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As a reminder, the SAHMA Biweekly Update and Quarterly 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.
You can view the Outlook Newsletter archives at www.sahma.org/outlook.
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As an industry, we are grateful to SAHMA for providing our training needs, reliable, pertinent and timely information, and being our voice to NAHMA, in Washington. The SAHMA state meetings have commenced, what happened to January and February, much less winter? I for one am glad to see the SAHMA meeting season start, and spring too. As SAHMA President, it is my privilege to travel to each meeting. I always learn something new, see familiar faces and make new acquaintances. This year will be an exciting year too for our industry as the new Administration settles into Washington and we welcome Dr. Ben Carson as the new Secretary of HUD. We understand that Secretary Carson is planning to hold Listening Sessions or Town Hall Meeting forums in the near future and we are looking forward to participating.
This year, the management company I represent received the NAHMA National Award for Outstanding Turnaround of a Troubled Property. Of the four communities honored in the Community of Quality top honors, SAHMA had three winners! The fourth winner is actually a SAHMA member as well but was honored for a property they manage outside of the SAHMA Region. SAHMA’s dedication to the Community of Quality program is evident when a competition this keen is swept by one AHMA. This is also great recognition for SAHMA.
SAHMA is the only AHMA with the Excellence in Management and Excellence in Maintenance designations. If you aren’t presently familiar with the program, please visit SAHMA’s website at sahma.org and see how you can honor your Property Manager, Maintenance Technician, and Service Coordinators by encouraging them to participate in this program. While browsing the awards programs, take a look at the Community of Quality program too; is your community worthy of the COQ award? If not, shouldn’t you strive to make it so? Please show pride in your staff by participating in these wonderful programs and be the Best of the Best!
Note too, that SAHMA now has on-demand, e-learning webinars. Topics include Fair Housing for maintenance, EIV, waiting list management, layering tax credit and HUD, just to name a few. This method of learning is ideal for properties that may have travel restraints, or have a property manager that needs to stay onsite. You can take the webinar at your convenience, and the after hours is very popular for working parents.
SAHMA-U webinars are only $45.00 and you will have a two day window to acess the online training. Affordable housing professionals appreciate the importance of education, so sign up today!
It truly has been a great experience representing SAHMA over the past year, and I continue to look forward to new experiences in the upcoming months during all the remaining meetings and of course the SAHMA Regional Conference and Trade Show in August.
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Spring into Learning with SAHMA-U
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SAHMA is excited to present SAHMA-U; an on-demand eLearning library with convenient and affordable on-demand training that allows you anywhere, anytime access to valuable information. Our webinars run from 35-60 minutes and include a video, a printable handout, assessment questions to gauge how much you learned, and a certificate of continuing education for just $45. Content is optimized to display on any mobile device allowing you the ability to access webinars from anywhere there is an internet connection. SAHMA-U is fully integrated with our new SAHMA Website which allows your information to seamlessly flow from one system to the other, allowing for a single log-in.
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· Basic Tax Credit · Intro to Layering Tax Credit and HUD Properties
· Calculating Expenses · REACtion to REAC
· Calculating Income · Smoke Free Implementation
· Determining Effective Dates · Student Rules
· EIV Discrepancy Reports · Understanding the UPCS/REAC Process
· Fair Housing for Maintenance · Waiting List Management
· Calculating Assets
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One Spirit, One Team, One Victory
The Hyatt Regency Atlanta, 265 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA 30303 will once again host the SAHMA Regional Conference and Trade Show. This year’s event is scheduled for August 21-23, 2017.
The Dynamic of Washington is this year’s keynote presented by
David M. Drucker. Mr. Drucker is a senior correspondent for the
Washington Examiner, where he focuses on Congress, campaigns and national political trends, providing breaking news reporting, analysis and insight. Prior to joining the Examiner, he was a congressional reporter for
Roll Call. He also covered California politics in the Sacramento bureau of the
Los Angeles Daily News. Drucker is a CNN political analyst and lives in Washington.
Our Regulatory Partners are scheduled to join us and our PBCA colleagues will present a panel discussion about Management Occupancy Reviews and other hot topics.
