photographs.B O A R D O F COMMISSIONERS

April 22, 2021 REGULAR MEETING

TO THE COMMISSIONERS OF THE ST. LOUIS HOUSING AUTHORITY ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI

PUBLIC NOTICE OF MEETING

Take notice that the regular meeting of the commissioners of the St. Louis Housing Authority will be held via Zoom* on Thursday, April 22, 2021, commencing at 4:30 p.m., to consider and act upon items shown on the attached agenda. An Executive Session will be convened to discuss legal actions, causes of actions, communications with attorneys, personnel matters, leasing, purchase or sale of real estate and bid specifications.

DATED: April 16, 2021

ST. LOUIS HOUSING AUTHORITY

Secretary

Attachment

*Instructions For Joining Zoom

Meeting ID: 962 163 5477

Via Smart Phone or Computer:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9621635477

Via Phone:

(312) 626-6799, then 9621635477#

BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, ST. LOUIS HOUSING AUTHORITY REGULAR MEETING, APRIL 22, 2021, 4:30 P.M. ST. LOUIS HOUSING AUTHORITY, 3520 PAGE BOULEVARD ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI 63106 AGENDA

ROLL CALL

CONSENT AGENDA 1. Approval of Minutes, Annual Meeting, February 25, 2021 2. Approval of Minutes, Regular Meeting, March 25, 2021

RESIDENTS’ COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS

ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

DIRECTOR’S REPORT

RESIDENTS’ CONCERNS

COMMISSIONERS’ CONCERNS

SPEAKERS TO ADDRESS THE BOARD

EXECUTIVE SESSION The Executive Session will be convened pursuant to Section 610.021 of the Missouri Revised Statutes, to discuss legal actions, causes of actions or litigation, personnel matters relating to the hiring, firing, disciplining and promoting of employees, negotiations with our employees, leasing, purchase or sale of real estate and specifications for competitive bidding.

ADJOURNMENT Please note that this is not a public hearing or forum. Anyone wishing to address the Board must follow the St. Louis Housing Authority's Speaker's Policy. (Contact the Executive Division at Central Office for a copy of the policy.) APPROVAL OF MINUTES FEBRUARY 25, 2021 BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ST. LOUIS HOUSING AUTHORITY ANNUAL MEETING FEBRUARY 25, 2021 4:30 p.m.

CALL TO ORDER The Board of Commissioners of the St. Louis Housing Authority held its Annual Meeting on Thursday, February 25, 2021, via Zoom. Chairman Sal Martinez called the meeting to order at approximately 4:31 p.m.

Present: Annetta Booth Regina Fowler Sal F. Martinez Constantino Ochoa, Jr. Shelby Watson

Absent: James Murphy

CONSENT AGENDA Election of Officers Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Treasurer Commissioner Fowler nominated Commissioner Martinez for the position of Chairman. There were no further nominations. Commissioner Ochoa nominated himself for the position of Vice-Chairman and Commissioner Fowler for the position of Treasurer. There were no further nominations. The vote reappointing Commissioner Martinez as Chairman, Commissioner Ochoa as Vice-Chairman and Commissioner Fowler as Treasurer passed with all commissioners voting aye.

Approval of Minutes Commissioner Booth moved to approve the minutes of January 28, 2021. Commissioner Fowler seconded the motion. The motion passed with all commissioners voting aye.

ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION Resolution No. 2924 Approving and Authorizing the St. Louis Housing Authority Capital Fund Five-Year Plan and the FFY 2020 Capital Fund Annual Statement.

Alana C. Green, Executive Director, presented Resolution No. 2924 for approval to submit the St. Louis Housing Authority’s Capital Fund Five-Year Plan, Capital Fund Annual Statement and Significant Amendment to HUD. She noted that the information had been submitted to the residents for review and comment as a part of the annual process and that the plan has to be approved by the Board for submission.

There were no questions and/or comments regarding Resolution No. 2924.

Commissioner Fowler moved to approved Resolution No. 2924. Commissioner Booth seconded the motion. The motion passed with all commissioners voting aye.

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT Commissioner Martinez stated that he had been contacted by Dr. Fredrick Echols, Acting Director of the Health Department for the City of St. Louis, who was interested in working with the housing authority to enable its seniors to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, which lead to a wonderful opportunity. He noted that this is the type of work that the agency should be doing and symbolic of the type of out of box thinking of ongoing ways to serve the residents that the agency is looking for under Ms. Green’s leadership. He thanked Ms. Green and the staff for a job well done.

