AHMA East Texas and NAHMA
NOW ACCEPTING SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS FOR 2023

Scholarship season is now open for the 2023/2024 school year.  Both AHMA East Texas and NAHMA are offering scholarships for the 2023/2024 school year.  These are two separate applications and have different requirements.  Make sure your residents and employees take advantage of both these scholarship opportunities.  (Employees are only eligible for the AHMA East Texas scholarship.)  Please note your property must be current with their AHMA East Texas dues to qualify for either of these scholarships.

AHMA EAST TEXAS 2023 SCHOLARSHIP

RECIPIENTS MUST LIVE OR WORK ON AHMA EAST TEXAS MEMBER PROPERTIES (OR MEMBER AGENT OFFICE)

AHMA East Texas Scholarship Foundation will award educational scholarships to qualified applicants as determined by the Scholarship Eligibility requirements listed in the application packet.  Scholarships are to be used for post-secondary education.  Evaluation of the application includes reading and following instructions.  Make sure your resident/employee follows all directions and provides all requested information.  Failure to do so may disqualify their application.

The application is offered in fillable form and must now be submitted via email.  Email application and all documents in one email to info@ahmaet.org.  Remember both the applicant and Property Manager/Agent signatures must be wet signatures or a certified signature (typed signatures are not accepted). Deadline for receipt of applications is 10:00 p.m. CST, May 12, 2023.  Note the deadline has been extended by 2 days.

Once an application is received (via email or other method), you will receive an email acknowledging receipt.  We will only acknowledge receipt:  we will not acknowledge if the application was accepted.

NAHMA 2023 SCHOLARSHIP

The 2023 NAHMA Educational Foundation scholarship season is open, and the digital application is now available online.  This is a great opportunity for low-income residents to receive financial assistance to pursue their education and career goals.  NAHMA has provided a scripted email template on their website and they encourage you to use these notification promotional materials.  This can be located on their website at www.nahma.org.

To access the application, visit https://nahma.communityforce.com. The deadline for completed applications is 10 p.m. EST on May 12, 2023.  Eligibility for the program requires that an applicant be a resident in good standing at an AHMA- or NAHMA-affiliated apartment community and be either a high school senior with a minimum GPA of 2.5; or a high school equivalency diploma holder or matriculated college student with a minimum GPA of 2.3 at an accredited community college, college, university, or trade/technical school. Applications from students in graduate-level programs are not accepted.

The required application components include an application form, essay, reference and certification of residency in good standing form.  Additionally, an official grade transcript showing grades through the fall 2022 semester is also required and is the only component submitted to the foundation via mail. All necessary forms are provided within the web-based software.

Webinar:  HOTMA (for Decision Makers & Policy Developers with Gwen Volk

Thursday, May 18, 2023, 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 pm. CST

This course is recommended for decision makers and policy developers.

On January 1, 2024, HUD will implement the most comprehensive changes to the way HUD properties determine eligibility and calculate income and rent since 1981 when Congress raised the rent cap from 25% to 30% of Adjusted Income.  The changes are expected to have a ripple effect on other affordable housing programs including Rural Development and the Low Income Housing Tax Credit and HOME programs.  Find out the most significant changes, what guidance HUD has provided to date, and when you will need to start following the new rules.

Register Now for Webinar: HOTMA with Gwen Volk

Webinar:  Creating and Reporting Repayment Agreements with Jenny DeSilva

Friday, May 26, 2023, 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. CST

This advanced class is designed for compliance staff and onsite staff who handle recertification processing within their TRACS compliance software.

The group will explore common scenarios that prompt subsidy repayment agreements. The instructor will test participant understanding of how the overpayment occurred and which lease obligation(s) the tenant did not meet, while sharing effective tips to minimize repayments in the future. The group will then practice calculating the balance of overpaid subsidy owed to HUD and determine when these transactions will appear on the voucher.

Using a realistic case study, the instructor will show participants how to correctly report various types of repayment transactions on the new repayment agreement schedule of the monthly voucher and how to proceed when terms of the agreement are not upheld by the tenant.

Register now for Creating & Reporting Repayment Agreement wtih Jenny DeSilva

Webinar:  Ins and Outs of Certification Processing with Jenny DeSilva

Wednesday, May 31, 2023, Thursday, April 13, 2023, 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. CST

Join us in this interactive webinar that will help you “keep the certification ball rolling”.

This class will teach participants how to fine tune their interviewing skills to aid in making a certification appointment worthwhile, productive and efficient.  Next, we will discuss proper ways to use HUD’s hierarchy of income verification levels to avoid recertification delays and achieve timely, accurate certifications, even when third parties do not respond.

Using real world scenarios, we will determine the correct effective date for interim recertifications based on whetehr changes are reported timely by the household.  Finally, we will assess situations where certification actions can be delayed and combined with subsequent actions.

