A Time for Celebration -
and Continued Effort
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It's time to celebrate your hard work in advocacy for the wins included in the Omnibus Bill that was passed a few weeks ago. Your time and energy paid off with an overall 10% increase in HUD's budget. Programs like HOME and CDBG, that the administration proposed slashing, received increases. The public housing capital account received an amazing 42% increase. You ROCK!
An especially big win was the bill's inclusion of a 12.5% increase to the Low Income Housing Tax Credit allocation for four years and the income averaging provision. This will direct about $2.8 billion to building more affordable housing nationwide. Washington's Senator Maria Cantwell has made affordable housing one of her missions and without her being a champion for the increase in this program this huge win would not have occurred. She understands the need for affordable housing to strengthen families, communities, and the economy. She made this a bipartisan initiative teaming with Utah's Senator Hatch. THANK YOU Senators Cantwell and Hatch.
OK, now it is time to roll up your sleeves and continue the messaging to congress on the importance on increasing HUD's funding so affordable housing organizations can continue to increase the supply of affordable housing and preserve existing stock. The administration's HUD budget makes erroneous assumptions that poverty, blight and economic decline do not impact communities, especially rural America.
The Pacific Northwest Region has many dedicated leaders who will continue to be the voice for our most vulnerable populations. We are fortunate to have NAHRO's Senior Vice President Sunny and PNRC's President Saeed to lead the charge. They are passionate and full of energy. So with their leadership they will keep us focused on the prize of improved funding for HUD programs, increased flexibility and local control. We can't fail, we are from the great Northwest!
Remember the importance of celebrating the successes - big or small.
Warm regards,
Renee Rooker
Walla Walla Housing Authority
Executive Director
Guest Columnist
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Homes for Good New Website is Now Live!
We would like to invite you to explore our new website. The extension of efforts connected with our name change.
Highlights from the new website:
- It is designed with the thought that most of our users are using a mobile device, this was an intentional move towards user-friendliness
- We have an interactive map of our housing portfolio which includes Homes for Good public housing, multi-family housing, rural development and tax credit properties across Lane County
- Someone interested in the Section 8 waitlist has the ability to subscribe to a waitlist notification via email or text messaging
- We have videos for residents on how to best take care of their home
- The site has many online forms, and email contact us buttons that are user-friendly
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 MRI Software Acquires HAPPY Software, Inc., Creating a Public and Affordable Housing Tech Powerhouse
Third PHA Software Acquisition Expands MRI's Solutions for Public Housing Authorities and Housing Choice Voucher Programs
Solon, Ohio - March 8, 2018
- MRI Software, a global leader in real estate software solutions, today announced the acquisition of
HAPPY Software
, a provider of innovative housing solutions and services for public housing authorities in the United States. With this acquisition, MRI's third within the
public housing
space in just five months, the company now serves nearly 35 percent of U.S. public housing authorities.
Based in Saratoga Springs, New York, HAPPY Software provides property management solutions to more than 465 housing agencies of every size, administering Public Housing and Housing Choice Voucher programs. HAPPY's suite of fully configurable, web-based portal solutions help housing authorities more effectively manage key functions such as applicant and waitlist tracking, tenant screening, and online payment handling.
"For two decades, HAPPY Software has built a standard for excellence culminating in today's impressive 98 percent client retention rate," said David Carner, Senior Vice President of Residential Solutions at MRI Software. "The addition of HAPPY to the MRI Software family represents another milestone in our strategy to provide world-class technology solutions to the public housing sector while further scaling our footprint in the market. We intend to continue supporting HAPPY's solution set and extend its portal offerings to our existing PHA clients, while also leveraging HAPPY's expertise to develop a next-generation, web-based platform for the public and affordable housing market."
In October of 2017, MRI announced the acquisitions of
Tenmast Software
and
HAB, Inc.
, providers of PHA and private affordable housing management software. Taken together, MRI's three public housing acquisitions, in addition to the company's Affordable Housing Bostonpost solutions, make MRI a major force in the U.S. public and affordable housing software markets.
