HACA EARNS A PERFECT SCORE FOR ASSISTED HOUSING ADMINISTRATION

HACA has earned a perfect score in this year’s Section Eight Management Assessment Program (SEMAP) review, thus enabling it to maintain its U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) defined status as a “High Performer,” a status it has maintained for more than 15 years.

“To earn a perfect score requires a total team effort,” said HACA President and CEO Michael Gerber. “Maintaining this level of excellence for the past 17 years in the face of diminishing funding shows what great lengths our staff and landlords go to provide affordable housing for Central Texas families.”

SEMAP measures HACA’s administration of the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program. It assesses 14 indicators of performance by using HUD’s national database of tenant information and information by independent auditors. HACA has earned a score of at least 100 percent since 2007.

The agency has worked in partnership with the Austin Apartment Association, the Austin Board of Realtors and other local rental organizations to streamline and increase efficiency of its HCV program to make it more user friendly for landlords and clients.

“HACA has presented a number of seminars in an effort to help our members better understand the inner workings of participation in the HCV program,” said Austin Apartment Association Executive Vice President Kristan Arrona. “Our association is a proud partner with HACA, and I look forward to future participation with the agency.”

Some of the 14 key indicators are: proper selection of applicants from the housing choice voucher waiting list, correct calculation of the tenant share of the rent and the housing assistance payment, timely annual housing quality inspections, performing of quality control inspections to ensure housing quality, ensure that landlords and tenants promptly correct housing quality deficiencies, expand housing choice outside areas of poverty or minority concentration, and enroll families in the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program as required and help FSS families achieve increases in employment income.

Currently, 5,800 families receive rental assistance each month. This accounts for over 15,000 individuals in need of affordable housing.

HACA is always looking for additional landlords to join our mission and help provide much-needed affordable housing options to Austin families. For more information, contact Landlord Outreach Specialist Nancy Green at (512) 477-1314 or email landlord@hacanet.org.