Regiser now for Ins and Outs of Certification Processing

SWAHMA 2023: Upcoming Training and Events, beginning May 25, with a 90 minute Webinar on HOTMA, followed by “Are you ready for RAD?” on June 15th.

SW-AHMA Fall Conferences have been announced for San Antonio and Little Rock, AR.

To find out more, please click the link below:

https://conta.cc/3APku6h

IN PERSON SEMINAR (Houston, Texas)

REAC & UPCS with Alejandro Dominguez

Wednesday, March 29, 2023, Registration starts at 8:30 a.m.  Class 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. CST

Please join us for this in-person seminar in Houston, Texas.  Alejandro Dominguez will teach us about REAC & UPCS. 

Here are the topics that will be covered:

• Topic 1: A brief introduction to REAC & UPCS (why a good score matters) and UPCS Scoring explained (so you don’t waste time and money on items that will not affect your score).
• Topic 2: Introduction to NSPIRE with comparison to the current UPCS protocol. We will discuss how REAC will schedule the initial NSPIRE inspections (how to know if your property will be up first), along with proposed changes to the REAC inspector protocol (changes to building count procedures, new pre-inspection property requirements, how often NSPIRE inspections will occur, etc).
• Topic 3: Breakdown of the current highest scoring UPCS deficiencies, which will also include NSPIRE corrective actions for each item.

Register Now for Seminar REAC & UPCS with Alejandro Dominguez

Webinar:  GIG Income & New Age Assets — All Programs with Gwen Volk

Thursday, March 16, 2023, 10:30 AM – Noon CST

Join Gwen as she teaches us how to handle Gig income and New Age Assets at your multifamily affordable property.  This course is also applicable to Tax Credit programs.

Numerous online platforms make it possible for our residents and applicants to generate income from assets they possess such as boats and homes, and connect with customers to provide other goods or services like rides, household chores, or technology services, to name but a few.  Meanwhile, assets have expanded from the sticks and bricks bank down the street and a plot of land to include cybercurrency and on-line payment, banking and fund-raising options.

Finding out about and then verifying and calculating income from the gig economy and new age assets is a challenge for the property manager. And regardless of the program, neither the oversight agencies nor our rule books give us much help on how to do this. This course shows you the basics of working with these 21st century sources and doing your due diligence to help ensure that the right benefits are going to the right individuals.

Register Now for Gig Income & New Age Assets with Gwen Volk

IN PERSON SEMINAR (Houston, Texas)

REAC & UPCS with Alejandro Dominguez

Wednesday, March 29, 2023, Registration starts at 8:30 a.m.  Class 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. CST

Please join us for this in-person seminar in Houston, Texas.  Alejandro Dominguez will teach us about REAC & UPCS. 

Here are the topics that will be covered:

• Topic 1: A brief introduction to REAC & UPCS (why a good score matters) and UPCS Scoring explained (so you don’t waste time and money on items that will not affect your score).
• Topic 2: Introduction to NSPIRE with comparison to the current UPCS protocol. We will discuss how REAC will schedule the initial NSPIRE inspections (how to know if your property will be up first), along with proposed changes to the REAC inspector protocol (changes to building count procedures, new pre-inspection property requirements, how often NSPIRE inspections will occur, etc).
• Topic 3: Breakdown of the current highest scoring UPCS deficiencies, which will also include NSPIRE corrective actions for each item.

Register Now for Seminar REAC & UPCS with Alejandro Dominguez

On Friday, February 3, 2023, HUD released the final version of HUD 52671-E CSP Request Form to be used in owner submissions for the fifth and final round of COVID-19 Supplemental Payments (CSPs).

Owners can submit payment requests for expenses incurred through January 31, 2023. The deadline to submit CSP requests to SHCC for processing is February 21, 2023.

For more information click on the link below:

https://conta.cc/413w0XU

On Friday, February 3, 2023, HUD released the final version of HUD 52671-E CSP Request Form to be used in owner submissions for the fifth and final round of COVID-19 Supplemental Payments (CSPs).

Owners can now submit payment requests for expenses incurred through January 31, 2023. The deadline to submit CSP requests to SHCC for processing is February 21, 2023.

For more information click on the link below:

https://conta.cc/3I8lo2h

Webinar:  Updating AFHMP on a Budget with Jenny DeSilva

Monday, February 13, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM CST

Affirmative Fair Housing Marketing Plans (AFHMP) must be reviewed and updated, if necessary, every five years.  The AFHMP Form 935.2A now requires owners to gather and report demographic information from their existing tenant population, their waiting list and their surrounding community via census data.  However, the new census resources online are intimidating and technical to navigate. 

