Remarkable Improvements For The St. John The Baptist Parish Housing Authority Continues

LAPLACE, LA – For the past three years, the St. John the Baptist Parish Housing Authority (SJBPHA) has taken immense measures towards not only improving the quality of life for its residents, but also its internal policies and programs.

         For approximately 13 years, the SJBPHA was considered a "troubled agency" by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Public Housing Assessment System (PHAS). Today, under the leadership of its Executive Director Trina Henderson, staff and Board of Commissioners, the agency has significantly improved its PHAS score. In addition, the agency received a PHAS perfect financial score and a perfect capital fund score in 2014.

         Since taking the position in October 2011, Henderson along with her staff has dedicated resources to ensuring that the Housing Authority has a bright and sustainable future.

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         "Over the past three years, we have made it a high priority to improve our internal and external programs and policies to further enhance the quality of life for our residents," said Henderson. "We will continue to work very hard in providing our residents with a public housing system that we can all be proud of."

         According to a 2010 consolidated review conducted by HUD's New Orleans Field Office, the SJBPHA had been designated as a troubled agency since 2002. For the first time in over eight years, the Housing Authority has received a clean audit with zero findings related to the organization's financial statements and federal awards programs.

         "This is truly a great day for the Housing Authority," said Iona Holloway, Board Chair of the St. John the Baptist Parish Housing Authority. "The last time that we received zero findings was in 2007, so we are so pleased to have our affairs in order."

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         In addition, the agency's Housing Choice Voucher Section 8 Program has considerably improved over the past few years with HUD designating the program as a "high performer" by its Section Eight Management Assessment Program (SEMAP) in 2013 and 2014.

         "While we have a considerable amount of work to do to ensure our PHAS score continuously increases, this is definitely a step in the right direction," said Darryl Kilbert, Vice Board Chair of the St. John the Baptist Parish Housing Authority. "We did not get in this situation overnight, but we will work hard every day for the residents of the Housing Authority to move this agency forward."

         Over the past year, the SJBPHA has made strides to improve the quality of life for its residents. Last fall, the Housing Authority in partnership with HUD released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) seeking top developers from across the country to implement a comprehensive rehabilitation and redevelopment program for its existing public housing portfolio. The agency has selected the development partner and is currently finalizing all contracts to begin the initial steps towards securing a new affordable housing system for the parish.

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         Founded in 1968, the St. John the Baptist Parish Housing Authority is aimed to provide affordable housing to citizens with low to moderate income. With 296 units in Edgard, Garyville, Reserve and LaPlace, the Housing Authority is ready to increase the occupancy rate and transform the public housing sector to an oasis for families.

 

 

 

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