Goals Accomplished!
Thank you Senator Cantwell for championing much-needed federal legislation to improve the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program. She graciously pushed through a bi-partisan effort that truly adds affordable housing units around the nation for lower income populations, who are struggling the most.
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| PNRC members met with Senator Cantwell in April as part of the NAHRO Washington Conference |
We received a sizeable increase from the Federal government's budget for 2018, despite HUD's recommendation to cut and eliminate desperately needed and proven programs. We look forward to working with HUD to make improvements to housing programs to prioritize clients' needs. This is not a time to turn our backs to people in desperate need to find housing for their families.
 PNRC held a successful conference where we thought out of the box and learned best practices from one another. Thank you members for attending and to our wonderful conference planning committee for organizing the event.
Watch for the June newsletter that will include photos, videos, highlights, survey results and more from the conference.
Saeed Hajarizadeh
PNRC President
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Housing Quality Standards (HQS) w/ Certification Exam
June 4-6, 2018
Hosted by the Vancouver Housing Authority
Improve 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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 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
The Boise City and Ada County Housing Authorities (BCACHA) request statements of qualifications from independent public accounting firms or individuals interested in assisting the BCACHA in conducting its annual independent audits. Interested firms or individuals may obtain the "Independent Audit Services Request for Proposal Package" by visiting www.bcacha.org or by mail or in person from the address below. Sealed proposals will be received until 6:00 pm on May 21, 2018: Diana Meo, Finance Director, Boise City and Ada County Housing Authorities, 1276 River Street, Suite 300, Boise, ID 83702.
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 New financing to create 975 affordable homes statewide
SEATTLE, Wash.- The Washington State Housing Finance Commission approved a total of $207 million in financing for the new construction of nearly 1,000 affordable apartments in communities across the state.
The 11 projects include senior housing, apartments for people with chronic mental health issues, and supportive housing for homeless families with children, in communities ranging from Seattle to Spokane to rural Pullman.
"These affordable housing projects will help families and communities statewide to thrive," said Karen Miller, chair of the Housing Finance Commission. "Each of these developments will not only generate local construction jobs, but also create homes that will stay affordable for decades."
Seven of the projects are the latest to be financed through the 2018 Low-Income Housing Tax Credit competition. A total of 18 LIHTC projects will be financed this year, thanks to a recent nationwide increase of 12.5 percent in the housing tax credit.
Federal housing tax credits allow developers to raise capital for multifamily construction by selling the credits to investors. In exchange, the investors offset their corporate income taxes and gain equity in the project. The Commission also finances affordable apartments and community needs by issuing tax-exempt bonds or notes.
Competitive housing tax credit projects approved April 26 by the Commission include:
- Seattle: Patricia K. Apartments, 2212 South Jackson Street (Community House Mental Health Agency, $10.2 million estimated tax-credit equity)
This new development will include 52 units of housing for people with chronic mental-health issues, many of whom will be coming from homelessness. Supportive services such as medication management, vocational training, and substance abuse treatment will be available to all residents.
- Tacoma: 1800 Hillside Terrace, 1815 South G Street (Tacoma Housing Authority, $13.1 million estimated tax-credit equity)
The third and final phase of Tacoma Housing Authority's Bay Terrace redevelopment will add 70 more affordable housing units, primarily for people coming out of homelessness and those with disabilities.
- Grand Boulevard, Corner of North Grand and East 16th (Trillium Housing Services/MacDonald Ladd Developments, $4.7 million estimated tax-credit equity)
The 26 newly-constructed apartments in this development will have units specifically set aside to house large families and persons with disabilities.
- Isabella Court Phase II, 3020 Northeast 62nd Avenue (REACH Community Development, $9.5 million estimated tax-credit equity)
Joining a first phase built for seniors, this building will provide supportive housing for 49 households with children who are experiencing homelessness and high housing-cost burden.
- Spokane: Father Bach Haven 4, 164 South State Street, and Father Bach Haven 5, at the corner of Division and First Avenue (Catholic Housing Services of Eastern Washington, $9.8 million estimated tax-credit equity each)
These downtown Spokane buildings, with 50 apartments each, are Catholic Housing Services' seventh and eighth tax-credit projects benefitting the chronically homeless in the past six years. Like the previous successful properties, these will offer supportive services and integration with health care.
- Pullman: River View Apartments, 1101 Southeast Bypass Drive (Community Action Center, $9.3 million estimated tax-credit equity)
Addressing high rent burdens and growing homelessness in Whitman County, the River View Apartments will build 56 brand-new units for homeless families with children, people with disabilities, veterans, and large families.
