August Advocacy Week 4:
Increased Access to Resident Services
and NAHRO News 
Dear Colleague:

I was so excited to learn that because of your engagement, MARC NAHRO is now tied in THIRD PLACE in the regional advocacy competition. AND, thus far, MARC NAHRO has a lock on most improved from last year!  Thank you—thank you—and keep writing!!
 
During week 4 of NAHRO’s August Advocacy campaign, tell Congress and the White House to provide funding for programs to help residents succeed.  You can still submit letters for weeks 1-3.


It’s so easy to send your letter through NAHRO’s Advocacy Action Center. A sample letter/message is provided; simply add your elected officials’ addresses and yours and click send!   

You do not have to be a member of NAHRO to participate in these important Housing & Community Development advocacy efforts.  


Kathy Walter
MARC NAHRO SR VP
Deputy Executive Director/Comptroller
Housing Authority of the County of Beaver
Phone/Fax 724-630-2017
Cell Phone 724-624-6170
August Advocacy Week 4:
Increased Access to Resident Services

The pandemic has exposed the need for more resiliency in communities across the country. Public housing agencies (PHAs) are well-positioned to make this happen. The Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS), Jobs Plus, Resident Opportunity and Self Sufficiency (ROSS) programs help PHAs provide residents with important supportive services, resident empowerment activities, and economic upward mobility. These programs allow PHAs to develop local approaches for residents to increase earnings, advance employment outcomes, save money, and start their own businesses.
 
During week 4 of NAHRO’s August Advocacy campaign, tell Congress and the White House to provide funding for programs to help residents succeed.
 
Additionally, Congress and the White House have still not approved additional COVID-19 relief to help those families struggling with unemployment and facing the threat of eviction. Please keep sending the Week 1 letter every single day until a relief package that includes HUD and rent support is signed into law.


In order to advocate effectively for you at HUD and on Capitol Hill, NAHRO needs to know how you’re responding to the COVID-19 crisis. Please fill out this brief survey about the current state of your public housing and Housing Choice Voucher programs. It should take no longer than 15 minutes, and will be open until August 31.
 
We’ll use this information in the aggregate to tell Congress and HUD what resources and regulatory flexibilities your agency needs. The more information we have, the better equipped we are, so please help us help you!
 
In order to help you fill out the survey, here’s a PDF document with a list of the questions; please note that you’ll still have to fill out the survey itself online.

National Conference Goes Online!

Given the current COVID-19 pandemic, we're taking NAHRO’s 2020 National Conference and Exhibition online! We're thrilled to announce that the NAHRO Online: 2020 National Conference will take place from November 18-19, 2020.
 
Stay tuned – we'll have more details for you soon!
Award Deadlines Extended!
 
It’s still vacation time, and we know the summer breezes are calling! So the deadline for the following NAHRO awards has been extended to September 30, 2020.
 
More details and application forms are available on NAHRO's website.
Featured Seminar: HCVOEIR Distance Learning
 
September 1-3, September 9-11
1:00 - 5:00 p.m. Eastern

WHEN YOU REGISTER ENTER MARC2020
(MARCNAHRO will earn while you learn!) 
 
Tired of voucher errors? Want to avoid HUD findings in compliance audits? NAHRO PD has combined two seminars – Housing Choice Voucher Occupancy and Housing Choice Voucher Eligibility, Income, and Rent Calculation – into one comprehensive program that will help you curb errors. In just six modules, participants will gain an understanding of the vast regulatory guidance that has formed and shaped the Housing Choice Voucher program. The training focuses on effective interviewing, waitlist management, screening, outreach and marketing, and accurate application of eligibility, income, and rent calculation regulatory compliance. Master the nuts and bolts of Housing Choice Voucher program administration through interactive skill development and practice.
 
Our 100% online modules are only four hours per day, meaning you’ll still have time to complete your work tasks. If you are a front-line staff member, a case manager, or a supervisor responsible for managing wait lists, applications, and certification and recertification tasks, this course is for you! And once you’ve passed the exam and completed our Ethics for Specialists course, you can seek both the NAHRO Certified Specialist of Eligibility and Calculation (CSEC-HCV) and the NAHRO Certified Specialist of Occupancy-Housing Choice Vouchers (CSO-HCV) certifications.

Read the July-August Journal of Housing and Community Development!

We have incredible award-winners in project design and a thought-provoking article about how to use "participatory budgeting" in affordable housing development.