Director lays out plan for change at LBHA
Plan calls for raising funds through rent collection, state aid
By the Fourth of July the Long Branch Housing Authority is expected to have undergone a major transformation.
Addressing the community and commissioners of the housing authority at a meeting last Thursday, Tyrone Garrett, executive director, said, "Plan, action, accountability and performance are the four stages of success." To that end he introduced a 90-day action plan to upgrade the authority’s operations.
According to Garrett, the intention of the action plan is to improve lines of authority and communication between the staff, residents, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, the city and the state which will lead to long-range strategic planing.
He said an internal examination of the LBHA administration will be conducted which will result in the creation of tangible, short-term goals.
Garrett said the plan of action begins with the executive director’s office gaining the respect of residents, the administration and commissioners. A big first step in doing that will be assisting all departments in achieving set goals.
Making the top of the list is increasing employee accountability, encouraging resident empowerment, hiring staff where appropriate, and promoting and making available all reasonable requests for staff training and development.
Garrett asked department heads to rate the operation of their departments from one to five. The result was an overall assessment of 3.9. That number, according to Garrett, signifies a strong and confident staff. "It is a good rating," he said, "but it leaves room for improvement."
Garrett added, "The current strength of the authority is a strong and sound fiscal budget."
Even with that strength, improvements in the finance department are necessary and will play a major role in the other changes Garrett would like to bring about. First and foremost will be the preparation of a sound quarterly budget, which will include a timely audit and fiscal reporting, as well as implementing costs and control procedures.
"Delivering a sound quarterly budget to the HUD is important," said Garrett. "It is what determines if we receive state money."
Whatever the level of financial support from HUD and the state, Garrett said, he also will pursue other sources of revenue for special projects such as youth programs and summer programs.
The property management office, supervised by Commissioner Randy Phillips, will undergo a reorganization to accommodate the needs of residents. The property management office will be called upon to create and perfect three senior services programs and to bring rent collection productivity to 100 percent.
Currently, according to Garrett, the authority’s rent collection is roughly 80 to 85 percent. "Bringing it to 100 percent will enhance the operation budget and address accountability by requiring residents to take responsibility for the rent for their units, as well as the staff’s responsibility to follow up with the residents," he said.
Equally important, according to Garrett, is the creation of a flat-rent outline which determines the rent for units based on one’s income or market value. "The authority has three years to implement flat rates which are mandated by HUD." Garrett noted that currently the highest rent allowed by HUD is $850 per month.
Residents also will see some changes as the process brings about stricter enforcement of leasing rules, including housing inspections and pet policies.
Housing quality standard, noted Garrett, will be well maintained by units being inspected on a regular basis. Residents will be held accountable for the cleanliness of their homes as well as reporting any maintenance problems. He added, that maintaining the units will result in faster occupancies.
As for the pet policy, Garrett said residents are allowed to own dogs, but are restricted to dogs with a maximum weight of 25 pounds as mandated by HUD.
The operations office, which oversees housing stock, repairing rental apartments, grounds upkeep, and taking care of utility improvements will, according to Garrett, prepare and implement a strategy to beautify authority grounds.
The implementation of a modern information technology system will continue to move forward under the plan, which specifically outlines the acquisition of hardware and software needed for every department. It also calls for training staff to use the new computer systems.
Garrett said the authority will be applying for more Section 8 vouchers to add to the 500 vouchers the authority manages.
Section 8 vouchers are used to allow very low-income families to lease or purchase safe, decent, and affordable, privately-owned rental housing.
Capping off the changes, the authority will explore the creation of a home ownership program. Garrett said the plans for bringing that about include finding creative financial opportunities which will allow residents to purchase homes outside of public housing.