2010 Conference Information

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HUD Officials Spotlight Pueblo Recovery Grant

Click on the provided link to read about Ron Sims', deputy secretary of HUD, recent visit to the Housing Authority of the City of Pueblo. Sims was in Pueblo to draw attention to how federal stimulus money is being spent.

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Third Annual Colorado NAHRO Poster Contest

Colorado NAHRO is sponsoring it’s third annual Poster Contest in conjunction with National NAHRO for the kids in your resident networks. The subject matter of the poster is “What Home Means to Me”. Colorado NAHRO will be awarding $100 savings bonds to the winners in each of three age group categories and sending those winning posters on to National NAHRO for a national competition, the winners of which receive an expense paid trip to Washington DC plus a savings bond. 

If you would like to participate, we suggest you organize your own contest with your own awards program and then send your winners to us by August  30. 

Complete program details are available by clicking the "View PDF" button below. 

You will need to fill out the release form/ application for each entry. 

We hope you take advantage of this fun and enriching opportunity and get your residents involved in the competition.

 

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Recovery Act Progress Report

Our friends at CLPHA have put together a nice report on how ARRA funds are being utilized by agencies across the nation.

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2010 Colorado NAHRO Conference

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! The Colorado NAHRO Annual Conference will be held at the Pueblo Convention Center, May 11-15, 2010. The Maintenance Conference will take place on May 11-12 and the Management Conference will take place May 13-15.

Click here for complete conference information.

 

Alamosa Housing Authority Head Admits Embezzling

By ROBERT BOCZKIEWICZ
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN
DENVER - The former executive director of the Alamosa Housing Authority admitted on Wednesday she embezzled $1.3 million in a wide-ranging scheme over nine years and used the money to gamble.

The amount admitted by Patricia Martinez is more than 10 times larger than what she was accused of embezzling in a one-year period when she was charged on Oct. 21 in U.S. District Court.

Martinez, 62, faces a possible sentence of six years or more in federal prison when she is sentenced on Jan. 15.

She pleaded guilty to embezzling and to money laundering.

Martinez and the prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas O'Rourke, stated in an 18-page plea agreement that she involved her son in her crimes without his knowledge. They stated her sister knowingly helped with the scheme.

Martinez and O'Rourke also stated a housing authority employee helped and kept part of the money.

The plea agreement also states Martinez met in an alley behind the shop of a businessman, who assisted in the crime, and gave him checks of embezzled money.

The defendant and the prosecutor stated that two other housing authority employees asked to become part of the embezzling and then participated in it.

None of the others involved are identified.

Only one other person, Presiliano Bonifacio Romero, also known as Pres B. Romero, has been charged so far. Romero, 44, of Conejos County, worked for the authority as a maintenance man and is charged with embezzling $42,900.

He is scheduled to plead guilty Dec. 16 in a plea deal.

The prosecutor would not say if the investigation is ongoing or completed.

However, Martinez's plea deal indicates the probe is still under way. She is obligated by her plea agreement to testify "before one or more grand juries investigating" the case.

The agreement details how Martinez committed the crimes, including getting second signatures from housing authority board members on checks. The members "often signed blank checks, relying on Martinez's representations that the checks would be used for legitimate purposes."

She was head of the authority staff from 1989 to 2007, when she lost her job during the investigation. She admitted she embezzled from 1998 until 2007.

Martinez stated she signed more than 700 checks from the authority's account knowing the persons to whom they were payable were not entitled to the money and arranged for much of the money to be diverted to herself.

The agreement states she wrote the checks to her son; her sister; her nephew; the husbands of two housing authority employees; the father, mother, son, sister and a friend of another authority employee (referred to as "employee 3"); an Alamosa businessman and a business owned by "employee 3."

"At least one of the payees kept some of the proceeds of the checks and converted the money to his own use and benefit," according to the plea agreement.

Martinez, who moved to Fort Collins, admitted she conducted numerous financial transactions to conceal her crime.

Authority Board Member Scott Van Horn said he had not been one of the board members to sign blank checks, although he noted that three board members had stepped down since Martinez's time. He was uncertain who signed the blank checks.

"I'm not positive who that was," he said.

He said there was no indication that Martinez's theft had left maintenance and upkeep at the authority homes in a hole.

He did, however, despair of getting restitution of that amount back.

"That makes you sick," he said.

Martinez and her attorney, Castelar "Cas" Garcia of Alamosa, had no comment as they left the 30-minute court session. In court, she responded, "No, your honor," when Judge Philip Brimmer asked if she disagreed with the facts stated in the plea agreement.

