Implementation Plan

306 Pages·2008·7.78 MB·English

Atlanta Housing Authority
CATALYST
Implementation Plan
(Fiscal Year Ending 2009) Board Approved
Table of Contents

Message from the President and Chief Executive Officer Page 1

Message from the Chairman of the AHA Board of Commissioners Page 2

AHA’S Moving to Work Demonstration Page 3

Introduction Page 4

Executive Summary: Overview of AHA’s FY 2009 Implementation Plan Page 10

Part I: Revitalization Program Page 12

Part II: Quality of Life Initiative Page 17

Part III: Project Based Rental Assistance as a Development Tool Page 20

Part IV: Re-Engineering the Housing Choice Voucher Program Page 22

Part V: Asset Management Page 26

Part VI: Human Development Page 31

Part VII: Ongoing Business Operations Page 36

MTW Implementation Protocols Page 44

AHA Leadership Page 45

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Table of Contents – cont.

Appendices

Appendix A: MTW Annual Plan Reference Guide

Appendix B: AHA’s FY 2009 Corporate Roadmap

Appendix C: AHA Conventional Public Housing Communities

Appendix D: Mixed-Income Communities

Appendix E: HUD Project Numbers for AHA Properties and Communities

Appendix F: Candidate Communities or Properties for Demolition, Disposition, Innovative Subsidy Strategies, Rent
Restructuring and/or Other Repositioning Activities

Appendix G: Candidate Communities for Percentage-Based, Elderly, Disabled, or Non-Elderly Disabled Designations

Appendix H: Management Information for Owned/Managed Units and Assisted Units at Mixed-Income Communities

Appendix I: Management Information for Leased Housing

Appendix J: Quality of Life Initiative Fact Sheet and Relocation Schedule

Appendix K: Re-Engineering the Housing Choice Program – At A Glance

Appendix L: Sources and Amounts of Funding/Uses of Funds

Appendix M: Capital Planning

Appendix N: Previous Year’s Expenditures by Line Item

Appendix O: MTW Implementation Protocols

Appendix P: Statement of Corporate Policies

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Table of Contents – cont.

Appendix Q: Statement of Housing Choice Policies

Appendix R: Public Review and Plan Changes

Appendix S: Submissions Required for Receipt of Funds

Appendix T: Board Resolution

Appendix U: Certifications

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AHA’S MOVING TO WORK DEMONSTRATION

AHA executed its Moving to Work (MTW) Demonstration Agreement (MTW Agreement) with the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on September 25, 2003. As a participant in the MTW Demonstration Program,
AHA has the financial, legal, and regulatory flexibility to implement local solutions to address local challenges in providing
affordable housing. The MTW Demonstration Program provides AHA with the opportunity to fulfill its vision to facilitate
better housing opportunities, better outcomes for AHA’s families and greater operational efficiencies which are all consistent
with the MTW Statutory goals. The MTW Statutory goals are (1) Reduce cost and achieve greater cost effectiveness in
Federal expenditures; (2) Give incentives to families with children whose heads of households are either working, seeking
work, or are participating in job training, educational or other programs that assist in obtaining employment and becoming
economically self-sufficient; and (3) Increase housing choices for low-income families. AHA accomplishes its vision through
partnerships with private sector developers, using private sector models and market principles, and with its MTW Agreement
flexibility, AHA has the ability to address local issues with local solutions. AHA’s MTW demonstration period began on July
1, 2003, and will last seven years through June 30, 2010, unless otherwise extended.

AHA, in consultation with AHA’s Board of Commissioners, residents, resident advisory boards, local public officials,
investors, private developers, foundations, service providers and other stakeholders prepared the agency’s Business Plan to
be implemented during the seven year period of the MTW Agreement. The Business Plan outlines the major activities that
AHA is undertaking that is consistent with its MTW flexibility to transform the manner of providing the affordable housing
resource in the City of Atlanta. AHA calls its Business Plan “CATALYST”. In June 2004, AHA submitted to HUD its
Business Plan and this comprehensive document constituted AHA’s Base Plan. Subsequently, AHA’s Business Plan is
amended annually and from time to time by way of CATALYST Implementation Plans, of which this document represents.

