The Public Housing Authorities Directors Association (PHADA) is a professional trade association representing local housing authorities from across America. The association was founded in 1979 and now represents nearly 1,700 members.

In order to fulfill its goal of serving the public housing community, PHADA serves as liaison between its membership, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the United States Congress. As PHADA's membership grows, so does its acclaim on Capitol Hill, rendering the association one of the most powerful housing voices in Washington.

PHADA provides many educational and informational services to its membership in an effort to enhance the professionalism of the industry. Conferences, publications, the home page, overnight faxes and mass e-mails are the primary tools of this communications challenge.

The Advocate, PHADA's biweekly newsletter, is the main vehicle used by the association to keep its members well informed. The publication tracks major developments in the housing industry and reports them in a clear and concise manner for ease of reading. New initiatives from HUD or Congress are analyzed and explained so that members are always aware of what is going on in the nation's capital. Special features such as News You Can Use, special article reprints and other added features give readers even more valuable information. Our Job Opportunities section provides housing authority employment listings and requests for proposals free to members and non-members.

The House, PHADA's Home Page, complements our print media by providing PHADA news alerts, the World Wide Web edition of the Advocate, an Advocate archive, Job Opportunities, HUD rules and notices, conference details and other valuable information in a much more expedient and flexible manner. Started in February of 1996, The House provides all PHADA's services in one place, in an easy-to-use format for our members. It will further enhance PHADA's ability to communicate and inform in the Information Age.

Still, these tools are not the only means of keeping members informed. PHADA also sponsors several conferences during each year, designed to educate Executive Directors and allow them to share their ideas with other housing professionals.

The Commissioners Conference, held in January, focuses on housing authority commissioners as well as executive directors. Program Sessions address many of the management questions that arise in running a housing authority and are always responsive to PHADA member needs.

Likewise, the PHADA Annual Convention and Exhibition provides a unique opportunity for public housing professionals to gather and view some of the products and services at their disposal. Coupled with even more informative program sessions, the Annual Convention is an educational as well as practical conference.

PHADA also plays host to a fall Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. which is designed to expand on legislative initiatives and give members an opportunity to meet with Members of Congress face-to-face.

Service to the membership does not end there. PHADA also plays a crucial role in the legislative process in the nation's capital. By monitoring federal legislation and regulations, the association is able to ensure that safe, decent, and affordable housing is protected and promoted by the Congress. PHADA was instrumental in securing the passage of the 1990 National Affordable Housing Act and has been a leader in obtaining adequate funding for HA needs.

The association was also the frontrunner in passing "Tenant Integrity" legislation in the Congress. PHADA followed up this achievement by sponsoring a series of award-winning workshops designed to assist the executive directors in detecting fraud in the admittance process.

Recognizing the importance of resident involvement with HAs, PHADA conducted a series of workshops cosponsored by HUD, designed to develop and improve resident initiatives programs. PHADA is also continuing its efforts to prevent legal services attorneys from defending "drug thugs" in eviction proceedings.

PHADA continues to work on your behalf. At this moment, we are working to ensure that new legislation gives HAs the flexibility they need to prosper under decreasing funding. But, at the same time, we are constantly fighting to ensure that budget cuts do not cripple the efforts of housing authorities. PHADA has already had a major impact on the formation of House and Senate housing bills and has pushed for responsible HUD funding.

In fulfilling its goal of serving housing authorities, particularly the interests of executive directors, PHADA continues to seek new means of education and information. Despite the many achievements and legislative successes experienced by the association in the past decade, it can truly be said that "the best is yet to come."