Each year, Housing and Urban Development evaluates and scores local housing development agencies on Section Eight compliance, and this year, Elizabethton scored perfectly.
“We’ve had a perfect score before, and we’ve always been a high performer,” said Elizabethton Housing and Development Agency (EHDA) Director Kelly Geagley.
Their previous perfect score was in 2013, and in 2014, they received a 96 percent score.
The Section Eight Management Assessment Program (SEMAP) score is based on fifteen indicators. These include Selection from the Waiting List, Reasonable Rent, Determination of Adjusted Income, Utility Allowance Schedule, Housing Quality Standards (HQS) Quality Control, HQS Enforcement, Expanding Housing Opportunities, Payment Standards, Timely Annual Reexaminations, Correct Tenant Rent Calculations, Pre-Contract HQS Inspections, Annual HQS Inspections, Lease-up, Family Self-Sufficiency and a Deconcentration Bonus.
The evaluation ensures the program operation is consistent with state standards, and it also helps to identify capabilities and deficiencies.
“It means we’re doing everything required of us,” said Geagley.
EHDA grants 224 vouchers to families for Section Eight housing, and then those residents apply the vouchers toward their monthly rent. Geagley said this score means that from the time residents apply for that voucher, and throughout their residence and annual inspection, EHDA is doing its job.
“This shows how dedicated and hard working our staff is,” said Geagley. “This isn’t like a test you can cram for, it’s an example of what they do consistently on a daily basis. I’m very proud of our staff and our residents.”
For more information on Section Eight or other programs and provisions of EHDA, visit www.elizabethtonhousing.org.