The judge told her that her attorney and the prosecutor agree that preliminary information indicates that sentencing guidelines recommend a prison sentence of between 78 and 97 months for her crimes.

She responded, "Yes, your honor," when the judge asked her if she thought it was in her best interest to plead guilty rather than go to trial.

Alamosa County and city law enforcement authorities began the investigation. They later turned it over to the FBI, the inspector general's office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Internal Revenue Service criminal investigations division.

Federal jurisdiction exists because the authority receives federal funds.

Housng America Poster Contest Winners Sent to Washington DC for Judging

Colorado NAHRO, in conjunction with NAHRO's Housing America Campaign, sponsored a poster contest this summer in which residents of member agencies could participate in one of three age group categories. The contest required contestants to draw a picture of "What Home Means to Me" as well as provide a short essay. Click on the following links to view the winning posters:

Damacio Griego, Fort Collins Housing Authority, Age 11- Elementary School Andrea Velasquez, Adams County Housing Authority, Age 12, Middle School
Samantha Crouch, Grand Junction Housing Authority, Age 16, High School

Each of the winners is receiving a $100 US Savings Bond from Colorado NAHRO and their posters are being submitted to national NAHRO for judging in Washington DC. Twelve posters will be selected for NAHRO's 2010 calendar. One grand prize will be awarded to best poster and the winner will recieve an expense paid trip to our nation's capital during the 75th Anniversary conference in October, 2009.

CoNAHRO Holds Congressional Briefing in Lakewood

Colorado NAHRO put it best foot forward in sponsoring a congressional briefing for our national representatives at Red Rocks Community College in Lakewood on Friday, August 27. Thanks to the Denver Housing Authority for organizing the event in which members from the Colorado NAHRO Board and Executive Directors from around the front range met with congressional staffers to build relationships and highlight our legislative priorities. Click here to view the complete power point presentation that was delivered at the event.

Ten Colorado Housing Authorities Implements Smoke Free Housing Policies

The Group to Alleviate Smoking Pollution (GASP) has compiled a list of ten Colorado Housing Authorities that have implemented or are phasing-in smoke-free policies in one or more of their properties covering a total of 317 buildings and 1882 units within the next year. This includes authorities in Boulder County, Carbondale, Estes Park, Fort Collins, Grand County, Lakewood, Loveland, Rifle, Salida, and Wellington.

The list, Colorado Housing Authorities With No-Smoking Policies (PDF/HTML) is posted in the public housing section of www.mysmokefreehousing.org.

GASP of Colorado will continue to update the list as we learn of other housing authorities who have implemented or are phasing-in no-smoking policies.

Housing Solutions Press Release, New Development Services

Housing Solutions for the Southwest is pleased to announce the hiring of a new Housing Development Manager, Andrea Cohen, whose addition this July will significantly expand the organizations action plan for affordable housing in the area. Andrea has been in affordable housing project management since 2001, having managed ten projects during her career. Projects include tax credit projects, HUD 202 (senior) & 811 (disabled), special needs/homeless, rehab and new construction, homeownership and rental.

Andrea has a wealth of experience in all parts of the development process. She has:

• secured millions in federal, state and local dollars, and has created complex financial proformas for successful projects.
• worked extensively on acquisitions of new projects and financial feasibility of new projects.
• worked on projects that have incorporated the latest in green building materials and techniques, including solar photovoltaics, solar hot water, earth-friendly landscaping techniques, and redevelopment of brownfields.
• worked at length with property management staff to lease up multiple properties and improve policies and procedures guiding the marketing, lease up, and resident selection process.
• organized successful community outreach campaigns to gain support for projects with neighborhood opposition.
  

With the hiring of the Housing Development Manager, Housing Solutions has greatly expanded its capacity to develop new affordable housing. The organization is currently seeking to develop affordable housing projects that provide transitional housing, permanent affordable housing, and affordable homeownership to households in the region. With affordable housing so difficult to secure in the weak economy, with the addition of a Housing Development Manager, the organization can work harder to provide new affordable units to those who are in need. Housing Solutions develops in La Plata, Montezuma, San Juan, Dolores, and Archuleta Counties. If you know of local opportunities to develop new affordable housing, please contact Andrea Cohen at 970-259-1086, ext. 16.

