PHADA President David A. Northern, Sr.
We are now almost one quarter through 2023 and spring is in the air in many parts of the country. I am sure many of you agree with me that the time is passing very quickly. In just about two months, PHADA will meet in Denver for its Annual Convention and Exhibition. I want to encourage you to join us there for what promises to be an informative meeting at an opportune time.
Scholarship Awards Luncheon
The PHADA scholarship committee is now reviewing applications for our three scholarship awards and winners will be announced soon. The annual scholarship lunch is always one of meeting’s highlights. During the luncheon, many attendees choose to make a in-person contribution to the Bollinger Scholarship winner. PHADA will be coordinating with this year’s winner to provide alternative methods of for cash gifting. More information is available here.
Denver HA Tour
Our hosts, PHADA Trustee David Nisivoccia and his staff at the Denver Housing Authority (DHA), are working with our team on a tour of the some of the agency’s properties that will also feature some of innovative resident services at DHA. The tour will be conducted on Wednesday, May 24. Look for advance sign-up material to be issued in the near future.
Timely Information
As always, we will cover the most important topics that members need to know. For example, elsewhere in this edition you can read about President Biden’s new proposed budget. The FY 24 budget process is now heating up in Congress as lawmakers also debate whether to lift the debt ceiling so the government can continue spending without interruption. In Denver, we will report the latest on the budget and critically important debt ceiling debate.
We also plan to conduct informative sessions on the Department’s Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule with particular emphasis on the new Equity Plan process that is required of all HAs. Other major issues that will be covered include the new asset and income rules under the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act (HOTMA) and the latest on NSPIRE physical inspections.
NSPIRE is supposed to become effective in a manner of days as HUD plans to begin official scoring as of April 1. PHADA does not believe this timetable is fair or workable and has called on HUD to defer implementation until the Department and HAs are ready and more information is released about the scoring and other criteria.
You can read more about these and other hot topics in PHADA’s two-page Position Paper, beginning on page 13. In addition to these sessions, we will conduct others on employment practices and workforce changes resulting from the pandemic along with commissioners training, too.
Most Committee Meetings Are Open to All
Since PHADA began in-person meetings again, we have been emphasizing the value of the Sunday committee meetings and the legislative briefing that precedes those meetings. Many members have provided feedback that this is one of the most valuable aspects of our conferences. They have noted it affords time to network with – and learn from – other participants while also providing an opportunity to help shape PHADA’s positions.
I therefore want to encourage registrants to attend the committee meetings on Sunday, May 21, including the legislative briefing. A summary schedule of committee meetings and the sessions can be found in this edition and a more detailed program is available on our website.
New Committees Will Form Soon – Please Sign Up!
I mentioned that time is passing quickly and in May comes the end of my two-year tenure as PHADA President. I will be pleased to preside over this year’s annual business session, but the Board of Trustees will elect new leadership shortly after that in Denver.
Right after the convention, the new leadership team will begin reconstituting PHADA’s various committees. This is a good time for those of you that might be interested to become more involved. For additional information on our various committees and how to become a member, please see the material here.