Our Monday night event will be held at the College Football Hall of Fame, located near Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta. Guests will have an opportunity to have a Personalized Fan Experience and network with their colleagues and the various SAHMA Vendors who will be setting up the next day for our luncheon trade show. You are welcome to wear your favorite team jersey if you like! Perhaps a team challenge or other fun and games are in the works!
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NAHMA Winter Meeting and Industry Awards
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SAHMA Honored in Washington, D.C.
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On March 6th the National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA) honored SAHMA and one of our distinguished members during their annual awards ceremony.
NAHMA Industry Statesman Award given annually to NAHMA Executive Council members who are either in or nearing retirement, in recognition of many years of outstanding leadership and service to NAHMA
Jimmy Kerr, SHCM, NAHP-e, grew a small company, AMCS Inc., in Charleston, South Carolina from three rental properties into one that has thousands of square feet of affordable and conventional housing as well as commercial and rental space. Kerr’s work ethic and willingness to learn and to share his knowledge with others brought him to work with SAHMA from its founding and eventually served as its board president. He also served on the NAHMA board of directors. Kerr’s work at NAHMA included being part of the working group that created the NAHMA Fair Housing Compliance course and certification. He also served as a member of the group of mentors/reviewers for the first NAHMA Train the Trainer program to certify industry experts to become NAHMA certified trainers, many of whom continue to teach certification courses
AHMA Awards
AHMA of the Year given to local AHMAs using criteria such as size, the number of members, success in membership recruitment, membership retention, education and training course attendance, financial stability and other factors. SAHMA was able to covert 50 leads into 43 new members and experienced an 83 percent retention rate. The association planned 61 educational offerings with an attendance of more than 850 students. SAHMA hosted eight state-level meetings and one regional conference drawing almost 4,000 people from a region that includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Puerto Rico.
AHMA Communities of Quality Program Award given to AHMAs, according to size, that have a substantial number of COQ awards in their area, demonstrate support for the program and introduce new or innovative activities. SAHMA has 529 total COQ National Recognition Program participants with 21 being awarded within the past year.
AHMA Innovation Award given in recognition, by AHMA size, of a new program, service or activity that an AHMA began sometime in 2015 or 2016. SAHMA has been working to create its own on-demand eLearning library, SAHMA-U. It houses 14 webinars covering a variety of topics. Students can access the 30-60 minute webinars for $45 each which includes a printable handout, assessment questions and certificate of continuing education. In order to make SAHMA-U available, SAHMA needed a platform that could host its library and could be fully integrated with its Association Management System. The association plans to add and replace or update webinars yearly. The program launched in November.
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SAHMA Communities of Quality Honored in Washington
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NAHMA’s 2016 COQ Awards program is jointly sponsored by HD Supply Multifamily Solutions, a leading supplier of maintenance and renovation products to the multihousing industry, and Navigate Affordable Housing Partners, a leading provider of consulting and development services to public housing authorities and HUD’s Section 8 PBCA for Alabama, Mississippi, Virginia and Connecticut.
NAHMA congratulates the three SAHMA winners.
- Exemplary Family Development: Forest Green Apartments, Gainesville, Fla.; Owner: GHC Housing Partners; Management: PK Management LLC; AHMA: SAHMA
- Exemplary Development for Residents with Special Needs: Bridgeway Apartments Phase 1 & 2, Picayune, Miss.; Owner: St. Francis Academy; Management Company: The Columbia Property Group; AHMA: SAHMA
- Outstanding Turnaround of a Troubled Property: EME Apartments of Conway, Conway, S.C.; Owner: Emanuel-Morris Brown-Ebenezer Apartments Inc.; Management Company: Southern Development Management Company; AHMA: SAHMA
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Forest Green Apartments
Forest Green is a Section 8 family property with 200 units and more than 400 residents—including adults, children, seniors and residents with disabilities—located in Gainesville, Florida. The community has embraced PK Management’s philosophy that properties are not just brick and mortar, but a place to call home. In doing so, Forest Green conveys a good neighbor feeling and a great sense of community.
Forest Green strives to assist residents to improve their quality of life through programming that aids in overcoming such problems as career path barriers, budget misfortunes, neglected health, nutritional deficiencies, parenting problems, crime victimization and educational setbacks. This is accomplished through on-site programs such as computer labs, after-school tutoring, adult self-sufficiency classes, health programs and more.
