As a reminder, the SAHMA Update and Outlook are sent via email, so please add sahma.org to your list of accepted domains. Keep an eye out for the SAHMA Update and SAHMA Outlook Newsletter in the subject line.
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An Impressive Effort at Every Stop!
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It is hard to imagine that as I write this article, our state meetings are now complete!
As I have had the privilege to attend every meeting, I have witnessed unending energy and imagination expressed in so many different ways from state to state. For instance, in February and after a day filled with many educational opportunities most all of the attendees still had energy in Georgia for an evening trade show that increased from 2017, with no lack of energy the committee was leading the way.
March found me in South Carolina and Florida. In South Carolina, under the big top (Ring Master and all) the committee was totally dedicated to each other as if it was their primary job. Florida was impressive! The all day trade show in their venue was terrific, and they couldn’t have accommodated many more vendors.
Since I live in the Memphis, TN area, April found me Rolling Down the River to the Mississippi State Capitol of Jackson and under the terrific leadership and planning of Captain Phelan and her First Mate Smith. They even had former SAHMA President Caruso authentically dressed as a vessel Captain! After that, I found myself in Louisville the week before the Derby and what I believe is the most coordinated state meeting utilizing our regulatory partner as a resource to the maximum. It is always impressive.
Speaking of our partners, when I arrived in North Carolina I learned that it was a Regulatory Partner who developed the 2018 theme of Alice in SAHMA Land. And Scott Alderman, the State Director of the Year, was the Mad Hatter! What a sight. Later in the month, I attended the Alabama State Meeting, and it was terrific to be back in an area I actually lived more than 30 years ago. I knew when I lived there it was a great place and the hospitality and energetic planning Committee only confirmed it once again. It was not our largest meeting however you wouldn’t have realized it observing the volunteers and their unending energy. We had an opportunity to celebrate the retirement of Eric Strong from Navigate Affordable Housing Partners, one of SAHMA’s strongest Partners for many years. Thank you, Eric, for way too much to mention here and may your new adventures in retirement never grow old!
My last stop on the 2018 tour was very familiar, my home SAHMA state of Tennessee. This year’s committee had some ups and downs but when the week of the State Meeting arrived not a single attendee would have known any different. By all accounts, it was their largest attendance ever, and those I spoke with were full of compliments.
So why do I provide a snapshot of my travels? Just before my first meeting, the Executive Committee discussed the very simple fact that SAHMA lives or dies on the strength of its volunteers. My two themes at each stop were very simple. First, to identify and recruit members from each state to add to each State Meeting Committee both immediately and for the future. Secondly, to identify leaders from all the great management companies who are members of SAHMA to lead our organization by serving as its Board of Directors. The key in both themes is to spread the tasks and leadership to as many different member companies as possible. Is your management company represented in your state planning committee? Is your company represented on SAHMA’s Board of Directors?
And, let’s not forget the terrific Regional Conference recently ended in Orlando, FL at the Disney Contemporary Hotel. In addition to a great agenda and learning opportunities, I believe all of you would agree with me when I say “Mickey is alive and well and dreams do come true!” Please take a moment to thank our President-Elect, Sondra Wimbs and her entire committee for their tireless work to make it a terrific event. It may be the only location we could have this event where a 3-day conference magically becomes 5 or 6 or 7 days before your very eyes.
So, as our great staff at SAHMA recover while summarizing the season of meetings, I hope each of you will take an opportunity to thank them for quietly working behind the scenes each and every day. And, if you did not let your interests be known during your state meeting regarding your willingness to serve but still have the itch to explore it, contact your State Director; Daria Jakubowski, the SAHMA Executive Director; Reese Quick, SAHMA’s Past President and Chair of nominations or myself. All of us would be excited to explore how best to get you plugged in to volunteer for this great organization.
Lastly, at this time we’re not certain what format of a meeting will take place in Puerto Rico as our members and all the citizens of the Island continue to work diligently to recover from last year’s devastating hurricane season. Let’s not forget our friends and keep them in our thoughts and prayers.
Thanks for allowing me to serve, and I hope everyone has a great remaining Summer. I do hope each of you will take the challenge and explore how to best serve one of the best Associations in this country. Don’t forget, next year’s State Meetings begin in just six months, and the 2019 Regional Conference will be in Greenville, SC!
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2019 State Meetings for Affordable Housing
Let SAHMA be your source for training in the upcoming new year. Mark your calendars for 2019!
- Atlanta, GA - February 12-14
- Columbia, SC - March 13-15
- Jacksonville, FL - March 26-28
- Jackson, MS - April 16-18
- Louisville, KY - April 23-25
- Greensboro, NC - May 7-9
- Birmingham, AL - May 14-16
- Murfreesboro, TN - May 21-23
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2018 SAHMA Regional Conference
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If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It!
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This year’s Regional Conference and Trade Show ended with rave reviews from attendees. Did all the positive feedback have something to do with our location at the Disney Contemporary? Maybe a little, but what folks specifically reported to us was that the quality of the session topics and of course our speakers were top notch again this year.
Thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s event “If you can Dream it, You Can Do It”! We are truly grateful for great involvement from all of our Regulatory Partners who support this annual event and also take part and contribute in innumerable ways at all of our SAHMA State Meetings.
All of our presenters were well prepared and very informative. Some of them changed their schedules to make sure that they could join us. We enjoyed several panel discussions this year, and that format is always a big hit with attendees. Our Trade Show vendors were very pleased with the connections they made, and we had quite a few new exhibitors and trust they’ll be back next year.
The Expedition Creativity – A Talk with Disney Creative was amazing. Everyone was buzzing about that presentation. And, of course, we had some fun…..the Monday Night – Twilight in the Park (after it stopped raining) was a big hit as was our own Fairy Godmother (SAHMA Dream) who entertained us at the Trade Show. We hope SAHMA Dream was able to grant a few wishes for attendees and we know for sure her enthusiasm put a smile on a lot of faces. Oh, she did tell us that she had been working all morning preparing our delicious lunch buffet and managed to keep her gown and tiara in pristine condition, guess that’s what happens when you have a magic wand.
Thanks to our supportive members who donated items for the NAHMA Educational Foundation Fundraiser, and THANKS to all for your generous contributions. We were able to raise enough to provide funds for at least one scholar and overall with the donations from all the State Meeting events we have ultimately provided funds for at least five scholarships this year which is outstanding.
We are already looking forward to next year in Greenville, South Carolina; so mark your calendars for August 19-21, 2019 - we hope to see you there!
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2018 Manager of the Year award was presented to
Meda Burnette of Tree Top Apartments in Edmonton, Kentucky with Alco Management, Inc.. Meda has earned the NAHMA Certified Professional of Occupancy and Fair Housing Compliance credentials. She has also received the National Affordable Housing Professional designation. She attends continuing education courses on a regular basis and is also a dedicated volunteer on the Kentucky State Committee. Meda strives to make her residents proud of the community they call home.
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2018 Maintenance Person of the Year
award was presented to
Michael Crowder
of New Port Richey, Florida with the Columbia Property Group
. Michael oversees maintenance on many sites in his role with the company. Michael takes great pride in his work and in his company as evidenced by consistently high REAC scores. Michael goes above and beyond the call of duty for his properties and adjacent ones as evidenced by helping neighboring properties after Hurricane Irma.
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2018 Service Coordinator of the Year
award was presented to
Dennis Moy
of St. Peter Manor in Memphis, Tennessee with Wesley Living
. Being a Service Coordinator has allowed Dennis to promote unity in a diverse population and be a strong voice of advocacy for the population he serves. He spends quality time with the residents having productive conversations. His resourcefulness and creativity have greatly improved the lives of his residents.
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Sisson/Ownby Rising Star Award
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The Sisson/Ownby Rising Star Award is in honor of one of SAHMA’s founding members, the late Ed Sisson. And, someone who has made a profound impact on our organization from its earliest days, Past President, Patty Ownby. Both were recognized early on in their careers as rising leaders, and they exemplified the same commitment and dedication to affordable housing management.
Simona Torres
, Community Manager with SPM, LLC in St. Cloud, Florida
, was selected to receive the 2018 Sisson/Ownby Rising Star Award.
Simona’s attention to detail and loyalty to her role as a Community Manager has resulted in outstanding work providing and improving the quality of affordable housing.
Simona began her career as a Service Coordinator for a HUD 202/Sec. 8 community and later was promoted to opening a unique housing program under the Neighborhood Stabilization Program. Simona later accepted an opportunity to become a a multi-site Property Manager. She participates and advocates for affordable housing in her local community and has been an exceptional SAHMA Florida State Committee volunteer. Simona is a well respected and valued member of the SPM team who possesses great promise to advance her career and become a leader in our industry.
Thank you Simona Torres for all you do in service to our affordable housing industry.
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Affordable Housing Advocate Award
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SAHMA established the Affordable Housing Advocate Award to honor and recognize those who have demonstrated great leadership, support, and commitment to affordable housing. Our 2018 recipient, Florida Congressman Carlos Curbelo
(R), was honored at the SAHMA Regional Conference in Lake Buena Vista, FL.
Representative Curbelo was chosen for this honor because of his continued commitment and work to support affordable housing related initiatives. He recently became the lead House Sponsor of the Affordable Credit Act, which aims to reform and expand the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit. Representative Curbelo introduced legislation, with Congressman Charlie Christ, the Flood Insurance Fairness Act, legislation that would expand the National Flood Insurance Program to provide relief to Americans paying flood insurance for rental properties and non-primary residences. Representative Curbelo serves on the House Committee on Ways and Means, which has broad jurisdiction over many issues that Mr. Curbelo has made a priority in Congress, including tax policy, free and fair trade, healthcare, and entitlement reform. Congressman Curbelo represents the 26th District of Florida on over forty congressional caucuses.
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Drug Free Poster Art Contest
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2018 National Contest Winner
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The 2019 NAHMA Drug Free Calendar included artwork by a resident from a SAHMA member community, The Columbia Property Group. Congratulations to our National Winner:
Ruth Behan
from
HDC Foundation
in Florida!
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2019 Drug Free Poster Contest
New Year! New Contest Rules!