DIRECTOR’S REPORT Providing an update on SLHA’s asset repositioning and upcoming physical needs assessment, Ms. Green stated that the strategic plan calls for the agency to look into repositioning, redeveloping and creating new SLHA properties. She noted that SLHA recently began the process of procuring a firm to complete a physical needs assessment and energy audit to help the agency make informed decisions and better assess its capital needs and real estate portfolio, as well as facilitate capital planning and take better advantage of funding opportunities as they become available. She said the last physical needs assessment was completed in 2010 and it is hoped to complete the assessment every five years going forward.

Ms. Green reported, as far as monitoring and oversight of the property management companies, that the new staff is working closely with the property management companies to work on strengthen SLHA’s monitoring and oversight procedures, particularly paying close attention to the occupancy rates, the timeliness of unit turnover and work order quality and completion. She noted that since the pandemic and the eviction moratoriums began SLHA has about $1 million in uncollected rents for its entire portfolio; therefore, the Asset Management team is going to monitor the property management companies to ensure that they are doing everything they can to collect rent, including payment plans and the use of any emergency rental assistance that SLHA qualifies for.

Ms. Green informed everyone that there is an article on the STL Today website about the vaccine event held on February 21, 2021 that gives more details. She commended the Resident Initiatives staff for spending a lot of time calling residents. She noted that the Director of Development and the Director of Human Resources also worked to make sure that the event happened and there was enough staff on deck to help out as needed. She said the staff did a great job.

Commissioner Fowler asked Ms. Green how many doses of the vaccine did SLHA have available.

Ms. Green stated that SLHA had about 500 to 600 doses that it could have used, as every public housing senior age 65 and older was given the opportunity to be vaccinated, however, only those residents wanting the vaccine received it, which was over 200, but other seniors attended the event, resulting in 397 total.

Commissioner Fowler asked Ms. Green what happened to the doses that were not used.

Ms. Green stated that the City’s Health Department used every dose they had.

Commissioner Booth stated that she had an opportunity to stop by SLHA to observe and she noted that the event was a great one.

Continuing with her report, Ms. Green provided an update on the onboarding of new hires and staff training, noting that training is being set up to make sure that they have all of the essential information about their jobs.

Reporting for the Housing Authority Police Unit, Lt. Joyner stated that crime was down in the four housing complexes that the unit patrols, which are Clinton-Peabody, LaSalle Park, Cochran and Renaissance Place. He noted that there were no robberies or assault first incidents in Clinton-Peabody. He reported that the officers are doing foot beats in LaSalle Park in the new construction zones as a safety measure. He reported that violent crime was down in Cochran, but three burglaries did occur. Lt. Joyner stated that in doing his reports monthly he noticed that there is a pattern in the burglaries, which is usually a broken window and a television stolen or a kicked in door and the lock is damaged. He said after speaking with one of the managers he learned that the person renting the unit is responsible for

2 the cost of the damage if they or other occupants living in the home cause the damage, but if a report is filed SLHA pays for it. He said the burglaries may be legitimate, but some of them seem to be generic. He said with the damaged locks a lot of victims of domestic incidents want their lock changed, but if they make the request, he believes, they have to pay for it, however, if their door is damaged SLHA pays for it. Lt. Joyner reported that there was nothing major to report for Blumeyer, noting that no complaint numbers were drawn for the complex.

Commissioner Watson asked Ms. Green if it was true that if there is a domestic violence situation that the victim has to pay for their lock to be changed.

Ms. Green stated that she was not sure. She said she would check into it and follow up.

RESIDENTS’ CONCERNS Brandy McCaston, a resident of Northside Scattered Sites, stated that she has been living in her unit for seven years and has experienced a lot of battles. She said her home was broken into while her children were sleeping, there is a lot of mold that keeps coming back in the same spot, the whole building is full of mice and mice holes are everywhere. She said her unit had flooded at least six times in the last week and a half and her sewer is backed up, causing her home to smell. Ms. McCaston stated that she had put in for several transfers and did not get approved for any of them until January 11, 2021. She said she signed the paperwork on January 14, 2021 and was told that the unit would be ready on January 29, 2021. She said she is still not in the unit and for two months she and her children have been living somewhere else because they cannot stay in their home. Ms. McCaston stated that her house has been egged, the door kicked and the screens removed and management has not done anything nor has maintenance done the needed repairs. She noted that she had put in work orders for the same repairs over the last four years and none of the work is done. She said she got cameras installed to watch her home while she is away and she sleeps with weights and shovels against the door so that no one can come in on them. She said she and her children have asthma and when she told management about the mold nothing was done, except for patching of the ceiling. Ms. McCaston stated that she was told that she would have to pay another deposit when she transfers to the new unit in which she thought her deposit would transfer. She noted that she lost a lot of things when the sewer and pipes busted and the floods occurred and she did not know how she was going to replaced them. She said she filed a police report when her home was broken into and she noted that she gave the office everything, including pictures of the mold, the mice holes, the floods and of work orders that were supposed to be done that were not.