Additionally, an on-site service coordinator acts as a liaison between the residents and other community organizations as well as mediates issues between residents and staff.
Forest Green has forged a partnership with the local police department, which has helped the community become proactive about combating crime. Three community resource officers are assigned to Forest Green allowing relationships to build between the police officers and residents. The officers also coordinate on-site programs for children and adults including Safety Week educational programs and National Night Out.
Another partnership, this one with Upper Room Ministries and the University of Florida, allows children to receive extra help with math and reading after school. The mentors help the students overcome test anxiety and reinforce proper classroom behavior besides aiding with homework.
A unique feature of the property is the Security Center that is outfitted with a state-of-the-art camera and monitoring system. The center is clearly and vibrantly marked, which has proven to be an effective crime deterrent.
The maintenance team has created a preventative maintenance plan as well as a reactionary maintenance plan and maintains the complex around the clock. Work orders are kept up-to-date and there is a traveling maintenance team that can be dispatched to respond to an emergency any time of the day.
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Bridgeway Apartments Phase 1 & 2
The Bridgeway Apartments are in Picayune, Mississippi, and provide supervised living and employment services to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The two low-rise, garden-style phases consist of a total of 24 fully equipped units, an exercise room, laundry facilities, recreational spaces and well-maintained grounds. Bridgeway Apartments enjoy a REAC score of 90 percent or above. The replacement reserves are fully funded and the rents are 100 percent paid each month.
The property’s staff members assist residents with medication management, job discovery, exercise and wellness, community volunteering and more.
The residents have their own units that they are responsible for maintaining, which provides independence while knowing on-site staff is there should the need for help arise. Many of Bridgeway’s staff are long-term employees, which makes the residents comfortable with them and promotes a willingness to ask for assistance if needed.
Many of the residents have been there for at least five years, with most moving in 19 years ago when the property opened. The residents and their family members have written letters about how much they are thankful and appreciative for these properties and the programs that are in place, and how phenomenal the staff is with their loved ones.
All of the residents, except for one retiree, have jobs doing routine janitorial services with local shops and companies ranging from pizza parlors and bakeries to the fire department and chamber of commerce. Most residents have retained the same jobs for several years. Staff provides the transportation to the job sites and any on-the-job assistance that might be needed.
When not working, the residents also enjoy activities such as bowling, visiting the local swimming park, dancing, attending a Biloxi Shuckers minor league baseball game, volunteering and participating in Special Olympics.
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EME Apartments of Conway
EME Apartments of Conway, formerly Cherry Hill Apartments, is a 50-unit nonprofit with a 100 percent Loan Management Set-Aside Section 8 contract. Originally built in 1969, the property deteriorated to the point that it was placed on HUD’s troubled watch list. With REAC scores twice below 60 and with less than 50 percent occupancy, the property was being considered for foreclosure. The original sponsors explored refinancing and HUD’s Mark to Market program; however, with the extensive needed repairs estimated at more than 3 million dollars and a small balance still owed on the original loan along with an outstanding flexible subsidy loan, the numbers just wouldn’t work.
Then in early 2007, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the City of Conway Police Department and the Horry County Sheriff’s Department launched a joint operation that resulted in the arrest of 82 individuals at or near the property, which had become overrun with drugs, gang violence, and loitering. Boarded windows and doors, potholes, vermin and refuse had become commonplace.
Later that same year, the board of Emanuel-Morris Brown-Ebenezer Apartments Inc., a nonprofit board of 40 years located in Charleston, purchased the property. The mission of the board was to provide the citizens in the Conway area a home like the EMBE Apartments of Charleston, which is a NAHMA Communities of Quality property.
Cherry Hill Apartments was renamed, gained new management and through private funding, began a total rehabilitation inside and out. The transformation included replacing the roof and windows, installing vinyl siding and mounting security cameras, along with other cosmetic changes and upgrades. The interior of all the units received a makeover including central HVAC systems and upgrading tubs, water saving devices, toilets, cabinet doors, windows, and flooring.
In 2010, the City of Conway presented EME Apartments of Conway with the C.P. Quattlebaum Design Award for “Outstanding Contributions to Quality Development, Restoration, Landscape or Design by an Organization or Individual.” In 2011, a Neighborhood Networks Business Plan was submitted to HUD and soon after, the EME of Conway Neighborhood Network Center became a reality.
