WI-CARH December 2022
Newsletter
|
|
Message from Russell Kaney WI-CARH President |
|
2022: Quite A Year
As 2022 draws to a close, a look back at the year seems inevitable. The past year seemed to bring a sense of normalcy to many daily habits. We realized more in-person meetings and conferences, and less Zoom. Communication improved and social get-togethers became more common.
Our housing industry faced old and new challenges. Inflation and rising interest rates make the creation and management of affordable housing even more challenging as we look to 2023.
The Rural Development reorganization continues with some degree of success. At WI-CARH, we hope to improve the communication gap between Rural Development and our members. We have all experienced delays in communication, reviews, and approvals. There are plenty of areas to improve for 2023.
As we look forward, feel free to send along your suggestions and ideas on process improvement with all aspects of affordable housing that need attention. WI-CARH will be meeting with key RD officials early next year to deliver our ideas on what is working and not working in Wisconsin. Make your voice heard through WI-CARH. Send along your thoughts to ruskaney@msn.com.
Finally, enjoy the holidays! This is a great time of year to celebrate so many things. We look forward to seeing you in 2023.
Russell D. Kaney
President, WI-CARH
|
|
With appreciation for our association during the past year, we extend our very best wishes for a Happy Holiday Season!
|
|
WI-CARH's 23rd Annual Conference was a Success |
|
The Wilderness Resort and Conference Center was the venue for the 23rd Annual WI-CARH Conference held on October 27th in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. This was the first in-person conference held since 2019 due to Covid related restrictions and interruptions. In planning for the conference, we did not know what to expect for attendance but were very happy with the turnout. Kudos to the Wilderness Resort for working with WI-CARH over the past 36 months as we had to cancel our meeting date for 2020, and again in 2021, and finally lock in our date for 2022. All these changes occurred without any penalties or breakage fees to WI-CARH.
The conference began with registration and a full breakfast for attendees. Exhibitors were already in place to meet and greet participants. After welcoming remarks from WI-CARH President Russell Kaney, we were welcomed by Julie Lassa, recently appointed State Director of Rural Development. Paul Mellor was our keynote speaker, and his topic: Housing A Better Memory. Paul was very engaging and audience friendly. His tips and suggestions for a better memory and recall are time-tested.
During our first break, our exhibitors had the opportunity to introduce themselves and briefly explain their products and/or service. This allowed conferees to prioritize their visits and discussions.
Following the break, we were grateful that Laurie Warzinski, acting Midwest Regional Director, was able to attend and discuss the status of the reorganization. Also present was Nancie-Ann Bodell, Deputy Administrator of Multi-Family Housing, appointed in October 2019. Nancie-Ann reviewed the multiple changes of personnel and reorganizational issues facing the program. On the positive side, more rental assistance was allocated over the past 12 months, but questions remain as to long-term funding. A new and enhanced inspection process is anticipated. Bundling funding announcements are anticipated in 2023 and the MPR backlog finally is seeing a significant reduction in cases. Just prior to lunch, an insightful presentation was conducted by staff from SVA Certified Public Accountants on alternative funding sources for affordable housing development.
Immediately following lunch, the general membership meeting was held with Russell Kaney and Brittany Leonard re-elected to the Board of Directors. The WI-CARH awards were presented by Board member Denise Loveland (see more below).
Kevin Martin, attorney at Michael Best & Friedrich LLP reviewed the changes to the 2023 lease and followed up with a question-and-answer session. WI-CARH engages Mr. Martin each year to review Wisconsin and Federal statutes relating to Rural Development housing that keep leases up to date and applicable to current law. These leases are available through WI-CARH.
Larry Anderson from "Get RD Done Right" is a consultant with a deep background and experience with the RD Multi-Family programs. Formally employed in the national office at USDA, Larry highlighted the good and not-so-good trends of the program.
Elevate Energy, a national not-for-profit, is working in Wisconsin on energy programs that can enhance the bottom line of a property, particularly for older properties with older systems. The insights were presented by Abbie Corso, Chief Strategy Officer along with Rob Dicke, asset manager for Wisconsin Housing Preservation Corporation and a WI-CARH Board member.
Rounding out our afternoon session, a management panel discussed hot topics submitted by WI-CARH members. Issues ranging from hoarding to lease renewals to communication issues, and more were addressed with a healthy give-and-take with the audience.
Closing out the conference, door prizes and a final raffle for a spring training registration were distributed followed by an end-of-conference reception.
WI-CARH received very favorable comments from conference attendees through our evaluation feedback. We are always looking for suggestions on topics and program ideas for 2023. Make plans now to attend the 2023 conference on November 8 at the Wilderness in Wisconsin Dells.
|
|
|
|
Staff From Rural Development that was in attendance at the 23rd Annual WI-CARH Conference |
Photo from Left to Right.
Russell Kaney, WI-CARH President, Julie Lassa, recently appointed State Director of RD, Laurie Warzinski, acting Midwest Regional Director, Nancie-Ann Bodell, Deputy Administrator of Multi-Family Housing,
|
|
|
|
Thank you to WI-CARH's 23rd Annual Conference Sponsors and Exhibitors |
|
A special thanks to the 2022 Sponsors and Exhibitors
for making this event a success.