Commissioner Watson asked Ms. McCaston if this had been going on for four years.

Ms. McCaston stated that she had been putting in work orders for four years and nothing had been getting done, but she has been living her unit for seven years.

Ms. Green stated that East Lake owes Ms. McCaston an explanation and she asked Kenzella Walton, Operations Manager for East Lake, to give Ms. McCaston an update.

Ms. Walton stated that repairs are being made to the unit identified for Ms. McCaston, which are scheduled to be completed next week. She noted that East Lake is aware of the issues and that the property manager at Northside Scattered Sites, as well as the manager at Southside Scattered Sites, has been in communication with her. She said they are working to remove Ms. McCaston from the situation as soon as they possibly can.

Commissioner Watson asked Ms. Walton why did it take four years.

Ms. Walton stated that East Lake took over the property on April 15, 2019. She said areas have been addressed and they have been making corrections as far as removing health and safety issues.

Commissioner Booth asked if Ms. McCaston will get her deposit back.

3 Ms. Walton stated that Ms. McCaston is transferring from one unit to another unit within the same AMP, so there is no need for her to pay another deposit because her deposit will transfer to the new unit. She said if someone told Ms. McCaston that she had to pay another deposit they provided her with inaccurate information.

Ms. McCaston stated that the letter she signed indicated that she had to pay a deposit.

Ms. Walton stated that it is a form letter and she noted that a line should have been drawn through it and initialed. She said it was an administrative error that needs to be addressed.

Ms. McCaston stated that she was told that the unit would be ready by February 26, 2021 and the paperwork indicated that the unit would be ready on January 29, 2021. She said it is the end of February and she and her children do not have anywhere to go.

Ms. Walton apologized to Ms. McCaston and stated that she would make every effort to get the unit ready before close of business February 26, 2021 and personally reach out.

Ms. McCaston thanked Ms. Walton.

Commissioner Fowler asked what is being done about the mice problem and sewer backup. She said if these issues are persistent then SLHA will just hear from more residents.

Ms. Walton stated, as far as mice problems, East Lake is contracted with Rottler. She said when Rottler services units they patch any holes that are identified and staff go in and fill them. She said if additional services are required Rottler does them also. She said it is basically communicating with Rottler, getting extra services if needed and communicating with the residents regarding housekeeping issues and/or any other issues that may be contributing to the mice problem.

Commissioner Fowler asked Ms. Walton if East Lake is actively participating in doing that.

Ms. Walton responded, “Yes.” She also explained the process.

Commissioner Fowler inquired about the sewer backup.

Ms. Walton stated that she was not aware of a sewer backup. She said she would have to look into it.

Commissioner Watson asked Ms. Green if the Board could get a detailed report of all of the issues that Ms. McCaston had raised and what work had been done since April 2020.

Ms. Green responded, “Yes.”

Commissioner Watson thanked Ms. Green.

Commissioner Martinez thanked Ms. McCaston for attending the meeting and sharing her concerns. He said SLHA is sorry for the hardship that she and her family had experienced and wants to do everything that it can to make things right. He said based on the statement made by Ms. Walton it is expected for her to move into the new unit on February 26, 2021.

Paula Foster, President of the Blumeyer Village Tenant Association, suggested addressing issues of the developments before 10 years pass. She said when it gets to 10 years the housing authority should be trying to work on improvements to keep the developments up. She said the Agency Plan addresses certain developments and certain issues and if it is known that a development is in the 10 or 11 year plan then the housing authority should try to work the improvements into the Capital Plan so that the developments do not get into the state they are in. She said the housing authority waiting too long to do upgrades is a trend she has seen since she has been there. Ms. Foster asked if the housing authority

4 can look to see if there is any kind of way to do upgrades before 10 or 20 years pass and the developments turn for the worst and millions of dollars have to be spent to do remods on the units, which would save the agency a lot of money. She noted that Renaissance Place has been up for 10 years and their washers and dryers and stoves are breaking down. She said management replaces them, but they cannot replace them all at the same time, which frustrates the residents. She asked if the housing authority can look into solutions when the Agency Plan meetings start.

