Immersed in a revision of our Blended Occupancy Specialist (BOS) course over the past few weeks, I have spent a lot of time thinking about all things blended … and I don’t mean frozen margaritas (though I may have one to celebrate when I’m finished with the revision). Of course you know what I mean is blended properties, also known as “combos” or sites with subsidy layering.
As our industry trends more and more towards blending, management companies need to expand their blended “capacity,” or knowledge base and skill set, in order to remain competitive.
How? I would be in the wrong business if my answer were not TRAINING.
To determine exactly where your capacity needs to be expanded – and how to do so – look at the site in question and the blend. Is it an aging HUD property, such as Section 8, that is planning to add on the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Program? Now look at your training and experience. Maybe you took NCHM’s Certified Occupancy Specialist (COS) course 10 years ago, but have never had any exposure to LIHTC. In that case you might need to head back to class, starting with NCHM’s Tax Credit Specialist (TCS) course.
To expand your blended capacity even further, register for BOS to truly understand the mechanics of how both programs work together, where they don’t, and how to properly navigate the differences.
Maybe there’s not enough time and/or resources to get this additional training right now. NCHM live webinars provide a convenient solution. In the past year we have greatly expanded our webinar curriculum to include monthly compliance-related offerings for HUD properties and LIHTC, in addition to other performance-related webinars on topics like Bullying in Senior Housing and Time Standards for Maintenance staff. Our upcoming webinar series on blended sites will look at the practical and compliance implications when LIHTC is blended with HUD project-based, HOME, or Rural Development (RD) subsidies. If you or your staff feel that your blended capacity may be limited, attendance at this series is the perfect way to move toward improvement.
Let NCHM be your guide toward a greater understanding of all these housing programs and how you can successfully manage them singularly or in combination. Consider adding on a performance-based webinar or two while you’re at it. Our industry, our properties, our careers and most importantly our residents will only benefit from well-balanced managers with expanded capacity.