This advanced, interactive session is designed for housing professionals needing to update their Affirmative Fair Housing Marketing Plan (AFHMP).  We will demonstrate the process by completing the online census research for a “sample property” and provide tips on the best ways to ensure your revised plan is a complete submission. 

Finally, lean inexpensive, set effective, advertising and marketing techniques to attact applicants to your property without blowing your advertising budget.

Register Now for Updating AFHMP on a Budget

Webinar: HUD Occupancy FAQs with Gwen Volk

Wednesday, February 22, 2023 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM CST

Staff struggle to find proper guidance/answers to the following questions. 

• How do you calculate child support – especially when it is not consistent or sporadic? Do you include lump sum payments for child support?  If a resident has a court order to collect child support but is not currently receiving it, do I need to have proof they are cooperating with collecting the child support?
• How do I decide which bonuses are to be included as income on the 50059?
• Are lottery winnings included as income on the 50059? If so, how is it calculated?
• Are gambling winnings shown as income on the 50059? If so, how is it calculated.?
• Should I count recurring monetary gifts from friends/family when the family member or friend varies from month to month?
• How do I ceritify/recertify a zero Income household? Can I require them to come in every 90 days to be re-interviewed about their income?
• How do I verify “new” employment income when they only have 1 or 2 paystubs and the employer is not cooperating with requests to verify the income?
• Can I use The Work Number as verification of income?
• How do I calculate income for seasonal employment (i.e. school bus driver, landscaper, etc.)?
• When am I required to recertify residents whose income is home health care when they get a patient/lose a patient and the change is frequent?
• What is considered Federal Wages and Non‐Federal Wages?
• What types of student financial aid can be income and when are they considered income?
• Do I include the income of a full time student (over the age of 18)? 
• I have an applicant at my Section 8 property.  Their family composition is Head of household (noneligible, non-citizen), 21 year old full time student earning $12,000 in employment, 18 year old full time student earning $15,000 in employment, 8 year old dependent. Is this family eligible to move into my property?
• What is the difference between earned income and unearned income of dependents?
• If I have 5 consecutive bank statements, can I calculate the average since I have the beginning and ending balances for 6 months? Also, if I have 5 months of statements but
  missing one in the middle (I can still identify the beginning and ending balance for the missing statement), can I use that for verification of the average?
• I have 6 consecutive paychecks (gets paid weekly) and can tell they are consecutive because the year to date matches on each paycheck, however, the pay period covered by
  the 6 paychecks is 10 weeks. Do I add $0 for each week when no paycheck was received?
• Are we allowed to use the annual social security tri‐fold letter to verify income for my January, February and March annuals and any new move ins? If not, why not? (no date
  of the tri-fold award letter).
• I have 6 bank statements. How do I calculate the average when some of the ending balances are negative?

Come get the answers to these questions from Gwen Volk.

Register Now for HUD Occupancy FAQs

On December 22, 2022, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that Owners of Section 202 elderly properties may register with the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the Health Partner Ordering Portal (HPOP) and request weekly shipments of COVID-19 test kits to be delivered to their property for distribution. This registration site is now open for all Section 202 Elderly properties. 

Click the link to register: https://vpop.cdc.gov/selfservice/register.

For more information, click here: https://conta.cc/3GFqxOL

EIV Fundamentals – Master Binder Reports, Existing Tenant Search, Income Reports with Jenny DeSilva

Wednesday, January 11, 2023 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM CST

Does EIV have you stumped?  What reports do you print?  When do you report an EIV report?  How do you print an EIV report?  Where do you store an EIV report?

In this introductory EIV course, participants will be provided a concise overview of monthly and quarterly EIV Master Binder reports, when and how to print them and where are they stored.  We will also discuss when to run the Existing Tenant Search, how to print them and what to do when someone shows up as living at another HUD property.  Finally, we will discuss when and how to print the 4 EIV Income reports. 

This fundamental class will give staff a clear summary of steps they must take to ensure their tenant files and EIV Master Files are organized and ready for assessment during upcoming Management and Occupancy Reviews and avoid the 5% EIV penalty on your monthly vouchers.

NOTE:  EIV Discrepancy Resolutions is a separate class and will not be covered as part of this Fundamentals Class. 

Register Now

HUD Recertifications: Annual and Interim with Gwen Volk

Thursday, January 19, 2023 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM CST

The requirement to do Annual and Interim Recertifications on a HUD property can feel like being chased by a freight train. The course will include:

• Annual Recertification basics including timing, procedures, notices to residents, and effective dates of changes in rent and HAP based on the resident’s cooperation or non-cooperation, the amount of time the owner has to process, owner caused delays, and the cooperation of verifiers.

• Interim Recertification basics when tenants must report, owner’s responsibilities, effective dates of rent and HAP changes when tenant does and does not report timely.

• Current HUD guidance on COVID and recertification.

• Tips on how to stay on top of the situation and drive your own train.

Register Now