Ms. Green stated that that is one of the reasons why SLHA wants to do a physical needs assessment every five years instead of every 10 years. She said SLHA does not want things to sit for 10 years when periodic improvements could be made, which will save the agency a lot of money.

Commissioner Fowler asked Ms. Green how old is McMillan Manor.

Ms. Green stated that she was not sure. She noted that it is newer than some of the traditional public housing and that it needs some improvements.

ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Fowler moved to adjourn the meeting into Executive Session. Commissioner Ochoa seconded the motion. The vote was in favor of passing the motion with all commissioners voting aye. The meeting thereupon adjourned at 5:10 p.m.

Sal Martinez, Chairman Board of Commissioners St. Louis Housing Authority

Alana C. Green, Secretary Board of Commissioners St. Louis Housing Authority

(SEAL)

5 APPROVAL OF MINUTES MARCH 25, 2021 BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ST. LOUIS HOUSING AUTHORITY REGULAR MEETING MARCH 25, 2021 4:30 p.m.

CALL TO ORDER The Board of Commissioners of the St. Louis Housing Authority held a Regular Meeting on Thursday, March 25, 2021, via Zoom. Chairman Sal Martinez called the meeting to order at approximately 4:32 p.m.

Present: Sal F. Martinez Regina Fowler Shelby Watson

Absent: Annetta Booth James Murphy Constantino Ochoa, Jr.

CONSENT AGENDA Approval of Minutes Due to the lack of a quorum, the minutes of February 25, 2021 were tabled.

ITEMS PREVIOUSLY APPROVED BY TELEPHONE VOTE Resolution No. 2925 (For Informational Purposes Only – Approved by Telephone Vote on March 10, 2021) Authorizing and Approving the Execution of the Capital Fund Program (CFP) Amendment to the Consolidated Annual Contributions Contract and the Capital Fund Annual Statement for Fiscal Year 2021.

DIRECTOR’S REPORT To provide some context as to what is being done and what is being worked on, Ms. Green reported on upcoming priorities envisioned for the agency. She reported that she, on behalf of the Executive Office, is working with the Asset Management team to strengthen the oversight of the management companies and to find viable solutions for the immediate capital needs of SLHA’s rental portfolio. She said she is working with the staff to prepare to issue a request for proposal (RFP) for property management services and working to revise SLHA’s complaint process. She said she is also working to better serve SLHA’s community by fostering greater participation with MBE, WBE and Section 3, as well as working with the staff to do a new website to strengthen it and make it more user-friendly.

Ms. Green reported that the Asset Management team has been tasked with identifying and categorizing vacant units based on the extent of work needed, preparing a leasing strategy, reviewing Yardi for property management adherence to work order completion and preparing a report detailing the extent of uncollected rent.

Ms. Green reported that SLHA has a lot of projects coming online that will be issued for RFP’s, hence the need to strengthen MBE and WBE participation. She noted that the Development and Modernization staff is working on a “Doing Business with SLHA” presentation to the community. She said SLHA wants to make sure that everyone has an opportunity to bid on the projects and have a fair chance of getting them. She reported that the staff is also working on the physical needs assessment, which is the first initial step in working to reposition the agency’s assets and possibly look at RAD conversion. Ms. Green reported that there are quite a few positions vacant in the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) department; therefore, the team’s priority is to get them filled. She noted that vouchers will also be issued steadily for the next couple of months, which has not been done in about a year.

Ms. Green reported that the Legal team is going to resume the hearing process and is working to do remote hearings. She noted that the Procurement and Contracting Officer’s work falls under Legal and that several RFP’s will be issued, including a crisis communication firm, pest management consultant and property management firm.

Ms. Green reported that the Resident Initiatives team is working closely with the TAB boards to look at their financial situations and to provide some leadership training, as well as working on grant outcomes and TAB elections, which will be held this year.

Ms. Green reported that the IT team is working to finish up the Wi-Fi deployment and on the installation of a new telephone system for greater community service and customer service.

Ms. Green stated that this concluded her report and she asked if there were any questions.

Commissioner Watson inquired about the crisis firm.