Aurora Housing Authority Wins National Excellence Award

Contact: Elizabeth Gundlach Neufeld of the Aurora Housing Authority, (720) 251-2075 or egneufeld@aurorahousing.org

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 – The Aurora (Colo.) Housing Authority (AHA) has won a national award honoring superior assisted housing and community development programs. The AHA won in the Program Innovation: Community Revitalization category for the Aurora Community Reinvestment Plan.

The 2008 Award of Excellence comes from the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO), and will be officially presented on Oct. 28 at NAHRO’s National Conference and Exhibition in San Antonio, Texas. The AHA is one of 23 programs nationwide to receive the 2008 award, out of an original pool of 188 applicants.

Beginning in 2004, the AHA set out to address the need for multi-family construction in Aurora. According to a Housing Needs Assessment, no new multi-family construction occurred between 1960 and 2001. The study also indicated that 4,000 new units of housing per year would be needed. The AHA began a systematic approach to acquiring, renovating, preserving or building affordable housing. The AHA began by reinvesting in its own properties and by creating opportunities for building or acquiring other affordable developments. By breaking away from its role as an 'old fashioned' public housing authority, the AHA preserved 271 units of project-based Section 8 housing; built 68 new tax credit units; entered into limited partnerships with for-profit developers to newly construct or renovate 359 tax credit units; reinvested in its own properties through tax credits partnerships and grants to upgrade 210 units; and formed alliances with other non-profits to preserve 140 units of special needs housing.

"Dreams have become reality through commitment, passion and innovation of NAHRO professionals who are increasing opportunities in their communities," said NAHRO President Renée Rooker. "Our Awards of Excellence program recognizes their accomplishments as the best across our nation and they are truly making a difference in communities and the people who live there."
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Colorado Department of Human Services, Supportive Housing and Homeless Programs Wins National Excellence Award

Contact: Tracy D'Alanno of the SHHP, (303) 866-7361 or tracy.dalanno@state.co.us


WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 – The Colorado Department of Human Services, Supportive Housing and Homeless Programs (SHHP) has won a national award honoring superior assisted housing and community development programs. The SHHP won in the Program Innovation: Resident and Client Services category for the Project-Based Program for Mentally Ill Ex-Offenders.

The 2008 Award of Excellence comes from the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO), and will be officially presented on Oct. 28 at NAHRO’s National Conference and Exhibition in San Antonio, Texas. The SHHP is one of 23 programs nationwide to receive the 2008 award, out of an original pool of 188 applicants.

More than 10 percent of those coming in and out of prisons are homeless in the months before and after their incarceration. However, ex-offenders with mental illness are twice as likely to experience homelessness. After receiving a Justice Assistance Grant, Larimer County began a Jail Diversion project, which provides intensive treatment, case management and supervision services to adult offenders with mental illness. The SHHP then set out to address the missing component of the project—access to affordable housing—by providing six Project-Based Vouchers (PBVs) to adult offenders with mental illness and/or substance abuse disorders who have a history of incarceration and are involved in the County's Diversion project. Since the inception of the PBV program, eight ex-offenders have been housed. The project has seen success in a decrease in the number of jail days served by housing participants – an estimated 789 days, a savings of $48,523 annually. The continuity of treatment and collaborative support from community leaders has helped make this project exceptionally successful.

"Dreams have become reality through commitment, passion and innovation of NAHRO professionals who are increasing opportunities in their communities," said NAHRO President Renée Rooker. "Our Awards of Excellence program recognizes their accomplishments as the best across our nation and they are truly making a difference in communities and the people who live there."
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Housing Authority of the City of Colorado Springs Wins National Excellence Award

Contact: Eugene Montoya of the Housing Authority of the City of Colorado Springs, (719) 387-6700 or edm@csha.us

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 – The Housing Authority of the City of Colorado Springs (CSHA) has won a national award honoring superior assisted housing and community development programs. The CSHA won in the Project Design category for the Rio Grande Village Apartments.

The 2008 Award of Excellence comes from the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO), and will be officially presented on Oct. 28 at NAHRO’s National Conference and Exhibition in San Antonio, Texas. The CSHA is one of 23 programs nationwide to receive the 2008 award, out of an original pool of 188 applicants.

