect or Applicant in the system.
For Weighted Lotteries:
- The screening form must include questions that define weighted criteria, each of which earns households additional entries into the lottery if selected.
- These questions must follow these rules:
- Cannot be dependent on another question (e.g., shown only if a previous answer is given)
- Cannot also be used as eligibility criteria
- Must be formatted as:
- Yes/No questions (e.g., “Do you live in the city?”)
- Picklists with clearly ordered options (e.g., “How long have you lived in the area?”)
🎯 Example: Picklist-Based Weighted Criteria
A picklist for “Years lived in the area” might look like this:
- Less than 1 year → 1 entry
- 1–2 years → +1 entry
- More than 2 years → +1 entry
✅ A household selecting “More than 2 years” would receive 3 entries total, one for each level they’ve surpassed.
Each entry is labeled by the criteria it corresponds to (e.g., Years in Area: 1 year, 1–2 years, >2 years) and is ranked separately during the lottery process.