Ms. Green stated that if there is an issue the crisis communication firm will manage the crisis through communications, either with the media or messaging, if needed.

Commissioner Watson asked Ms. Green why did SLHA not have a crisis phone for problems, such as things that have not gotten fixed or things that no one can find the solution to.

Ms. Green stated that the complaint process is one of the things that SLHA is currently working on. She noted that SLHA has an ombudsman whose main job is to handle complaints for the organization. She said being able to put the ombudsman’s information out there is key, but also being able to solve issues before they get to that point is crucial.

Reporting for the Housing Authority Unit (HAU), Lt. Joyner noted that there had been a reduction in most of the part one crimes. He said the actions taken by HAU to address the criminal activity has really helped out in the Clinton-Peabody complex. He provided updates, reporting that there was a homicide in the LaSalle Park complex, a robbery first and an assault first in the Clinton-Peabody complex, a domestic assault third and a burglary second in the Cochran complex and a motor vehicle was stolen in the Blumeyer complex, as well as a catalytic converter was removed from a vehicle. Lt Joyner stated that this concluded his report and he asked if there were any questions.

Commissioner Martinez commented that as the weather gets warmer he would anticipate more people being outside.

Lt. Joyner stated that HAU will be starting a patrol plan in May that he thinks will make a huge difference.

Commissioner Martinez noted that a mechanical unit was recently removed that had been in front of LaSalle Park for a few weeks. He asked Lt. Joyner if that had been put in place by SLHA’s detail or by the police department.

Lt. Joyner stated that HAU took care of it.

2 COMMISSIONERS’ CONCERNS Commissioner Fowler stated that it seemed like the accumulated depreciation should be negative, but several accounts were positive. She asked Ms. Green to inquire about the accumulated depreciation with the Director of Finance.

Ms. Green acknowledged Commissioner Fowler’s comment.

ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Watson moved to adjourn the meeting. Commissioner Martinez seconded the motion. The vote was in favor of passing the motion with all commissioners voting aye. The meeting thereupon adjourned at 4:52 p.m.

Sal Martinez, Chairman Board of Commissioners St. Louis Housing Authority

Alana C. Green, Secretary Board of Commissioners St. Louis Housing Authority

(SEAL)

3 DIRECTOR’S REPORT

MEMORANDUM

To: Board of Commissioners

From: Alana C. Green

Date: April 15, 2021

Subject: Executive Director’s Update

It is my pleasure to present this update for your review. Additional and specific information on many of the referenced activities can be found in the Monthly Activity Reports, also presented for your review. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions. Thank you.

Executive

Priorities during the month of April continue to include working with the new Asset Management team to strengthen oversight of the management companies and finding viable solutions for the immediate capital needs of our rental portfolio. I am also working with staff to increase occupancy within our public housing portfolio and increase utilization in the housing choice voucher program. We continue to prepare to issue an RFP for Property Management Services during the first week of May (that will include significant enhancements to the contract and a revamp of development groupings).

During the last month, I have provided additional guidance to staff on SLHA’s complaint process to ensure successful service to our residents. I also reviewed the agency’s current MBE, WBE and Section 3 utilization.

The Internal Auditor will be fully transferred into the role no later than April 26; his first tasks assigned include the start of SEMAP reviews and the audit of the Tenant Association Board (TAB) financials. The Marketing and Communications Specialist continues to work with a vendor to create a new SLHA website, with the purpose of fostering greater resident communication.

Over the next few weeks, we will begin to strategically “return to work”, starting with staggered schedules a few times a week (with remote work all other work days). We are investigating protocols that will allow us to safely meet in person with public housing residents and HCV clients on a limited basis.

Asset Management

The new Asset Management team continues to make very significant and positive improvements to the oversight of our real estate portfolio and property management companies. The staff has been tasked with identifying and categorizing vacant units based on the extent of work needed; preparing a leasing strategy to assist with increasing occupancy; reviewing Yardi for property management adherence to work order completion goals; and preparing a report detailing the extent of uncollected rent resulting from the eviction moratorium.

Priorities for the department over the next couple of months include, but are not limited to, working with property management companies to increase occupancy at all developments; ensuring property management completion of Pre-REAC action items; continued review of property management company efforts to enter into payment agreements with residents to facilitate payment of rents and reduce the number of residents subject to eviction (post moratoriums); continued review of, and visits to, developments to identify deficiencies; and preparation of revised compliance forms and board reports.