Please click on their logos to go directly to their websites.
|
|
Congratulations WI-CARH Award Winners! |
|
Congratulations WI-CARH Award Winners!
There were multiple nominations for the WI-CARH awards this year. We were pleased to announce the following award recipients at our 2022 annual conference in October
|
|
|
|
Property of the Year: Sunrise Valley Apartments in Lancaster, Wisconsin. |
Please see the attached video to learn more about the property and why this was chosen as the Property of the Year!
|
|
|
|
Lisa Phelan received the award for the Property of the Year for Sunrise Valley Apartments. Sunrise Valley Apartments is managed by Wisconsin Management Company.
|
|
Site Manager of the Year - Kaitlyn Key
Darlington Meadows, Darlington, Wisconsin
- Kaitlyn has worked with residents and family members during a substantial rehab that required residents to relocate with family members or temporary housing in Dodgeville, New Glarus, and Barneveld. She has been thoughtful and caring with our residents as moving can be stressful. Residents appreciate how much Kaitlyn cares and appreciate the attention she gives.
- In 2022, Kaitlyn faced the unique challenge of working on Darlington Meadows, a 32-unit RD/LIHTC property by SW Cap and Cinnaire, marketed exclusively to farmworkers and people in the agricultural industry. There have been many challenges with construction and marketing to a select demographic and she has stepped up her usual positive attitude to tackle this new community.
|
|
Maintenance Person of the Year
Mike Schroeder
Housing Authority of the City of Burlington
- Mike is the very best maintenance man in many ways! He is kind, patient, and caring to all of our tenants. He takes pride in his work and goes above and beyond whenever needed. I am extremely lucky to have him as part of our team.
- Mike does his job without complaints. He is very respectful and friendly. He also does a very good and complete job.
- Mike is on the job no matter the problem he works to repair or replace. Mike is very easy to talk to and a very nice person.
- Mike is a terrific person. He fixes everything right on the spot and does a beautiful job. He is polite to everybody and respectful.
- Mike shovels when it needs to be done.
- Mike has worked alongside Arlene for three years and has done a great job.
|
|
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
The WI-CARH Lease is available and approved for use in any Rural
Development supervised property. Using this lease for your property will ensure that you are in compliance with Wisconsin law and RD regulations while saving you the expense of hiring a lawyer to do the same thing. Just like last year, it is available in three formats:
- FHA Software Generated Lease - WI-CARH has teamed up with Simply Computer Software to give FHA Software users the access and ability to generate their WI-CARH Residential Lease and Amendments forms within their FHA Software program. Users of this program can generate the lease through the RD 3560-8 Tenant Certification - PRINT options window. All of the applicable project, unit and tenant information will automatically be inserted.
- Stand-alone WI-CARH Lease Generation Program - A link will be sent to you from Simply Computer Software that will allow you to download and install the WI-CARH Lease Generation Program which includes pre-entered property listing information you provided. To produce a lease, just open the program, select the property, enter pertinent tenant information, and print.
- Paper Lease - A package of 10 leases and 10 amendments will be shipped to you which you will use to handwrite all pertinent tenant information.
To purchase the lease, complete the lease order form and mail it in with your payment to the WI-CARH Office at: P.O. Box 258098, Madison, WI 53725.
|
|
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Wisconsin Council for Affordable and Rural Housing has funding to help you in your extracurricular activities, and scholarships to continue your education beyond high school.
Download the attached flyer and post it in your lobby or breakrooms. On the flyer, there is a QR code that can be scanned to tell us more about what you would like to do and how we can help you achieve your goal. |
|
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Renew your Membership today! Not a current member? Now is a great time to join!
WI-CARH is dedicated to assisting you in the rural housing industry.
Through your membership, you help support an organization made up of your peers and housing professionals both within the State of Wisconsin and nationally. WI-CARH members include builders, developers, lenders,
management companies, owners, non-profit agencies, and vendors. You also have the opportunity to meet industry leaders and to align yourself with a diverse group of businesspeople involved in every sector of the affordable housing community.
When you become a member of WI-CARH, you gain access to important tools, information, and services. The monetary benefits range from discounts on conferences, training, and leases to savings through the CARH Preferred Buyers Club program.
More information on the benefits of membership can be found on our website. If you are a current member, invoices have been sent and are due March 15, 2023. If you are not a member, simply complete form and mail it along with a check to WI-CARH at P.O. Box 258098, Madison, WI 53725.
|
|
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
|
|
|
|
WI-CARH's Spring Training will be held on April 4-5, 2023 at the Marriott in Middleton, Wisconsin. More information to come. |
|
|
|
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Russ Endres, Secretary - rendres@wimci.com
|
|
Mark Your Calendars - 2023 Dates |
|
April 4-5, 2023 - WI-CARH's Spring Training will be held at the Marriott Hotel in Middleton, Wisconsin.
May 16, 2023 - WI-CARH Board of Directors Meeting
September 12, 2023 - WI-CARH Board of Directors Meeting
November 8, 2023- WI-CARH's 24th Annual Conference will be held at the Wilderness in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.
November 9, 2023 - WI-CARH's Board of Directors Meeting at the Wilderness in Wisconsin Dells
|
|
 |
Do you have news to share?
We would love to hear about it!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
