Get certified in fair housing without leaving your desk! We're excited to announce that we are now offering NMA's fair housing and reasonable accommodation seminar through our partner in online learning, HTVN. This comprehensive fair housing online training helps you ensure that you’re applying critical fair housing laws and addressing reasonable accommodations at all program levels.

NMA's longtime partnership with HTVN offers students the opportunity to enjoy many training options and earn a Nan McKay and Associates certification upon successful completion. NMA and HTVN are the only IACET-approved training and certification companies serving the affordable housing and public housing industries, which means you get the highest quality training plus the certification to show your achievement. IACET is a nonprofit association dedicated to quality continuing education and training programs, and is the only standard-setting organization approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for continuing education and training.

Other available online NMA certifications include:

• Customer Service
• HCV and Public Housing Rent Calculation
• HCV Housing Quality Standards (HQS)
• HCV Rent Calculation
• HCV Specialist
• Public Housing Management (PHM)
• Public Housing Rent Calculation

To register, go here or email sales@nanmckay.com. And don't miss this blog post with tips to help you get the most out of your online training.

Our fourth annual national housing conference was our best one yet, and we couldn't have done it without you! Thank you to everyone who joined us at the The Housing Conference in San Antonio, Texas. To view a slideshow of photos from the event, go here. I’d like to extend a warm thank-you to our generous sponsors, HAI Group, HousingHub, HTVN, and GoSection8, who helped make the conference a truly special event.

It was a real pleasure to enjoy face-to-face conversations with so many enthusiastic and thoughtful members of our industry who appreciate the unique challenges and successes we all navigate, whether new to affordable housing or an old pro. I continue to be inspired by what you're doing to improve the lives of the families in your communities. For some more impressive achievements, go here to read about the honorees of the 2016 NMA Housing Awards.

If you missed us in San Antonio, we'd love to say hi to you at another event! The NMA team will be attending conferences this month for national NAHRO, Texas NAHRO, and the New England Affordable Housing Management Association (NEAHMA). Stop by the booth, pick up some goodies, and chat with one of our team members. We'll see you next year for the fifth anniversary of The Housing Conference... location to be announced soon!

John McKay has been with NMA since 1998, and has served as CEO of the company since 2007. He brings his knowledge of housing regulations and industry best practices into his role as project executive on many of NMA’s contracts with large housing authority clients and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). He has assessed, analyzed, and provided feedback to some of the country’s most well-run private and public organizations.

Lynn Crisci, assistant director of product development for HAI Group, will present a session on insurance for development projects at The Housing Conference

Nan McKay and Associates is a proud partner of HAI Group, a family of companies serving the public and affordable housing community, including HousingHub, HTVN, and the Public and Affordable Housing Research Corporation (PAHRC). As a co-sponsor of The Housing Conference, HAI Group will be presenting the following session at the conference in San Antonio this September.

Executive Leadership for Performance Excellence

Insurance 411 for Development Projects
Presenter, Lynn Crisci of HAI Group

Lynn Crisci brings 30 years of industry experience creating unique customer solutions to HAI Group, where she leads the team that develops new and revised insurance products and programs to serve the needs of the public and affordable housing industries.

This workshop is designed to provide participants with a working knowledge of what’s requested at time of closing, and why. Using actual documents from investors, state agencies, and others, we’ll break things down to plain English and give you the tools your organization needs to understand when you can push back, and what you should expect once the project gets rolling. Participants will have hands-on opportunities to read and assess insurance requests using the knowledge gained in the session.

• This quick-paced, informative session will include real-life examples of what goes right, and the consequences when things go wrong.
• Participants are encouraged to submit examples of insurance requirements in advance to allow the presentation to be tailored to best meet the needs of the group.
• This session will not identify or recommend particular investment firms, developers, insurance carriers, or specific services or products.

This is an interactive workshop. We encourage you to submit examples of your agency's insurance requirements to marketing@nanmckay.com prior to the conference so that the presentation may be tailored to meet your needs.

The Housing Conference, presented by NMA and HAI Group, will spotlight three tracks: an executive track, a regulatory track, and a best practices track. Go here to view a list of the session descriptions that have been published so far.

Dave Sagers, director of market intelligence for HAI Group, will present a session on technology strategies at The Housing Conference

Nan McKay and Associates is a proud partner of HAI Group, a family of companies serving the public and affordable housing community, including HousingHub, HTVN, and the Public and Affordable Housing Research Corporation (PAHRC). As a co-sponsor of The Housing Conference, HAI Group will be presenting the following session at the conference in San Antonio this September.

Executive Leadership for Performance Excellence

Technology Strategies for PHAs to Thrive In A Changing Industry
Presenter, Dave Sagers of HAI Group

As director of market intelligence for HAI Group, Dave Sagers has spent several years analyzing housing authorities' strategies, challenges, key processes, and opportunities for operational improvement. This session will leverage industry research and PHA experiences to focus on:

• Trends impacting PHAs, including regulatory streamlining, LIHTC real estate development, HUD's Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD), and the Moving to Work (MTW) expansion
• How PHA business models, strategies, and needs are changing in response
• How technology is and can be strategically leveraged to support these strategies

The Housing Conference, presented by NMA and HAI Group, will spotlight three tracks: an executive track, a regulatory track, and a best practices track. Go here to view a list of the session descriptions that have been published so far.

