As 2019 comes to a close, join us as we highlight the achievements of the wonderful SAHMA community.
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I sit here gathering my thoughts on the past two years as your President of SAHMA; I write this with the Holiday Season upon us and my first thoughts are to give thanks for my faith, family and freedom to live freely. My next thoughts are to give thanks for the incredible staff and employees I have the opportunity to work with every day at Wesley Living in providing affordable housing and enhanced services to the most vulnerable in our communities.
However, the purpose of this communication is to provide some final thoughts serving as President of SAHMA. To say thank you for the opportunity does not say enough. During my term I had multiple visits to every state and got to know many members and all of the individual state committees. I hope that the next time you attend any state conference or other SAHMA event you take the opportunity to thank those that planned it and spent so many volunteer hours to Inform, Educate and Connect all of us. I for one appreciate and thank them for the welcoming attitude they extended me at each stop.
While I’m giving thanks, I can’t begin to put into words how passionate and dedicated your SAHMA Board of Directors are to make this association the absolute pride of all AHMA’s and the affordable housing industry. They are an incredible group of professionals and it has been an honor to serve as their President.
Speaking of incredible, the current small staff of Daria Jakubowski, Betsy Eddy and Melanie Orr are just that! For much of the Summer and all of the Fall they have managed to execute all of your membership needs while finishing up the 2019 state meetings along with the incredibly successful Leadership Affordable Housing Conference. And while that was going on they also managed to relocate to their new office and begin interviewing for new staff. I want to personally thank them because without their efforts and support my tenure would not have been what I have just described.
So why would I spend so much time expressing my thanks? Because behind our small but mighty staff at SAHMA are dozens, possibly hundreds of volunteers. And if you’re not one of those volunteers, you should consider becoming one, go to
sahma.org/getinvolved. I’m confident that the more you find ways to serve the more you’ll be thankful you made that decision.
I hope each of you take a moment to reflect on what you’re thankful for and wish you all a safe and happy conclusion to 2019 in addition to a healthy and productive new year.
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As we complete 2019 and start a new year, I would like to thank Jim Nasso for his leadership these past two years. Jim made being the President-Elect position very easy. Thank you, Jim for guiding us with your knowledge and professionalism.
As we move into 2020, the SAHMA Board has already had a Strategic Planning meeting and identified areas that they would like to concentrate on for the future of our organization. It is exciting to set new goals and watch how they are accomplished.
As the President of SAHMA, I feel a sense of urgency to provide as much knowledge to our SAHMA members that we can. Through the SAHMA education webinars, trainings and conferences, I believe the knowledge is being passed along to help those that are new in the industry and also to those that are seasoned professionals who always learn something new through SAHMA. As the State Conferences start in February, we will all have a chance to participate and learn from industry experts and each other. I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible during the State events and hopefully have a chance to learn more about what you would like to see in the future and what SAHMA can do for you. SAHMA’s mission is to “Inform, Educate and Connect” the SAHMA community of affordable housing professionals.
Best wishes to all our valued members and partners and I’ll see you soon in 2020!
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2020 Affordable Housing Conferences
Let SAHMA be your source for training in the upcoming new year. Mark your calendars for 2020!
- Atlanta, GA - February 11-13
- Columbia, SC - March 11-13
- Mobile, AL - April 15-17 (Mississippi & Alabama are co-locating!)
- Jacksonville, FL - April 20-22
- Louisville, KY - April 27-29
- Murfreesboro, TN - May 12-14
- Greensboro, NC - May 19-21
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2019: A Year of Excellence and Learning
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This year the SAHMA community participated in 9 Conferences and Trade Shows, 63 training events held online and in strategic cities across the region, and 14 on demand webinars housed in our
SAHMA-U Learning Library - training almost 5,000 learners. We believe education is a cornerstone of our organization and we strive to continuously add new courses and opportunities for training.
The SAHMA community continues to support the Communities of Quality National Recognition Program. We are proud to say, 593 SAHMA members achieved acceptance into the COQ Recognition Program. The high quality of service you provide in your local communities make us proud of the SAHMA community. In addition, members completed twelve certification programs through NAHMA’s certification and credentialing programs. We recognize the hard work it takes to achieve this level of success and are proud of all your accomplishments.
This has been a great year for your association and thanks to all of your volunteer hours and participation in SAHMA programs and events throughout 2019. It is impressive to think that more than half of the entire SAHMA community has participated in SAHMA in some shape or form this year. We look forward to continuing to support you in the upcoming year.
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2019 Manager of the Year award was presented to
Julie Lucas of Woods Edge Apartments in Columbia, South Carolina with Interstate Realty Management Company/The Michael’s Organization. Julie maintains dozes of resident programs and services at Woods Edge and annually participates in SAHMA education and training to stay up to date and current. Her property routinely scores high on REAC Inspections and Management Reviews. Julie is dedicated to the mission of affordable housing and believes that this career provides her an opportunity to make a difference.
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2019 Maintenance Person of the Year award was presented to
Ronnie Hughes of Petersburg Towers Apartments in Elberton, Georgia with Southern Development Management Company. In his 37 plus year career, Ronnie has amassed a number of credentials which include CAMT, CAMT-II, EPA, HVAC, and CMM. Ronnie handles all duties related to proper maintenance procedures, preventative maintenance as well as customer services and safety at Petersburg Towers. Ronnie goes above and beyond to provide quality care to his residents
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2019 Service Coordinator of the Year award was presented to
Steven Beasley of Wesley Homes, Wesley Apartments and Wesley Hills in Dyersburg, Tennessee with Wesley Living. Steven obtained a Licensed Bachelor of Social Work degree and a Professional Service Coordinator credential. Steven takes advantage of continuing education programs which demonstrates his commitment and passion for his field of expertise. Steven is a proponent of residents sharing quality time together allowing them to remain engaged while they share and enjoy each other’s company. Steven believe this allows friendships to bloom as people find common ground.
