NHA

[jazzyken]

Anything new on the NHA front??? Heard the pageant was a success! :)

[bqribs]

I heard a few folks got their jobs back and a few folks lost their jobs. Heard the pageant was a success! Your tax dollars at work.

[bqribs]

What's up with the NHA? It seems like the New York Times knows more than our local paper the Star Ledger. Is the Ledger part of the system also?


Reports Suggest That Newark Housing Agency Had a History of Troubles

September 29, 2004
By DAMIEN CAVE





Mayor Sharpe James often tells people that Harold Lucas
"took the Newark Housing Authority from worst to first"
during his tenure as executive director of the agency from
1992 to 1998. By building town houses to replace the city's
demolished public high-rises, Mr. Lucas helped the
authority move from a federal list of troubled housing
authorities to a category of high performers.

But residents and housing officials said the improved
scores belied actual conditions, and their contentions are
backed up in a series of independent studies produced in an
ongoing court case.

The reports suggest that the authority remained troubled
during the years lauded by the mayor, and that some new
problems arose after Mr. Lucas returned to the agency in
2002 for a second stint as its director.

The reports cited wastefulness in the Section 8 federal
housing subsidy program, inadequate maintenance, internal
squabbling and excessively high vacancy rates, among other
issues.

The reports are part of the records in a federal suit filed
15 years ago by residents against the authority for
demolishing their high-rise apartments without immediately
providing replacement housing. Many families waited at
least five years for a new Housing Authority apartment, as
the result of failures of Mr. Lucas's predecessors.

The reports were commissioned in 1998 by a Federal District
Court judge, Judge Dickinson R. Debevoise, who is presiding
over the case. They were completed by a former federal
housing official named MaryAnn Russ on behalf of a
consulting firm, Abt Associates.

The agency has since come under fire for initiating a $1
million renovation of its headquarters while laying off 84
people, for employing four of Mr. Lucas's close family
members and for giving a $25,000 contract to a nonprofit
firm run by his daughter. Mr. Lucas, who declined to be
interviewed for this article, has denied doing anything
improper.

The reports, however, offer an independent history of an
agency that has been mired in controversy. They also
highlight a series of failures in maintenance and
management that residents and housing experts now see as
relevant to the present debate over spending and Mr.
Lucas's tenure as executive director.

The first reports filed to the court in 1999 and covering
the previous year stated that the authority had failed to
maintain several buildings throughout the 1990's. They also
said the authority failed to distribute about 1,000 Section
8 vouchers that could have been used to help poor families
pay their rent.

Ms. Russ's analysis also recommended a "complete overhaul"
of the authority's placement procedures, noting that nearly
10 percent of the authority's approximately 10,000
apartments remained available but vacant, despite a waiting
list of several thousand people.

Maintenance was also cited as an issue. Even apartments
that the authority claimed to have readied for occupancy
needed work; roof leaks, plumbing leaks or large algae
blooms on the walls were common, the report noted.

Because of the way housing authorities were able to assess
their progress - essentially by self-evaluation - the
problems were not reflected in the improved United States
Department of Housing and Urban Development scores cited by
Mayor James, according to a former federal housing official
who asked to remain anonymous.

"They were awarded something like a 91, and they deserved a
71," said the former HUD official, who is familiar with the
reports. "There's no way they could have told the truth and
gotten that score. They weren't collecting rent. They were
not inspecting or maintaining units. It was very, very
bad."

Harry Robinson, a spokesman for the housing authority, said
that all of the problems cited in the 1999 study have been
addressed. In a 2001 annual report, Ms. Russ did cite
several improvements, noting that in August, the agency
experienced its sixth consecutive month with a vacancy rate
of less than 3 percent, a performance that was "sufficient
to release N.H.A. from its monthly vacancy monitoring by
Abt and move to an annual audit."

She also reported that the agency streamlined the waiting
list system and was also doing a better job of tracking
families that were being relocated because of the
demolition.

