As this column is written, we are two weeks shy of saying goodbye to 2011 and welcoming in 2012. For this reason, more than any other, I thought a look back at the past year — which will be part of history by the time you read this — is appropriate.
The past year has been one of quiet routine. For owners/agents of privately owned assisted housing, we are still awaiting Change 4 to HUD Handbook 4350.3, Rev. 1. That change was supposed to be published by this point (and it is still quite possible we’ll see it before the year is out). I’m not going to hold my breath, but I also won’t be surprised if it comes out on December 31st.
HUD’s proposed rule expanding protection under the Fair Housing Act Amendments to include prohibition on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity is not yet final. Enterprise Income Verification (EIV) continues to cause confusion and other issues, despite the fact that HUD’s EIV notices have been among its most clearly written in the agency’s history.
On the Public Housing side, there has been a significant degree of consternation, and not a little resistance, to HUD’s plan to publish the salaries of PHA Executive Directors, and their call to PHA Boards of Directors to undertake salary comparability studies.
Litigation-related concerns have led HUD to announce a re-bid for Performance Based Contract Administrator (PBCA) contracts in 43 states and territories. To some, this is not one of HUD’s more shining moments. But as far as I am concerned, as a former HUD staff member who understands the depth and breadth of truly Herculean demands on the agency, this episode can be seen as a shining moment because HUD is taking corrective action.
Lastly, and by no means least, this past year at NCHM saw us offering more web-based training through our “Spotlight On” series. We recognize that demands are increasing on housing management organizations across the board, and that easily accessible and affordable training options like “Spotlight On” are vital in professional development. We also inaugurated the COS Advanced program, a two day training with an online exam, to focus on issues we could not address in COS due to time constraints (such as Leases), as well as to raise the compliance discussion to a higher level.
If I had the gift of prescience, I could tell you what 2012 will bring. I do not possess such talent, however, and therefore will simply say that all spheres of our industry will rise to meet the challenges ahead as we always have and that NCHM will continue to devote its collective energies and talents to giving you the kind of educational and consulting offerings that makes it easier to meet those challenges.