Other multifamily projects approved by the Commission on April 26th:
- Seatac: Vintage at Seatac Apartments, 21212 International Boulevard (Vintage Housing Development, Inc., $14.6 million estimated tax-credit equity, $30 million tax-exempt note)
These 170 new apartments will house seniors age 55 years and older, with incomes at or below 60 percent of the area median income. Twenty percent will be set aside for persons with disabilities.
- Snoqualmie: Panorama Apartments, northwest corner of Highway 18 and Southeast 99th Street (DevCo, Inc., $26.9 million estimated tax-credit equity, $45 million tax-exempt note)
This brand-new development will create 191 apartments, including four- and five-bedroom units for larger families. All will be affordable for those earning up to 60% of King County median income.
- Redmond: Fairwinds-Redmond, 9988 Avondale Road NE (REDM, LLC, $4.6 million taxable bond)
This financing will enable the Fairwinds-Redmond Retirement Community to remodel and make key improvements to its 143-unit facility, maintaining its affordability for the future.
- Spokane Valley: Winter Heights, 2702 North Pines Road (Winter Heights LLC, $6.6 million estimated tax-credit equity, $13 million tax-exempt note)
This project will bring 120 new apartments to the Spokane Valley in garden-style buildings. Twenty percent of the units will be set aside for large families.
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MESSAGE FROM JUDITH OLSEN
Impact Capital's President Judith Olsen has announced her retirement, effective in late June 2018. Judith offers these thoughts as she contemplates her next chapter:
It has been my honor to lead the team at Impact Capital for the past six and a half years. I came to Impact Capital during the recession, and we survived and are thriving today. Managing a loan pool during an economic downturn had it challenges, but it also presented Impact Capital with the opportunity to look hard at its business model, reevaluate where we focused our time and energy, what we wished to accomplish, and most importantly, align ourselves to our partners and their changing needs. This enabled us to be ready and responsive as the economy started to recover and the need for affordable housing became a crisis across our state.
Impact Capital is a complex organization and the work we do is multifaceted. We are not just about providing capital. We are part of the continuum that builds safe communities with affordable housing and robust commercial corridors, as well as access to education, job opportunities, parks, and transportation. The financial model depends on investors who have confidence that we understand our niche in the market, knowing that our success is demonstrated through that of the developments we fund and the organizations managing those developments.
I will miss the people, the smiles on the faces of children as they jump with joy in their very own new home, the smile on a senior citizen's face as they choose fresh food in a food bank that they can easily access, and the list goes on. My next chapter is full of family, friends, travel, and I hope a lower handicap on the golf course!
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MRI Software Announces Record-breaking Q1 on Strength of its Comprehensive and Open Real Estate Tech Platform and Global Growth Strategy
MRI Software LLC Increases Q1 Worldwide Revenue by 44 Percent, Bookings by 136 Percent and New Clients by 50 Percent Over 2017
SOLON, Ohio - May 15, 2018
- MRI Software LLC ("MRI"), a global leader in real estate software solutions, today announced another successful quarter of worldwide growth. In the first quarter of 2018, MRI continued to build on growing market demand for a comprehensive and connected suite of solutions that extends across the commercial real estate lifecycle while offering the freedom to integrate easily with other vendors' software. As a result, MRI increased not just its growth statistics, but also its leadership position as a truly open, partner-dedicated software provider.
In the first quarter of 2018, MRI saw 44 percent worldwide revenue growth fueled by 117 new clients (a 50 percent increase over the same period in 2017) and a 136 percent increase in bookings over the same period in 2017. Additionally, MRI grew its headcount by 62 percent across all regions. Overseas, staffing in EMEA increased more than tenfold and, in APAC, grew by 61 percent.
MRI's global growth strategy continues to gain momentum, marked by a few key accomplishments:
- Savills plc, one of the largest real estate companies in the world, chose MRI's residential management and accounting solutions to manage its growing private rented sector (PRS) business in the U.K. Previously, Savills selected MRI for its commercial property business in key European locations. Additionally, in April, MRI Software announced that a second U.K. real estate giant, Grainger plc, has also chosen MRI as its core software platform to power its future PRS growth.
- China Electronics Standardization Institute (CESI) certification demonstrates MRI's commitment to China, a market that offers great opportunities. MRI Platform X is now a pre-approved financial reporting solution for real estate organizations doing business in the country. In addition to the benefit to Chinese companies, real estate investors using Platform X that want to expand into China can continue to rely on MRI's platform while meeting local business requirements.
