case managers was that they were not being informed when residents were on notice for eviction, especially when this was due to late rent payments. Case managers felt that they could not fully execute their role as resident advocates when the CHA did not inform them about such critical actions. To resolve this and other communication challenges, several interviewees suggested changing the timing of regular meetings that included both key CHA and case management staff to facilitate timely discussion of pending court orders, evictions, and other topics. Priority Differences One of the essential features of the MTW program is that it allows local housing authorities to make their own decisions as to how best to spend HUD funds. Thus, there are bound to be differences of opinion related to the CHA’s priorities. It takes time, however, to work out these differences and to move forward with program implementation. One such difference of opinion among both board and staff members was whether to give priority to real estate development or client services. The argument for prioritizing real estate development is that it will provide additional units to meet the needs of low-and moderate-income households on the waiting list. The argument for prioritizing client services is that it will help people increase their incomes so that they can move out of assisted housing, thereby opening up units for other qualifying households. This tension has existed since the beginning of the MF program, but several staff members felt that those differences of opinion had intensified recently due to the loss of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds, changes in HUD programs (such as the switch from HOPE VI to the Choice Neighborhoods program), and higher than anticipated costs of providing client services. The higher than anticipated cost of providing case management limited the number of CHA clients subject to the work requirement, since case management services were coupled with the work requirement to help tenants increase their work effort. Differences of opinion also existed on how best to target case management and enhanced services. At the beginning of the program, some argued for targeting those
case managers was that they were not being informed when residents were on notice for eviction, especially when this was due to late rent payments. Case managers felt that they could not fully execute their role as resident advocates when the CHA did not inform them about such critical actions. To resolve this and other communication challenges, several interviewees suggested changing the timing of regular meetings that included both key CHA and case management staff to facilitate timely discussion of pending court orders, evictions, and other topics. Priority Differences One of the essential features of the MTW program is that it allows local housing authorities to make their own decisions as to how best to spend HUD funds. Thus, there are bound to be differences of opinion related to the CHA’s priorities. It takes time, however, to work out these differences and to move forward with program implementation. One such difference of opinion among both board and staff members was whether to give priority to real estate development or client services. The argument for prioritizing real estate development is that it will provide additional units to meet the needs of low-and moderate-income households on the waiting list. The argument for prioritizing client services is that it will help people increase their incomes so that they can move out of assisted housing, thereby opening up units for other qualifying households. This tension has existed since the beginning of the MF program, but several staff members felt that those differences of opinion had intensified recently due to the loss of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds, changes in HUD programs (such as the switch from HOPE VI to the Choice Neighborhoods program), and higher than anticipated costs of providing client services. The higher than anticipated cost of providing case management limited the number of CHA clients subject to the work requirement, since case management services were coupled with the work requirement to help tenants increase their work effort. Differences of opinion also existed on how best to target case management and enhanced services. At the beginning of the program, some argued for targeting those
Interim_report_12-1.docx