The CSHA replaced an outdated, post-war 40-unit duplex rental with Rio Grande Village Apartments, an innovative five-plex design development that models a Victorian "great house" appearance and looks like a single-family dwelling from the exterior. The "great house" concept was devised to complement the surrounding neighborhood with its architectural style of large Victorian buildings. The five-unit, three-story structures are close to the street, with front porches and rear parking. The compact design makes room for 100 units on a site that previously held only 41. In order to create space and compatibility with existing structures adjacent to the site, one-story "cottage" type structures were designed to abut the neighboring houses. For the exteriors, stucco and cement board lapped siding were used to create a clean appearance and keep maintenance costs low. Each five-plex contains two one-bedroom apartments and three two-bedroom apartments, complete with private entrances, laundry facilities, and energy-efficient windows and appliances. Apartments are separated by concrete floors and sound walls to screen out neighbor noise and provide energy efficiency. Reports show that winter-time gas and electric bills come in at less than two-thirds of the utility allowance for such units.

"Dreams have become reality through commitment, passion and innovation of NAHRO professionals who are increasing opportunities in their communities," said NAHRO President Renée Rooker. "Our Awards of Excellence program recognizes their accomplishments as the best across our nation and they are truly making a difference in communities and the people who live there."
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Lakewood Housing Authority Wins National Excellence Award

Contact: Ms. Sabrina Pierre-Louis of the Lakewood Housing Authority, (303) 987-7583 or sabpie@lakewood.org


WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 – The Lakewood (Colo.) Housing Authority (LHA) has won a national award honoring superior assisted housing and community development programs. The LHA won in the Project Design category for the Residences at Creekside.

The 2008 Award of Excellence comes from the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO), and will be officially presented on Oct. 28 at NAHRO’s National Conference and Exhibition in San Antonio, Texas. The LHA is one of 23 programs nationwide to receive the 2008 award, out of an original pool of 188 applicants.

Responding to the need for housing units for low-income seniors in Lakewood, the Residences at Creekside project adds 118 units of affordable housing in a six-story "green" building. The project is a freestanding, six-story concrete and steel building over a parking structure, and includes 85 one-bedroom units, 28 two-bedroom units and five studio apartments. The interior of the building showcases rich earth tones, which complement the art objects and paintings throughout the common spaces. There are many niches throughout the building where residents can curl up in a chair and enjoy the sun through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Residents can also take advantage of high speed internet, a community garden, laundry facilities, a fitness center, a hair salon, and an outdoor walking path. Individual units are equipped with energy-efficient windows and appliances, balconies or patios, an abundance of windows, carpeting and mini-blinds. In order to keep the building green and lower utility costs, a 25,000-watt rooftop photovoltaic solar system was installed, along with a system that recaptures heat from wastewater. The Residences at Creekside is also close to public transportation, shopping, a park and a medical clinic.

"Dreams have become reality through commitment, passion and innovation of NAHRO professionals who are increasing opportunities in their communities," said NAHRO President Renée Rooker. "Our Awards of Excellence program recognizes their accomplishments as the best across our nation and they are truly making a difference in communities and the people who live there."
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2009 Legislative Priorties Survey- Please Participate

Colorado NAHRO partners with Housing Colorado to track legislative issues in the State. Housing Colorado has prepared a survey to gauge the Legislative Priorities for 2009 and we are asking members to take a few minutes to fill out the survey so that we understand your positions and needs.

Click here to connect to the survey.

Thanks for participating.

Voterization- All You Need to Know for the Fall Elections

Don't Just Vote, Vote Smart

Getting registered and voting this election season is more important than ever for affordable housing advocates and affordable housing residents in Colorado. The next two years of housing funding--federal state and local--will be determined in this election and the election timeline is only getting tighter.

Election Schedule for 2008

• October 3: The Date mail-in ballots start going out to voters who requested them
• October 6: Deadline to register to vote in time for November Election
• October 20: Early voting begins at a handful of polling places in the counties
• October 28: Deadline to apply for a mail ballot
• November 4: Election Day!

With 18 initiatives and a popular slate of candidates, Colorado ballots could take up to twenty minutes to fill out this November. Also expecting record turnout, county clerks recommend that you and your residents vote early, vote by mail or show up early at the polls. Being prepared is key. The following checklist and resources will help you and your residents prepare for Election Day.

Election Checklist

• Check your registration online with the Secretary of State
• Get your registration form  (don’t forget to make these available to residents).
• Get your mail-in ballot form.
• If you’ve moved, don’t forget to register at your new address.
• Choose your candidates ahead of time and save time at the polls.
• Call your local election or county commission for poll locations if you don’t plan to vote by mail.
• Make sure you remember to bring the proper identification to the polling place.
• Finally, learn about ballot issues and educate residents to help keep poll lines moving.