"Our mission at HAPPY Software has always been to provide public housing organizations with the very best software solutions and the highest level of service," said Joe Mastrianni, Chief Executive Officer and founder of HAPPY Software. "Joining forces with MRI is a continuation of that mission, bringing a deep reserve of resources and innovation to develop feature and functionality enhancements that will even better serve the industry."
About MRI Software
MRI Software is a leading provider of innovative real estate software applications and hosted solutions. MRI's comprehensive and flexible technology platform coupled with an open and connected ecosystem meets the unique needs of real estate businesses - from property-level management and accounting to investment modeling and analytics for the global commercial and residential markets. A pioneer of the real estate software industry, MRI develops lasting client relationships based on nearly five decades of expertise and insight. Through leading solutions and a rich partner ecosystem, MRI liberates real estate companies to elevate their business and gain a competitive edge. For more information, please visit
mrisoftware.com
.
About HAPPY Software
HAPPY Software is a rapidly growing company based in Saratoga Springs, NY that has been providing innovative housing software and services to housing agencies administering Housing and Urban Development (HUD) programs for more than 20 years. HAPPY Software has a well-established reputation for quality, easy-to-use products and friendly, attentive customer support. The company's client retention rate is at least 98 percent historically.
HAPPY Software actively supports the housing industry by sponsoring events, exhibiting and advertising with several housing associations including NAHRO, PHADA, Community Action Partnership, National Leased Housing Association and many State Housing Groups.
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Home Forward Adopts New Organizational Values
Organizational Values
Respect & Compassion | Collaboration & Partnership
Equity & Justice | Stewardship & Accountability | Courage & Ingenuity
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How the Seattle Housing Authority is Getting SMART with Maintenance Training and Innovation
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2018 PNRC-NAHRO Annual Conference
Nearly 300 people have registered for this conference. Have you?
May 6-8, 2018
Hyatt Regency Lake Washington
at Seattle's Southport
- 32 Breakout sessions for those in Finance, Maintenance, Management & Leadership, Resident Services, Section 8 & Public Housing as well as a special track of Innovations
- Keynote Speaker each day as well as Adrianne Todman, NAHRO CEO; Carl Richie, NAHRO President; Sunny Shaw, NAHRO Senior Vice President; Tess Hembree, NAHRO Advocacy Field Coordinator/Legislative Liaison
- Industry Exhibitors in a beautiful exhibit area overlooking Lake Washington
Thank you to our sponsors!
Because of their support we are able to have lowest
conference fees of any NAHRO regional conference.
Gold Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Brawner, Nan McKay & Umpqua Bank
Bronze Sponsor
Foster Pepper
Friends of PNRC
Idaho Chapter of NAHRO
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 Active Shooter Training
May 9, 2018
Hyatt Regency Lake Washington at Seattle's Southport
1053 Lake Washington Boulevard North
Renton, WA 98056
You do not have to attend the PNRC Conference in order to attend this training.
Every year, the media covers stories about active shooters in places of public accommodation, as well as in the workplace. Unfortunately, we at HARRP are aware of three incidents at public housing agencies involving an armed individual who threatened staff; two of those incidents ended in fatalities.
This full day, 8-hour session provides an opportunity for participants to practice disarming techniques. The master instructors, each with a background in law enforcement and involvement in active shooter incidents, will prepare attendees to: prevent violence, recognize pre-attack indicators, respond to aggressors, deescalate tense situations, decide whether to make fight or flight decisions, learn to focus during the stress of impending violence, consider loss control techniques for personal and public safety, and create an Emergency Operating Procedure.
Click here for more information and registration form.
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"What Home Means to Me" Poster Contest
As part of NAHRO's Housing America campaign, a poster contest is held each year for children residing in
a
ffordable housing and community developments owned or administered by NAHRO member agencies. Posters reflect the national theme of "What Home Means to Me." The contest is a collaborative effort of NAHRO's chapter/state, regional, and national organizations. National honorees are selected from chapter/state-level winning entries.
The 2019 contest launched on January 9th and that means it's time for you to invite the youth in your agencies to participate.
The 2018 Calendar features artwork from three youths in our region including the Grand Prize winner that is featured on the cover. We'd like to see that again! We know that there are many talented youths out there and we want to showcase that talent.