This month, please find the addition of several new reports in the Public Housing section of the Monthly Activity Reports document. Additional reports will be added over the next few months, as more data becomes available in our property management software.

Development and Modernization

Responsible for the creation of new public housing developments and the administration of the SLHA Capital Fund, the Development and Modernization team continues to work with development partner, Habitat for Humanity, to develop La Saison, which is a new home development (10 units). The staff also continues to work with the City and McCormack Baron Salazar, Inc. on the redevelopment of Preservation Square (19 public housing units).

The department is also responsible for the critical task of facilitating the completion of the Physical Needs Assessment of the entire SLHA portfolio. This is the first step in the asset repositioning process and potential RAD conversion (which will allow for significant rehabilitation of developments and units) and is a high priority for the Agency. The department has finalized the selection of a contractor and HUD recently approved the request for a sole source procurement (bid received from only one firm). We are currently awaiting the signed contract and related documents from the selected firm. Information gathering, detailed site visit and final report will be completed over the next four to five months.

There has been a considerable delay in the completion of the environmental review and Section 106 approval process, via HUD and the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), respectively. Our ability to commence certain critical capital improvement projects are predicated on these approvals. Recently, we received communication from HUD and SHPO that the reviews will be completed by the end of April.

The “Doing Business with SLHA” training series begins this week and will continue for the next six weeks. The purpose of the trainings is to build contractors’ capacity to participate in the SLHA bidding process. In addition, the department is finalizing the submission of the Capital Fund Plan and ACC Amendment in HUD’s EPIC system; initiating the procurement process for all projects that have previously received environmental review and Section 106 clearance; and preparing a plan to use remaining Replacement Housing Factor funds for approval by the Executive Director.

The Development and Modernization Department is also working with the Asset Management Department on the critical task of assessing units at Hodiamont Apartments to begin immediate repair of units with Capital funds.

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Housing Choice Voucher

The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Department continues to administer the voucher program for the Agency. The department has several vacancies that are in the process of being filled. New hires have been prioritized to ensure adequate staff to accomplish all critical tasks.

Priorities over the next couple of months include, but are not limited to, the following: provide training, as needed, for all new hires; complete backlog of recertifications; develop an RFP to solicit vendors to assist with HCV inspections delayed due to HUD-approved COVID waivers; pursue virtual inspection options, as allowed by HUD; immediately evaluate the availability of funds to issue new vouchers (and issue those vouchers); and begin evaluation of internal control procedures to ensure compliance with SEMAP.

To increase voucher utilization, HCV senior staff are pulling approximately 200 people from wait list on a bi-weekly basis. We have also recently issued an RFP to assist with the backlog of inspections (as allowed by HUD in its waiver notice). We will also issue an RFP to assist with temporary staffing for the HCV program and consulting services.

Legal

The Legal Department continues to be responsible for SLHA’s legal and procurement related matters. The staff has started taking the initial steps to resume hearings for the agency and are involved in several new RFPs being issued, including ones for a crisis communication firm, pest management consultant, and the property management RFP. The department is also beginning the process for drafting the upcoming Agency Plan and ACOP. Hearings will resume in late-April/early-May, starting with public housing residents.

Resident Initiatives

The Resident Initiatives Department continues to provide supportive services designed to assist eligible families with children, older adults, and disabled residents in the Housing Choice Voucher and Public Housing programs. Over the last month, the department facilitated completion of the second vaccine event for seniors living in public housing. Priorities for the next couple of months include, but are not limited to, providing Tenant Association Boards (TAB) with financial and leadership training; enhancing FSS and ROSS grant outcomes; and coordinating TAB elections. The department is also working to revive the lobby monitor program, and will receive training on using Yardi to track case management.

Finance

The Finance Department continues to be responsible for all accounting functions for SLHA and affiliates. The staff continues to manage COVID funds received from HUD and are currently working on agency audits. Over the next couple of months, the department will begin to work with departments to facilitate the creation of next year’s budgets.

Human Resources

The Human Resources Department continues to support managers and directors in the staff onboarding process. Priorities for the department over the next several months include, but are not limited to,

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assisting the HCV Department in filling all vacant positions; evaluating insurance options; reviewing the SLHA personnel manual and present recommendations for board approval; and developing an Employee Recognition committee, as detailed in the SLHA strategic plan.

Information Technology (IT)

The IT Department has played an essential role in SLHA telework, being available to troubleshoot issues as they arise. The department also continues to assist with WiFi deployment for public housing residents and recently created a new intranet for the Agency.

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