Through the center, the property offers after-school programs and homework assistance, computer training for all ages, a summer camp, on-site activities such as music lessons, a bookmobile, health fairs, adult work-study and more. In 2015, EME Apartments was named Best Housing Development by the South Carolina State Housing and Finance Authority.
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2017 SAHMA Awards Programs
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We are proud to sponsor the SAHMA Excellence Program to honor the on-site management, maintenance, and service coordinator staff that is an integral part of every management company team. On-site staff work hard to promote affordable housing by sustaining communities of quality while offering care and a sense of community to our residents. The SAHMA Excellence Program comprehensive, yet easy application presents the opportunity for the on-site staff to accumulate points for the many things that are done on a daily basis to run an excellent affordable housing community. A certificate and pin will be issued to each applicant meeting the minimum requirements. Each year at Regional Conference, one on-site manager, maintenance person, and service coordinator will be selected as a SAHMA Excellence Member of the Year.
Applications may be submitted throughout the year, but to be eligible for the 2017 Regional Prize, Submit your application by
Friday, June 16, 2017.
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Sisson/Ownby Rising Star Award Submission Deadline Announced
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The Sisson/Ownby Rising Star Award in honor of two of SAHMA’s founding members, the late Ed Sisson and SAHMA 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. Their outstanding work in providing and improving the quality of affordable housing in the Southeast is legendary. NOW, we are searching to find and recognize new emerging leaders in our industry who follow in the footsteps of Mr. Sisson and Ms. Ownby.
Do you have someone in your organization or know of someone in our industry who is uniquely gifted and inspiring? Is working their way up the professional ladder one rung at a time? With this award we’d like to recognize a deserving member of our affordable housing community and award them a $1,000 tuition honorarium so they can continue up the ladder and fulfill their professional goals.
All you have to do is nominate a deserving individual! Send us a letter containing complete contact information for you and your nominee. You may nominate as many persons as you feel deserve this honor. Naturally, your nominee must be employed by a SAHMA member company. The deadline for nominations is Friday, June 9, 2017.
For more information or to download the nomination form, please visit http://www.sahma.org/sisson-ownby
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NAHMA Educational Foundation Scholarship Deadline Approaching
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The NAHMA Educational Foundation Scholarship deadline is quickly approaching. To access the application, visit https://nahma.communityforce.com. It can also be found on the NAHMA website at www.nahma.org, and then by clicking on the Educational Foundation icon. Eligibility for the program requires that an applicant be a resident in good standing at an AHMA-affiliated multifamily community and be either a high school senior with a minimum 2.5 GPA or a matriculated student with a minimum 2.3 GPA at an accredited community college, college, university or trade/technical school.
The process requires applicants to complete an online application form, two references, an essay and a certification of residency in good standing form. A current grade transcript is also necessary and is the only application component sent via U.S. mail to the foundation. All necessary forms are provided within the web-based application at
nahma.communityforce.com
and no hard copies are needed.
NAHMA released a webinar to help explain the application process and it can be viewed
here.
Applications must be completed by May 31, 2017.
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Tribute to Harold Platter 1928-2017
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Harold Platter, one of SAHMA’s founding members and SAHMA President in 1984, passed away on April 12, 2017, in Memphis, TN. Mr. Platter was born in West Virginia, attended high school in Ohio and then graduated from Indiana University. He was called to God’s work as a Nazarene minister for the first seventeen years of his career before becoming involved in Real Estate management. After settling in Memphis, Tennessee Harold became a nationally recognized expert in multi-family and subsidized housing. As a Certified Property Manager (CPM) he held numerous positions with the Institute of Real Estate Management and served as the Memphis IREM Chapter President. In addition, he dedicated many years to help organize and launch the Southeastern Affordable Housing Management Association (SAHMA) and the National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA). He was especially proud of the very successful organizations both have become. He served as SAHMA’s second President in 1984 and also served as President of NAHMA in the early years of the organization. Harold was an instructor and presented many sessions and courses during his career to include courses for SAHMA, IREM and the University of Memphis Continuing Education Program. Harold Platter was a wonderful and caring man who touched countless lives with his positive attitude and enthusiasm. He was extremely committed to our industry, and we are grateful for his countless contributions.
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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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