More recent reports, from January and May of this year,
also cite improvements. Some reports however also note that
various improvements were in jeopardy under Mr. Lucas's
second administration; he returned to the agency in 2002
after serving as an assistant secretary at HUD. Ms. Russ
filed a report in 2003 stating that Abt was "concerned that
progress may become a thing of the past because of problems
being experienced by the staff operating the program."

The report warned that senior officials were "inventing new
management reporting systems, second-guessing staff and
requiring completion of onerous tasks that require
significant staff time and detract from the core business
of the agency."

That report also said the authority understaffed the
Section 8 voucher program, essentially creating delays for
people who qualified for vouchers. Requests to shift
workers from the public housing department to the Section 8
program were denied, the report said, even though money for
staff was available in that program and transferring staff
to it could have shielded them from layoffs.

According to Mr. Robinson, these problems stemmed from
personality conflicts that have since been resolved. "We
added staff to Section 8, and we're at 100 percent of our
allowance," he said. "This housing authority is doing
well."

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/29/nyregion/29newark.html?ex=1097494560&ei=1&en=a255539ff0f3f72b

[jazzyken]

is the NHA outsources jobs when thye have employees to do the same job on payroll. I walked into 500 Broad street and they have a outsourced company doing security while they laid security officers off. Where is the logic? At my job we outsource when we do not have the employees to fill the position. Also, they hire outside contractors to do repairs on townhouses when they had qualified individuals that were laid off. Any ideas as to why NHA would outsource when unneccessary???

[bqribs]

is the NHA outsources jobs when thye have employees to do the same job on payroll. I walked into 500 Broad street and they have a outsourced company doing security while they laid security officers off. Where is the logic? At my job we outsource when we do not have the employees to fill the position. Also, they hire outside contractors to do repairs on townhouses when they had qualified individuals that were laid off. Any ideas as to why NHA would outsource when unneccessary???

I have no idea. The new security firm was recently hired. They replaced NHA security people who were relocated to various sites. Since you were inside 500 Broad did you notice Lucas's sister-in-law sitting at the front desk without a uniform. She works for security but I guess she gets special privaleges.

Outside contractors doing repairs is not an unusual thing with the NHA. A few years ago the NHA had a flim flam program training people to do repairs. Little did they know you can not train a person to paint, repair sinks, install cabinets, and change light fixtures in 6 months. A jack of all trades and master of none.

The Housing Authority needs to listen to people who know their job. Shaye and Vernita are hard headed individuals.

[counterattack]

For your information the training program that the housing authority had was for 4 years and was a success and certified by the state if I am not mistaking there were about 70 bmw's who got a promotion and a raise (but no one talks about that) as a result and even something better a certified certificate from the state of new jersey that makes them a certified repairman.

[jazzyken]

may have been successful but how many of the ones from the program are still employed with NHA? I wonder if NHA keeps track of that type of stuff. Anything that will make a company look good should be flaunted. the reality is probably not a lot are still employed.

As far as the security goes... the NHA security workers were not reassigned. They were let go. I know a couple of security officers and they are still in arms about more layoffs. Also having unarmed workers work in high risk areas. And add to that armed workers were let go. Now some work for companies like Gateway.

That is truly a mismanagement of funds if I ever saw it.

Sorry I did not see any Lucas' members in the lobby... maybe she was on break :)

[counterattack]

actually all are still employed and are enjoying a big increase in salary

[bqribs]

For your information the training program that the housing authority had was for 4 years and was a success and certified by the state if I am not mistaking there were about 70 bmw's who got a promotion and a raise (but no one talks about that) as a result and even something better a certified certificate from the state of new jersey that makes them a certified repairman.

Are you saying the training lasted 4 years or the program lasted 4 years? FYI training at any one of the union trades last 5 years just to learn one trade not all. If the program lasted 4 years why did it stop? If the training program was so great why weren't some of the graduates used for the renovation work at 500?

[bqribs]

counterattack,

Since you seem knowledgeable about repairs why does a Newark homeowner have to get a construction permit and inspections to repair their front steps while the NHA can renovate an entire building without obtaining permits or inspections.

Scratch your head and think about this one, I will be waiting for your reply.