The FundBook OR State Edition
July 2011
Helping communities find the federal funding they need.
The View from Oregon State OHCS no longer in charge of Section 8
On July 1st, Oregon Housing & Community Services (OCHS) Acting Director Rick Crager sent this message to the department’s e-mail list:
This morning we learned that the US Department of Housing and Urban Development did not select Oregon Housing and Community Services to continue serving as the Section 8 Housing Assistance Payments Performance - Based Contract Administrator for Oregon. We are scheduled to be replaced, effective October 1, 2011, by CMS Contract Management Services from Bremerton, Washington. This unfortunate decision will have impacts to our entire department and how we administer our agency programs. Additionally, this creates challenges for OHCS and our partners in continuing our ongoing preservation efforts throughout Oregon. The administration of these contracts has positioned OHCS and its partners very well in working through the complexities of preserving these projects for contract renewals and long-term affordability. I want you to know that we will be requesting a debriefing conference with HUD to better understand the basis for their decision. In addition, we plan to exercise all options available to us in appealing this decision, as we believe OHCS is in the best position to administer the contract in Oregon. At the same time, we must prepare to transition the contract to another administrator. We will be putting together our transition plan next week and will keep you in the loop on the process. The current contract brings $4.5 million to the department. Obviously, those who currently perform the work under the PBCA contract will be impacted directly. The rest of the department may also feel the
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impact as we plan for a post-PBCA reality. OHCS will work to mitigate those effects by identifying cost-saving measures. We will work closely with staff and partners to ensure that the people we serve – low-income Oregonians who live in Section 8 housing – continue to have a safe, decent and affordable place to call home. If you have immediate concerns, please contact Diana Koppes, Asset and Property Management Division Administrator, at (503) 9866749, or diana.koppes@hcs.state.or.us
It’s not clear if HUD was unhappy with OCHS’s performance, but here’s a little background. CMS is part of the Bremerton Housing Authority. CMS has been expanding its reach for a little over a decade. They became the HUD Contract Administrator for the State of Washington in 2000. In 2004 they took over Hawaii and in 2005 Utah and Nebraska. In March of this year HUD released an Invitation for Submission of Applications for Project-Based Section 8 Housing Assistance Payment Contracts. The award of the Oregon contract may have been a result of competitive bidding under this invitation. The change is probably unrelated to the relatively sudden resignation of veteran OCHS Director Victor Merced in February, 2011. It’s not clear what the impact will be on local housing authorities, property owners and tenants. If your community has Section 8 housing, the local housing authority may be able to tell you about any changes. Or contact Diana Koppes through the information in the press release above.
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This article was contributed by Michael Wells of Grants Northwest. Grants Northwest is very knowledgable of the grants and funding territory in OR and works with local governments and non-profits on grantsrelated services there.
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July 2011 | The Fundbook - OR ~ p.3
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