The contest participation is open to all children residing in affordable housing assisted directly or supported under community development and affordable housing programs administered by a NAHRO member authority (i.e., public or Section 8-assisted housing CDBG, HOME, LIHTC).
Contest Entry Rules (poster sizes must be 22" x 28" to be considered) and information about prizes are now on the Housing America Campaign
website. Please note that each poster must be accompanied by both an application form and a narrative form.
Regional Competition and Prizes
Agencies in the Pacific Northwest Region are asked to send their submissions to:
PNRC
Attn: Kristen Damazio, RSO
718 Griffin Ave. #285
Enumclaw, WA 98022
Deadline has been extended to April 27th.
The posters will be taken to the PNRC Annual Conference (being held May 6-8, 2018) where a winner will be selected from each age category. The three winners will each receive a $50 gift card from PNRC and their poster will be submitted to NAHRO for the national competition.
National honorees will be selected by a Blue Ribbon panel of judges to be assembled by National NAHRO staff. National honorees will be officially announced during Housing America Month in October. All eight NAHRO regions will be represented in the calendar.
Housing Quality Standards (HQS) w/ Certification Exam
June 4-6, 2018
Hosted by the Vancouver Housing Authority
I
mprove the level of your HCV and PBV/Section 8 Housing Inspections and meet SEMAP requirements. Develop or fine-tune related work skills, review procedures and forms affecting standards, and learn how to evaluate your current operations to identify strengths and challenges. The NAHRO Certified Specialist of Inspection - Housing Quality Standards (CSI-HQS) Certification Exam is offered on the last day of the seminar. This training now incorporates NAHRO's Ethics for Specialist module, making it more convenient than ever to meet the requirements for the CSI-HQS Certification.
Who Should Attend:
Section 8 Housing Inspectors, Preventative Maintenance Inspectors, and new and seasoned Inspectors
Schedule:
Day 1: 8:00am - 8:30am - Check In
Day 1: 8:30am - 4:30pm - Training
Day 2: 8:30am - 4:30pm - Training
Day 3: 8:30am - 2:30pm - Training
Day 3: 2:30pm - 4:30pm - Certification Exam
NAHRO Continuing Education Units (CEU's) Training Completion = 1.75
Certification Exam = 0.20 Total = 1.95
Cost: $750 for PNRC Member
Housing Choice Voucher Occupancy, Eligibility, Income and Rent
Calculation (HCVOEIR) w/ Certification Exam
June 25-29, 2018
Hosted by the Vancouver Housing Authority
This NAHRO Professional Development offering combines two seminars - Housing Choice Voucher Occupancy and Housing Choice Voucher Eligibility, Income, and Rent Calculation - into one comprehensive program. This seminar now meets three of the professional development requirements for NAHRO's Housing Choice Voucher Occupancy Specialist Certification, including the Ethics for Specialist module.
This seminar will provide participants with an understanding of the vast regulatory guidance that has formed and shaped the Housing Choice Voucher program. It focuses on effective interviewing, waitlist management, screening, outreach and marketing, and accurate application of eligibility, income and rent calculation regulatory compliance. The nuts and bolts of dealing with eligibility, income, and rent calculations will be mastered through engaging participants in skill development and practice. Most importantly, this class will equip participants with the necessary skills to reduce errors and avoid HUD findings in compliance audits.
Who Should Attend:
Front line staff, case managers and supervisors responsible for managing wait lists, applications, and certification/recertification tasks.
Schedule:
Day 1: 8:00am - 8:30am - Check In
Day 1: 8:30am - 4:30pm - Training
Day 2: 8:30am - 4:30pm - Training
Day 3: 8:30am - 4:30pm - Training
Day 4: 8:30am - 4:30pm - Training
Day 5: 8:30am - 2:30pm - Training
Day 5: 2:30pm - 4:30 pm - Exam
NAHRO Continuing Education Units (CEU's)
Training Completion = 3.05
Certification Exam = 0.20
Total = 3.25
Cost: $995 for PNRC Member
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Looking for a new job or just want to see what's out there?
If you have position to be posted, please send it to Kristen Damazio,
Regional Service Officer at [email protected]
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Check out the PNRC-NAHRO Website at
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