Roberta Graham, Vice President for Housing Choice Voucher Services, testified before the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Voucher Reform on June 23

Roberta testified before the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity on a recently released discussion draft to reform the Housing Choice Voucher program called the Section 8 Savings Act (SESA). Review a copy of Roberta's testimony here:  Roberta Graham House Financial Services Testimony 6.23.11 

To view the web cast and see the entire hearing, click here: http://financialservices.house.gov/Calendar/EventSingle.aspx?EventID=247180.

HUD Awards Housing Choice Voucher Study Contract

 The U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded Abt Associates a contract for a study of the Housing Choice Voucher program. Quadel is a member of the Abt team and will participate in the study that may extend for four years.

The study will examine the funding amount needed to administer a high performing and efficient voucher program based on direct measurement of the work actually performed by voucher administrators. The voucher program represents a large portion of HUD's overall budget and of all the benefits that HUD provides to low-income families and individuals. As of 2010, the Housing Choice Voucher program serves more than 2 million households, at a total subsidy cost of over $19.5 billion per year.

The data collection tasks will be performed through a series of site visits, interviews, and focus groups at HUD field offices and with the program staff and Board of Directors for 60 public housing authorities. A panel of experts will provide input and guidance on all phases of the study. In addition to Abt and Quadel, other team members include Phineas Consulting, Resource Systems Group, Inc., JRD & Associates, Inc., and Jennifer Hopkins Consulting.

Newark Project Based Voucher Program Awarded Governor’s Excellence in Housing Award

 The NHA was nominated for a creative partnership based on its Project-Based Voucher (PBV) Program.    The program is administered by New Jersey Quadel as part of the Newark Housing Choice Voucher program.

The PBV Program allows the NHA to allocate up to 20% of its mobile Section 8 vouchers to be dedicated to specific projects.  Under the PBV Program residents pay no more than 30% of their income for rent, while the NHA pays the balance of a reasonable fair market rent to the owner.  Converting tenant based vouchers to project based vouchers allows for the creation or production of new housing.  It also provides long term housing options for more difficult to house populations such as the homeless, disabled and elderly who have difficulty finding units with their mobile vouchers in the fluctuating housing markets.

Newark’s PBV program was created June 2007, the first 26 project based vouchers were awarded in February of 2008.  In total, NHA has awarded 607 project based vouchers which are being leveraged to support the total development and rehabilitation of over 1,000 units of affordable housing.  As a result of this program, 38 units of supportive housing have been built and occupied and 86 additional supportive housing units are under development.

Quadel assumed responsibility for management of the Newark Housing Authority’s (NHA) Housing Choice Voucher Program in April 2008.  After a year of operations, the NHA Housing Choice Voucher Program has transitioned from troubled status to a standard performer rating under SEMAP.

Indiana Quadel Co-Hosts Performance Based Contract Administration Owner / Agent Conference

On April 20, 2010, The Midwest Affordable Housing Management Association (MAHMA) in conjunction with the Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority (IHCDA) and Indiana Quadel, held the state’s “Performance Based Contract Administration Owner/Agent Conference” at the University Place Hotel and ConferenceCenter at Indiana University Purdue University Campus.  Celebrating 10 years of success in administering the HUD Performance Based Contract Administration Program, this event highlighted a strong partnership among the owners/agents, the local HUD office, IHCDA, and Indiana Quadel.  More than 200 affordable housing professionals were in attendance.

John Hall, HUD Field Director kicked off the day with opening remarks praising the successful work of the IHCDA/Quadel partnership that has resulted in a decade of both huge savings for HUD and continued improvements in the quality of life for the people of Indiana.  The program featured Deborah Lear, HUD Director, Office of Housing Assistance Contract Administration Oversight, as keynote speaker, discussing HUD’s exciting Transforming Rental Assistance Initiative and updates on new rules and regulations tied to the Performance Based Contract Administration Program.  Indiana Quadel’s housing experts conducted intensive training programs covering a range of topics including; Management and Occupancy Reviews, Voucher Processing, Contract Renewals and Rent Adjustments. 

Guest Speaker Anne Ryder, former NBC TV journalist and accomplished writer shared her compelling and inspirational stories of hope, faith and resilience of spirit.  Those stories resonated with the affordable housing professionals dedicated to ensuring safe, decent and sanitary housing for low income families in the State of Indiana.