NMA Blog

Signups for Q&A sessions at The Housing Conference are now open!

We’re thrilled to be taking our fifth annual national housing conference to Boston this August. Included with every conference registration is the opportunity to reserve a free, one-hour Q&A session with one of our NMA experts, including Nan herself!

If you’re registered for the conference and want to sign up for a session, click here and reserve your time now. The Q&A sessions are limited to registered attendees and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

The tentative agenda has just been updated, and when you register now you'll receive early bird pricing!

Join us August 21-22, 2017, for two fantastic days of networking, learning, and exploring the beautiful and historic city of Boston, Massachusetts. Industry experts will present sessions and panels on the latest topics in affordable housing, including:

• An update on UPCS-V, the proposed inspections protocol to replace HQS
• How to deal with generational differences in the workplace
• What you need to know if you're a new executive director
• Nan McKay's annual legislative update, including new rules and notices
• Best practices in PBV and RAD PBV
• Public/private partnerships and grant funds
• What you need to know before applying for MTW
• Understanding tax credits and RAD finance
• Best practices in managing FSS, plus how to start a new FSS program in PBRA
• What's new in capital fund finance
• Best practices in PBRA and RAD PBRA
• Effective waitlist management
• What's new in fair housing
• Best practices in SEMAP
• CDBG-DR and resilience
• Roundtable panel session with NMA Housing Awards winners
• And more!

Visit our website to register!

The tentative agenda for our fifth annual national housing conference is now available, and when you register now you'll receive early bird pricing!

Join us August 21-22, 2017, for two fantastic days of networking, learning,
and exploring the beautiful and historic city of Boston, Massachusetts. Industry experts will present sessions and panels on the latest topics in affordable housing, including:

• An update on UPCS-V, the proposed inspections protocol to replace HQS (panel session)
• Best practices in managing FSS, plus how to start a new FSS program in PBRA (panel session)
• Best practices in PBRA and RAD PBRA (panel session)
• Best practices in PBV and RAD PBV
• Best practices in SEMAP (hands-on session)
• CDBG-DR and resilience
• Effective waitlist management
• How to deal with generational differences in the workplace
• Nan McKay's annual legislative update, including new rules and notices
• Public/private partnerships and grant funds (panel session)
• Quality control
• Rent reasonableness
• Roundtable panel session with NMA Housing Awards winners
• Succession planning
• Understanding tax credits and RAD finance
• What you need to know before applying for MTW
• What you need to know if you're a new executive director
• What's new in capital fund finance
• What's new in fair housing

Visit our website to register!

John Achuff will be leading a session on strategies for HCV audits at The Housing Conference this September in San Antonio

John Achuff has been an NMA trainer for nearly a decade and currently serves as assistant director at a very large housing authority in the Midwest, where he manages 17,000 housing choice vouchers, 2,700 project based vouchers, 1,200 moderate rehabilitation units, and the housing authority's waiting lists. He possesses a broad base of program knowledge, having taught nearly every NMA seminar, with a focus on regulatory knowledge, program management, quality control, SEMAP, and single file audit. He will be presenting the following session at The Housing Conference next month.

Best Practices for Program Success

The Best Defense Is a Good Offense: Strategies for Success in HCV Audits
Presenter, John Achuff

Back for the second year by popular demand! In this interactive session, we'll cover best practices for administering the HCV program in a manner that minimizes the number of audit findings and increases the chance of becoming a high performer under SEMAP. The strategies are broken into two categories: 1) how to prevent errors and increase accuracy the first time transactions are processed (offensive moves); 2) how to effectively develop a quality control program to detect errors on the back end (defensive moves).

In offensive moves, we'll focus on suggested criteria for hiring the best candidates, developing the right training program, using tools and technology to increase accuracy, and employing coaching techniques to improve performance of staff. In defensive moves, we'll discuss suggestions for developing an effective quality control program, using reports to detect errors and discrepancies in a more efficient way, establishing additional safeguards for the finance team, and preparing for audits. This session will give HCV directors, supervisors, and staff useful guidelines and expert tips to establish the right combination of offense and defense to foster success in the HCV program.

John and other industry experts will be available for limited free one-hour Q&A sessions at The Housing Conference to registered participants. Don’t delay, signups close this Friday! Register online or email sales@nanmckay.com for more information.

Hands-on Learning for Active Solutions

The Best Defense Is a Good Offense: Strategies for Success in HCV Audits
Presenter, John Achuff

In this interactive session, we'll cover best practices for administering the HCV program in a manner that minimizes the number of audit findings and increases the chance of becoming a high performer under SEMAP. The strategies are broken into two categories: 1) how to prevent errors and increase accuracy the first time transactions are processed (offensive moves); 2) how to effectively develop a quality control program to detect errors on the back end (defensive moves).

In offensive moves, we'll focus on suggested criteria for hiring the best candidates, developing the right training program, using tools and technology to increase accuracy, and employing coaching techniques to improve performance of staff. In defensive moves, we'll discuss suggestions for developing an effective quality control program, using reports to detect errors and discrepancies in a more efficient way, establishing additional safeguards for the finance team, and preparing for audits. This session will give HCV directors, supervisors, and staff useful guidelines and expert tips to establish the right combination of offense and defense to foster success in the HCV program.

John and other industry experts will be available for limited free one-hour consulting sessions at the 2015 NMA and GoSection8 Housing Conference. Registered participants can sign up on a first-come, first-served basis now. Register online or email sales@nanmckay.com for more information.

NMA senior consultant Teri Robertson is nationally recognized as a leading expert in HCV/Section 8 and public housing. She has written for the NMA blog about HCV administrative fees, how to maximize your agency’s performance rating, and working with sequestration in the HCV program. Teri will be presenting the following session at the 2015 NMA and GoSection8 Housing Conference.

Regulatory Knowledge for Smart Management

SEMAP: Beyond the Regulations
Presenter, Teri Robertson

In this session, we will cover SEMAP, clarifying the 24 CFR 985 regulations. Each indicator is fully explained, along with industry best practices on how to successfully manage indicators throughout your fiscal year. NMA has conducted many internal audits for PHAs, finding many common mistakes and misunderstandings that surround SEMAP. These pitfalls are shared to allow PHAs to avoid the same errors.

Teri and other industry experts will be available for limited free one-hour consulting sessions at the 2015 NMA and GoSection8 Housing Conference. Registered participants can sign up on a first-come, first-served basis now. Register online or email sales@nanmckay.com for more information.