New for 2016 — get certified in rent calculation online without leaving your desk! We're excited to announce that we are now offering NMA's three most popular rent calculation seminars through our partner in online learning, HTVN.

Sign up now for HCV and Public Housing Rent Calculation, which is carefully designed to train combination areas together for maximum efficiency, or choose from  HCV Rent Calculation and Public Housing Rent Calculation.

NMA trainer Adam Ensalaco specializes in making rent calculation easier to understand and clearing up common misconceptions about the process. You'll get all the expert guidance you need to become a rent calculation specialist as Adam takes you through rent calculation's key principles and best practices. Learn how to:

• Identify and calculate income from assets
• Calculate annual and adjusted income
• Apply the requirements for verification
• Calculate maximum rent at initial occupancy
• Calculate HAP and family share using the payment standard, utility allowance, and gross rent
• Calculate prorated rent for mixed families
• Put these principles into action with learning activities and case studies

NMA's longtime partnership with HTVN offers students the opportunity to enjoy many training options and earn a Nan McKay and Associates certification upon successful completion. NMA and HTVN are the only IACET-approved training and certification companies serving the affordable housing and public housing industries, which means you get the highest quality training plus the certification to show your achievement. IACET is a nonprofit association dedicated to quality continuing education and training programs, and is the only standard-setting organization approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for continuing education and training.

Other available online NMA certifications include:

• Customer Service
• Fair Housing and Reasonable Accommodation
• HCV Housing Quality Standards (HQS)
• HCV Specialist
• Public Housing Management (PHM)

For assistance, email sales@nanmckay.com. And don't miss this blog post with tips to help you get the most out of your online training.

Adam and other industry experts will be available for limited free one-hour Q&A sessions at the The Housing Conference this September in San Antonio, Texas. Registered participants can sign up on a first-come, first-served basis starting April 15. Register online or email sales@nanmckay.com for more information.

Thank you to everyone who joined us at the 2015 NMA and GoSection8 Housing Conference last week in Miami. To view a gallery of photos from the event, go here. I’d like to extend a warm thank-you to our generous sponsors, GoSection8, HAI Group, HousingHub, HTVN, COTG, and Beacon Hill Associates, who helped make the conference a truly special event.

It was a real pleasure to enjoy face-to-face conversations with so many enthusiastic and thoughtful members of our industry who appreciate the unique challenges and successes we all navigate, whether new to affordable housing or an old pro. I continue to be inspired by what you're doing to improve the lives of the families in your communities. For some more impressive achievements, go here to read about the honorees of the 2015 NMA Housing Awards.

It's been a while since I've written for the blog, so I wanted to take this opportunity to share some news about what NMA has been up to over the past few months:

• As you know, the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) is one of HUD's largest new initiatives. If your agency is participating, we can help with RAD relocation, conversion, and compliance. Email sales@nanmckay.com for more information.
• We recently launched a brand-new class, RAD Project-Based Voucher Specialist, designed specifically for agencies transitioning their public housing units to PBV under RAD. You can sign up now for upcoming classes in Anaheim, CA, October 20–22; Charlotte, NC, December 2–4; Denver, CO, February 23–25; and Indianapolis, IN, March 29–31.
• Our calendar of classes for the first quarter of 2016 has just been released. HUD recently issued several notices on flat rent, and all our public housing classes have already been updated to reflect that new guidance.

Finally, if you missed the NMA and GoSection8 Housing Conference, we'd love to say hi to you at another event! The NMA team will be attending conferences this month for national NAHRO and the New England Affordable Housing Management Association (NEAHMA).

John McKay has been with NMA since 1998, and has served as CEO of the company since 2007. He brings his knowledge of housing regulations and industry best practices into his role as project executive on many of NMA’s contracts with large housing authority clients and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). He has assessed, analyzed, and provided feedback to some of the country’s most well-run private and public organizations.

https://youtu.be/JHr1AyqEPAc

Nan McKay and Associates and HTVN are now offering our HCV Specialist certification online. Newly updated for 2015, it includes all the latest program information, including the equal access final rule, VAWA 2013, and more. The 42-hour class is led by NMA trainer Samantha Sowards, who will guide you through key principles and best practices in the housing choice voucher program:

Upon completion of this Nan McKay certification course, learners will achieve an understanding of HUD regulations for the HCV program and how to apply those regulations in administration of the program, including how to correctly determine family eligibility for the HCV program, how to perform required occupancy activities, and how to calculate rent.

NMA's longtime partnership with HTVN offers students the opportunity to enjoy many training options and earn a Nan McKay and Associates certification upon successful completion. NMA and HTVN are the only IACET-approved training and certification companies serving the affordable housing and public housing industries, which means you get the highest quality training plus the certification to show your achievement. IACET is a nonprofit association dedicated to quality continuing education and training programs, and is the only standard-setting organization approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for continuing education and training.