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Sisson/Ownby Rising Star Award
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The Sisson/Ownby Rising Star Award is 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.
Anita Darnall was selected to receive the Sisson/Ownby Rising Star Award. She is the Director of Housing with Wesley Living in Memphis, Tennessee. Anita's career in affordable housing began 20 years ago. She has earned four NAHMA credentials: Certified Professional of Occupancy, Fair Housing compliance, Specialist in Housing Credit Management and NAHP Executive. She is a Certified Dementia Practitioner and holds a Residential Home for the Aged/Assisted Care Living Facility License as an Administrator.
Anita possesses excellent communication and leadership skills which she utilizes to supervise operations on 30 properties comprised of various programs. The many programs she has assembled and supervised at Wesley Living bring great benefits to the quality of life for all Wesley Living residents. In addition, Anita contributes as a SAHMA volunteer by serving on the State Meeting planning committee.
Thank you Anita for all you do in service to providing affordable housing.
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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 2019 recipient, Florida Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart
(R), was honored at the SAHMA Leadership Affordable Housing Conference
in Greenville, SC.
Representative Diaz-Balart was chosen for this honor because of his continued commitment and work to support affordable housing related initiatives. Mr. Diaz-Balart is the leading Republican on the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee, which oversee the funding for HUD program. He previously served as the Subcommittee Chairman and despite fiscal constraints, under his leadership the THUD Subcommittee provided adequate funding for HUD programs and tried to ensure that renewal of rental assistance should be a priority. Over the last four years he and his colleagues have worked to fund critical housing and infrastructure programs such as the Community Development Block Grant, Housing Opportunities for Persons with HIV/AIDS, Homeless Assistance Grants and he continues his work in support of Disaster Relief.
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Drug Free Poster Art Contest
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2019 National Contest Winners
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The 2019 Drug Free Art Contest was a great success. Through your support and encouragement, 681 residents participated in the program. This August, NAHMA announced that the 2020 NAHMA Drug Free Calendar would include artwork by six residents from a SAHMA member communities, with one resident featured on the cover! Congratulations to National Winner:
Kaia C.
from
Parkway Village
in South Carolina, a Westminster Company community, for being selected as the overall winner to be featured on the calendar cover
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Congratulations are also in order for our national winners featured within the calendar this year. We are so proud of the beautiful artwork created by the residents. Everyone's hard work truly showed in each creation.
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Lisa C.
Rockwood Manor
Westminster Company
North Carolina
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Treyvon D.
Moorhead Manor Apartments
Interstate Realty Management Company
Mississippi
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Angie M.
Lakeside Towers
Royal American Management, Inc.
Florida
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Don P.
Princeton Towers
SPM, LLC
Alabama
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A'zaylen S.
North Hills Manor
Interstate Realty Management Company
Mississippi
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Reminder: 2020 Drug Free Poster Contest
Time to start dusting off the art supplies and begin a new creation!
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We are quickly rounding out the year and with the new year, comes the 2020 Drug Free Poster Contest.
All children, elderly, disabled, and special needs residents of SAHMA member communities may participate.
Poster submissions are due to the SAHMA Office by
Friday, April 10th.
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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NAHMA Educational Foundation Scholarship
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For the thirteenth consecutive year the NAHMA Educational Foundation was able to provide impactful financial assistance to residents as they pursue higher education. 109 students were selected with each individual scholarship totally $2,500. The long lasting legacy would not be possible without your efforts. Throughout the year, you supported this program with donations and by participating in the annual fund-raising campaign at each state conference and the annual leadership conference. This year you raised and donated $10,000 to the NAHMA scholarship fund. Your generosity has directly impacted the SAHMA community.
This year, ten residents from SAHMA Member communities were selected as recipients of the NAHMA Educational Foundation Scholarship. Through your giving, you have helped give residents the support to pursue their dreams and reach their future goals.
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Congratulations to the following recipients:
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Dadja Coleman
Valley Garden Apartments, Huntsville, Ala.
Oxford Properties Inc.
Mohamed Darwish
Gateway Village Apartments, Simpsonville, S.C.
Westminster Company
Willard Duckett
Battery Heights, Chattanooga, Tenn.
Lookout Property Management, Inc.
Shania Etah
Valley Garden Apartments, Huntsville, Ala.
Oxford Properties Inc.
Tishana Jackson
Forest Hill Apartments, Lexington, N.C.
United Property Management Inc.
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Tierra Nunley
Douglas Park Apartments, Louisville, Ky.
TESCO Properties Inc.
Beonka Thomas
Ashton Pointe Apartments, Monroe, Ga.
Ambling Management Company
Rose Travis
Valley Garden Apartments, Huntsville, Ala.
Oxford Properties Inc.
Keeyah Walton
Clearwater Village Apartments, Clearwater, S.C.
Westminster Company
Jaquelin Williams
Housing Authority of the City of Greenville,
Greenville, S.C.
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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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Don’t forget to renew your membership dues for 2020. Invoices have been posted to the web account of each primary representative. If you need assistance please contact the SAHMA office. Renew Today!
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