Visit the Advocacy page of Housing Colorado's web site to obtain or access the above mentioned forms and web pages and get more tipson engaging and mobilizing residents for the 2008 elections: http://www.housingcolorado.org/?id=75

2009 Colorado & Mountain Plains NAHRO Annual Conference

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
When: June 15-19, 2009
Where: Snowmass Conference Center, Snowmass, Colorado

Colorado NAHRO is pleased to partner with Mountain Plains NAHRO in the presentation of the 2009 conference, June 15-19 in Snowmass Village, Colorado. This will be a joint conference combining the Colorado NAHRO State Chapter Annual conference and the Mountain Plains NAHRO Regiional Annual confernece.

The conference is broken into two segments. The Colorado NAHRO Maintenance Conference will take place on Monday and Tuesday, June 15th and 16th followed by the CoNAHRO and Mountain Plains NAHRO joint management conference on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, June 17-16.

Complete conference information will be posted on this web site as it becomes avaialble. The conference planning committee will begin in earnest in October. If you would like to be involved in the planning process please contact Dave Martens at martensb@aol.com.

Housing Colorado Housing Gallery Now Available

By showcasing affordable housing design accomplishments from across the state, the gallery offers a resource to developers interested in learning about new models; a public education tool for policymakers interested in learning about award-winning developments in their communities and how different subsidy streams are utilized to make these developments possible; and a public education tool for citizens concerned about affordable housing quality and design.

Click here to go to the Housing NOW Gallery. 

Colorado NAHRO Adopts Green Proclamation

The following proclamation was adopted by membership at the Colorado NAHRO Annual Conference in Estes Park, Colorado on May 16, 2008. The Board of Directors is in the process of developing specific guidlines to help implement the goals of the proclamation.

IN SUPPORT OF GREENER PASTURES FOR HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.

WHEREAS, Colorado NAHRO is committed to being a leader in environmentally sustainable design and operations that embrace and promote green building and related technologies; and

WHEREAS, Colorado NAHRO will provide training sessions, workshops and conferences advocating for, and instructing on the use of, green technologies and energy efficiency in its affordable housing and community development activities; and

WHEREAS, Colorado NAHRO will encourage all of its members to engage in proactive activities that promote green building in new construction and renovation; and

WHEREAS, Colorado NAHRO will utilize environmentally sustainable procurement policies and communication methods such as e-mail versus print mail, use of recycled paper and selection of vendors and facilities that share our green vision.

Now therefore be it resolved that the Colorado NAHRO Board has duly adopted and passed this proclamation on the 16th day of May, 2008.

Congressional Visits a Success

Colorado NAHRO members paid visits to the offices of State Representatives and Senators on Tuesday, April 1 in Washington DC to present the 2008 Legislative Agenda. Pictured here are Executive Directors Ismael Guerrero, Denver Housing Authority, and Ed Talbot, Arvada Housing Authority in discussions with a housing staff person in Representative Mark Udall's Office.

Nan McKay to Conduct Calculations Training in Estes Park

NAN McKAY COMES TO COLORADO NAHRO

Colorado NAHRO is pleased to present Mr. Terry Provance, a trainer with Nan McKay who will be conducting a three hour Calculations Seminar on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 from 2:00 pm to 5:15pm at this year’s Colorado NAHRO Conference in Estes Park.

Mr. Provance has over 20 years experience in Section 8 and Public Housing and regularly teaches courses in Eligibility, Rent Calculations and RHIIP, Public Housing Occupancy, and PHAS.

This is a great opportunity to get some valuable training at a very reasonable price. One day registrations are available for only $125.00

Please visit www.conahro.org for complete conference information, pricing and on-line registration. The early registration deadline for a discounted rate is April 11.

Housing America Campaign - 2008

Click here to access the Housing America web page, your source for information about the 2008 Housing America Campaign.

The Campaign is a year-long effort to inform the public and decision makers about the need to meet the country's affordable housing and community development challenges. NAHRO is joined in the campaign by partners from the non-profit, governmental, and private sectors.

April is Housing America Month! We hope the following resources will help you conduct your own Housing America efforts in April and throughout the year.

Colorado NAHRO Congressional Visits, April 1, 2008

Each year, Colorado NAHRO members visit Colorado's Congressional delegation in Washington DC during the NAHRO Legislative Conference to present its Legislative Priorities for the coming year.

Contact martensb@aol.com if you are interested in participating in any of these visits.

Click here to download a copy of Colorado NAHRO's state impact summary for 2008.