Other available online NMA certifications include:

• Customer Service
• Fair Housing and Reasonable Accommodation
• HCV Housing Quality Standards (HQS)
• HCV Rent Calculation
• Rent Calculation for Public Housing and HCV
• Public Housing Management (PHM)
• Public Housing Rent Calculation

Don’t miss this upcoming session at the 2015 NMA and GoSection8 Housing Conference, where HTVN's Kristina Gumbulevich and Dave Sagers will discuss HUD's upcoming shift to a cloud-based model and how that will affect your PHA. Register online or email sales@nanmckay.com for more information.

Sharon Nichols and Joyce Therieault of HAI Group at last year's NMA Housing Conference

HAI Group is a family of companies serving the public and affordable housing community, including HousingHub, HTVN, and Housing Systems Solutions. HAI Group will be presenting the following session at the 2015 NMA and GoSection8 Housing Conference.

Executive Leadership for Performance Excellence

Using the Cloud to Advance Your Agency Strategy
Presenter, HAI Group

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has explicitly stated that government will shift to a "Cloud First" policy. In fact, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will be among the first departmental agencies to "get in the cloud." For public housing authorities, management is challenged to develop and execute strategies and capabilities that cope with shrinking funding and increased industry change, while still serving the core mission. The use of cloud technology can provide much-needed operational and financial agility for agencies to respond to future change and strategically deploy limited IT resources. This session will explore the strategic benefits of moving from an on-premise to a cloud-based model, and provide the critical questions needed to perform proper due diligence on cloud-based technology providers.

The conference will spotlight three tracks this year: an executive track, a regulatory track, and a hands-on track. Go here to view a list of the session descriptions that have been published so far.

If you're a subscriber to our annual revision service, you should by now have received the 2015 edition of the PHM Master Book, which shipped earlier this month. Questions about your subscription? Contact Laurie Durrett in our accounting department and she'll be happy to assist you.

In the new version, the NMA Public Housing Management (PHM) Master Book has been brought current with all recent regulatory requirements and guidance, including:

• Additions for the PIH-issued FAQs regarding Notice PIH 2014-12, the flat rent interim notice mandated by the 2014 appropriations act
• Updated language regarding nondiscrimination as outlined in Notice PIH 2014-20, which provides guidance on the equal access final rule
• A revised definition for extremely low-income (ELI) family, as per the Federal Register notice published June 25, 2014
• Updates to the list of federally mandated income exclusions as published in the Federal Register
• Additions to important HUD references

Looking for further guidance? NMA is now offering our popular PHM certification through our online training partner, HTVN! Go here to learn more.

NMA revision services provide a yearly update to your NMA Master Books and model policies with explanations and guidance regarding the most current HUD rules and regulations. To stay updated on the latest program information, try a free 30-day trial subscription to the PIH Alert. Email sales@nanmckay.com to get started.

Did you know you can receive an official PHM certification without leaving your desk? Nan McKay and Associates and HTVN are now offering our Public Housing Management (PHM) certification online.

Newly updated for 2015, it includes all the latest program information, including new HUD guidance on flat rent, the equal access final rule, the capital fund final rule, VAWA 2013, and more.

The 32-hour class is led by NMA senior trainer Cara Gillette, a seasoned expert in public housing management who will guide you through PHM's key principles and best practices:

Upon completion of this Nan McKay certification course, learners will understand all of the elements of public housing management and their impact on the PHA’s PHAS scores. This course covers basic public housing program information, HUD requirements for fair housing, factors of eligibility, tenant selection and wait list management, rent calculation, the occupancy cycle, resident relations strategies, managing a budget, and an overview of the Public Housing Assessment System (PHAS).

NMA's longtime partnership with HTVN offers students the opportunity to enjoy many training options and earn a Nan McKay and Associates certification upon successful completion. NMA and HTVN are the only IACET-approved training and certification companies serving the affordable housing and public housing industries, which means you get the highest quality training plus the certification to show your achievement. IACET is a nonprofit association dedicated to quality continuing education and training programs, and is the only standard-setting organization approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for continuing education and training.

Other available online NMA certifications include:

• Customer Service
• Fair Housing and Reasonable Accommodation
• HCV Housing Quality Standards (HQS)
• HCV Specialist
• HCV Rent Calculation
• Rent Calculation for Public Housing and HCV
• Public Housing Rent Calculation

For more details, email sales@nanmckay.com. And don't miss this recent blog post with tips to help you get the most out of your online training.

NMA senior associate Cara Gillette trains, consults, and provides technical assistance nationwide in fair housing, public housing management, hearings, economic self-sufficiency, and governing boards. Prior to joining NMA, she administered public housing and Section 8 waiting lists, served as hearing officer, managed public housing, and oversaw resident economic development programs at the San Diego Housing Commission. She has previously written for the NMA blog on Section 3 best practices.