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We are quickly rounding out the year and with the new year, comes the 2019 Drug Free Poster Contest. 2019 is also a new start for the contest and with it comes
new contest rules. See the
new changes for 2019 below:
Winners will be selected from across the southeast with a first, second, and third place ranking per category.
• Kindergarten - 1st Grade
• 2nd Grade - 3rd Grade
• 4th Grade - 6th Grade
• 7th Grade - 9th Grade
• 10th Grade - 12th Grade
• Elderly/ Disabled/ Special Needs
FIRST PLACE CATEGORY WINNER: $400 prize with winner plaque
SECOND PLACE CATEGORY WINNER: $200 prize with winner plaque
THIRD PLACE CATEGORY WINNER: $100 prize with winner plaque
WINNING SITE COORDINATORS WILL RECEIVE A $50 PRIZE
Winner’s property will receive a $100 prize to host a celebration for
the community to honor their winner.
All children, elderly, disabled, and special needs residents of SAHMA member communities may participate.
Poster submissions are due to the SAHMA Office by
Friday, March 15th.
Want to learn more about the NAHMA's Drug Free Kids Calendar Program? Visit
www.sahma.org/dfk for more information.
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2019 NAHMA Drug-Free Kids Calendars Are Here!
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Help support this fantastic program by purchasing the 2019 NAHMA Drug Free Kids Calendar. At $5.50 each, NAHMA Drug-Free Kids Calendars are the perfect way to celebrate the program year round! The calendars feature outstanding original artwork by children, seniors, and adults with special needs living in affordable multifamily housing - including a SAHMA member resident!
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2019 SAHMA Membership Renewals: Coming Soon
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In early October, all primary contacts (or other designees) for SAHMA member companies will receive notification about their 2019 dues renewal invoices and how they can be accessed in their web accounts.
As a reminder, SAHMA membership runs January 1 – December 31. Dues are payable as soon as the invoice is posted but no later than December 31st. A grace period of January 1 – 31 will be given to accommodate those whose budgets do not allow for payment until the actual dues year. On February 1st, if dues have not been paid, the membership and associated benefits will expire.
Members who joined late in this year will also receive the notification to allow them to renew for 2019.
If you have not done so recently, we hope that during renewal time you will take a moment to check your company information, update your reps by removing any employees that have left your company, or add any new employees. You should also update the company demographics about the number of properties or units and where you manage properties in the Southeast. This information helps us disseminate information for your particular interest and also provides us with up-to-date statistics which are helpful during advocacy campaigns. For vendor members, it is a good time to be sure we have an accurate description of your products or services and accurate contact information for our vendor directory.
Please remember that if you need assistance at any time regarding your member benefits, web account, education, events, etc., we are here to assist you. Please contact Jannette Revere at [email protected] or by calling the SAHMA Office at 800-745-4088.
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New Feature in Your SAHMA Web Account!
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Do you need to know who from your company is registered for a specific event? Or verify if all of your company's employee's event registrations are paid in full? The Company Event History is a new feature in your SAHMA web account (
available for only Primary Contacts and Affiliate profiles) that will help answer these questions. To access this feature, log into your account and click the Company Event History link in the Points of Contacts section on the right side of your Profile page.
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The Growing Need for Grassroots Advocacy
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With Congress back in session, we must continue to share our mission and promote our communities as multifamily affordable housing providers. Legislative issues affect the homes of the residents we serve and our companies. The timing for reaching out to your local legislators is relevant, as the federal budget season is at hand with elections to follow. We must continue to tell our legislators who we are, who we serve, and illustrate the need for Affordable Housing.
At times the challenges our industry faces are local in nature, and we must work with our state house or local leadership to make our voices known. When the issues affect the industry as a whole, and a wider net must be cast, the support of our National Partner, NAHMA, and other industry groups, is critical. Through a coalition of advocates, we are able to provide detailed information and outline the issue for our members. Through this network, connections are made that can help carry our message to decision makers across the nation. These partnerships prove crucial for sustaining advocacy efforts.
While we rely on these networks to carry our voices in Washington, the work also begins at home. Grassroots Advocacy is the foundation of change for our nation. Our voices and efforts are key to building and sustaining support for the Affordable Housing Industry. To help support our efforts, NAHMA has a dedicated webpage for providing members with current, easy-to-use tools for participating in grassroots advocacy. With these toolkits, we can take steps to become effective grassroots advocates. To learn more about these resources or to learn more about current urgent issues facing the industry, visit
https://www.nahma.org/grassroots-advocacy/.
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Supporting the NAHMA Legislative Fund
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SAHMA’s dues billing no longer provides you an opportunity to support the NAHMA legislative fund. However, their work continues, and SAHMA members benefit from it. As a new legislative session approaches, we ask that you consider making a contribution to the NAHMA legislative fund to continue to support advocacy on behalf of the industry. Please click on the link below to be taken directly to NAHMA’s advocacy support webpage and donate today!
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The SAHMA sponsorship program is designed to provide prominent recognition for SAHMA members whose committed support has been an integral part of the success of the SAHMA mission to Inform, Educate, and Connect the SAHMA community of affordable housing professionals.
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