MRI's Partner Connect program also continues to grow and strengthen. For example, MRI introduced a new Service Partner Certification Program, which is designed to validate and demonstrate proficiency in MRI's technology and provide educational opportunities to improve implementation, consultation, and training of clients. Partners have responded positively to MRI's investments in Partner Connect, with attendance at its annual Partner Summit in January increasing by 44 percent.
MRI also strengthened its executive team to help support growth:
- John Ensign, previously MRI's Chief Legal Officer, added President to his title as his duties now include oversight of MRI's corporate shared services and overall responsibility for EMEA and APAC operations.
- Russell Butler joined MRI in the new role of Chief Technology Officer to lead product development and strategy, which are responsibilities he previously held for various global teams at Oracle, IBM and AT&T. His expertise in shepherding new products from the innovation stage to deployment and integration will be a key driver of MRI's ongoing expansion into new geographical and vertical markets.
- Dermot Briody came to MRI as Executive Managing Director for Europe overseeing MRI's operations in the region, including those of Qube Global Software and Real Asset Management, both of which MRI acquired in September 2017. As a result of these acquisitions, MRI is now the largest commercial real estate software provider in EMEA.
MRI maintained its aggressive approach to acquisitions
adding HAPPY Software
, a major player in the U.S. public housing authority (PHA) software arena, to a list of six other acquisitions since September. The move is MRI's third acquisition in the PHA space in five months, alongside Tenmast Software and HAB, Inc., furthering the company's vision of bringing a comprehensive, next-gen platform to the underserved PHA market and making it the largest provider in the space.
Ultimately, MRI's growth is the result of its suite of purpose-built solutions and strong market demand for open and flexible software, a trend that has been growing across all industries. In March, MRI launched an
ongoing content series
to help real estate organizations identify software providers that are truly open as opposed to merely paying lip service to the demands of the marketplace.
"After an extremely active 2017, I couldn't be more thrilled to see our growing team execute such a fantastic quarter," said Patrick Ghilani, Chief Executive Officer of MRI Software. "We pride ourselves on continuing to innovate and improve our clients' experience, and this quarter's success ultimately comes to back to our amazing clients and partners. Together, we are bringing our vision of an open and connected real estate ecosystem into reality and establishing a trajectory that has not been seen before in our industry."
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Register Now for the 2018 NAHRO Summer Conference!
The Summer Conference will be held from July 27-29 at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis Hotel in fabulous San Francisco! It's the second of NAHRO's three Innovate 2018 events: IMPACT, IMAGINE, and IMPLEMENT.
At this conference, we'll encourage attendees to IMAGINE: to dream big and think out of the box about the future of the affordable housing and community development industry. The conference will feature educational sessions focused on current and emerging industry issues; a showcase of innovative programs and services from NAHRO's 2018 Agency Awards of Merit-winning agencies; a housing and community development tour hosted by the San Francisco Housing Authority, and as always, productive peer-to-peer networking opportunities.
For Commissioners: NAHRO Professional Development is offering Summer Conference registrants a special opportunity to attend either our Commissioners' Fundamentals seminar or our Commissioners Guide to Monitoring & Oversight seminar while also attending the conference.
We hope to see you in The City by the Bay!
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INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
NAHRO offers a variety of awards and recognition to persons who have made outstanding contributions to the housing and community development field. Make sure your deserving candidate is nominated for one of the following awards:
M. Justin Herman Memorial Award
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NAHRO's most prestigious award, honors an exceptionally qualified person who has made outstanding contributions to the quality of life through service in the field of housing or community development.
John D. Lange International Award
acknowledges a person who has made contributions to the international community.
Elizabeth B. Wells Memorial Award
celebrates the accomplishments and service of an outstanding commissioner.
Emerging Leader Award
recognizes an individual who has been involved in NAHRO at the national, regional and/or chapter levels for at least five years and has distinguished him/herself as an Emerging Leader.
Deadlines for these awards: AUGUST 15, 2018.
The winners will be honored at NAHRO's National Conference
in Atlanta, GA: October 25-27, 2018
NAHRO Fellowship Program
venerates recipients who have demonstrated exemplary qualities as housing and community development advocates, professionals and/or volunteers.
Deadline for applications: July 1, 2018
Roll of Achievers
showcases residents who have made noteworthy efforts to improve as an individual or as a member of the community. Applications are accepted all year.
For additional information on these awards, click here.
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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 kdamazio@nahro.org
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