It's easy to make a mistake when calculating the rent you charge low-income households at your tax credit site. For instance, a staff member might have made an error in arithmetic when adding a household's utility allowance, or staff may have used the income limits for the wrong...
Due to record heat waves set in many areas of the country this summer, you may have noticed an increase in the number of residents installing air conditioners in their windows, especially if your site has no central air conditioning. Unfortunately, residents don't always install them...
According to HUD's latest report on U.S. Rental Housing Characteristics, vacancies in assisted rental housing are much lower than the national average. Fewer units are affordable to low-income renters. In fact, according to the 2011 Housing and Homelessness policy statement distributed by...
Many managers assume that applicants with Section 8 vouchers are automatically eligible for tax credit housing. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Households that are eligible for Section 8 assistance may not be eligible for tax credit housing. Or, if eligible, they may not be able to...
Many tax credit sites permit a resident manager, superintendent, or similar site-level employee to occupy a unit. This arrangement may raise a red flag to state auditors if the unit is not being used as permitted in the original allocation agreement with the state. Operating in the dark with...
Two years ago, the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency notified some 90,000 families associated with its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program that their personal information might have been compromised when a laptop was stolen from an OHFA employee's home. The computer contained names...
When certifying or recertifying household income, knowing how to count assets properly is an area that often throws site staff. It can be tricky, but understanding when to treat an item as income or an asset is essential—counting an item as an asset when it's not may lead you to...
When new tax credit households move into your site, you can help them to start out on the right foot by ensuring that they have a clear understanding of their obligations for adhering to lease provisions and the house rules for your site. The orientation meeting sets the tone for the...
The slow economic recovery and high unemployment rates have created a surge in full-time enrollment among vocational schools and community colleges across the United States, according to research from the American Association of Community Colleges and the National Center for Education Statistics...
The world's population is aging at a rapid pace. The U.S. Census Bureau states that, in the next 10 years, people over 65 will outnumber children under 5 for the first time.
People are living longer, and they're living on their own. At least two million low-income seniors...
Site owners and managers beware: This is the time of year when accidental carbon monoxide poisonings peak. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that's produced when fuel is incompletely burned. In the winter months, faulty furnaces and fuel-burning appliances, and snow-covered or...