A comprehensive planning process which considers the affordable housing needs of the local jurisdiction; policies of AHA’s
Board of Commissioners; AHA’s resources (financial and other), ongoing plans and priorities and resident and public input
and consultation determines activities to be undertaken during the fiscal year. AHA submits the Annual CATALYST
Implementation Plans to HUD who reviews for consistency with AHA’s MTW Agreement. Additionally, as part of that review
process, AHA and HUD determine if MTW Implementation Protocols are needed. These protocols represent a number of
high-level procedures or conventions in carrying out AHA’s CATALYST Implementation Plan activities in alignment with
AHA’s MTW Agreement with HUD. Through these implementing documents, AHA has been able to further attract and
engage the private sector development community; expand the availability of affordable housing opportunities in desirable
neighborhoods; and is supporting efforts to connect families to long-term, sustainable housing options in the City of Atlanta.

For the purpose of AHA’s Business Plan, as amended by the Annual Implementation Plans, such protocols and
Implementation Plan reviews and approvals are cumulative and remain in effect during the MTW Agreement period, as such
period may be extended.
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INTRODUCTION

Intrinsic to the Atlanta Housing Authority’s (AHA) work is a vision, mission, guiding principals, goals and corporate structure
that serve as the framework for the agency’s strategic direction. Since 1994, AHA determined that the sociology of
warehousing poor families in isolated barrack-style buildings has perpetuated the cycle of poverty and that the costs to
families, the City of Atlanta, and society as a whole has been detrimental. AHA believes that the better solution is to provide
affordable housing seamlessly in market competitive, mixed-income communities while connecting families to community-
based resources and amenities that promote family success and an improved quality of life.

Vision

Healthy mixed-income communities.

Mission

To provide quality affordable housing for the betterment of the community.

Guiding Principles

1. End the practice of concentrating the poor in distressed, isolated neighborhoods.
2. Create healthy communities using a holistic and comprehensive approach to assure long-term marketability and
sustainability of the community and to support excellent outcomes for families especially the children – emphasis
on excellent, high performing neighborhood schools and excellent quality of life amenities, such as first class retail
and green space.
3. Create mixed-income communities with the goal of creating market competitive communities with a seamless
affordable component.
4. Develop communities through public/private partnerships using public and private sources of funding and market
principles.
5. Residents should be supported with adequate resources to assist them to achieve their life goals, focusing on
self-sufficiency and educational advancement of the children. Expectations and standards for personal
responsibility should be benchmarked for success.
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Goals

1. Quality Living Environments - Provide quality affordable housing in healthy mixed-income communities with access
to excellent quality of life amenities.

2. Economic Viability - Maximize AHA’s economic viability and sustainability.

3. Self-Sufficiency - Facilitate opportunities for families and individuals to build wealth and reduce their dependency on
subsidy, ultimately becoming financially independent.

AHA Business Lines

AHA has four established business lines that serve as the core organizational structure for implementing the agency’s
business plan activities and achieving its corporate benchmarks and objectives. These business lines are: Real Estate
Management, Housing Choice Administration, Real Estate Development and Acquisitions and Asset Management.
The following pages contain descriptions of these business lines including their overall purpose and strategic direction.

AHA is also continuing to re-align and strengthen its corporate infrastructure, financial and reporting systems, information
technology environment, and human resources to support its business lines. These activities are described as Corporate
Support and are included under Part VII – Ongoing Business Operations.
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REAL ESTATE MANAGEMENT

The Real Estate Management (REM) business line is responsible for overseeing the property management of AHA’s
conventional public housing communities by professional property management companies (PMCOs). These companies
are responsible for the day-to-day management functions including rent collections, property planning and maintenance,
resident services, site security, performance reporting, and capital improvements at the properties (See Appendix C for a
list of these properties). The PMCOs also facilitate linkages for AHA-assisted families to community-based resources,
services and support.

AHA’s Real Estate Management group articulates AHA’s goals and objectives to the PMCOs and monitors their progress in
achieving those objectives. The decentralization of the management of AHA-owned properties since 1996 has enabled AHA
to make significant progress toward achieving AHA goals and objectives for each property including achieving the MTW
Benchmarks. Since 2001, all of the AHA-owned public housing properties (including family and elderly communities) are
managed by the PMCOs. The management companies are able to apply market discipline and expertise and manage the
properties more strategically and efficiently.

Strategic Direction.
One of AHA’s priorities during FY 2009 is to continue relocating families from 12 obsolete public housing communities
including two senior high-rises and 10 family communities. AHA calls this the Quality of Life Initiative (QLI). AHA has already
relocated families from five communities (Leila Valley, Jonesboro North and South, U-Rescue Villa and Englewood Manor),
and will commence relocation of the seven remaining in FY 2009. After the families have been relocated, AHA will demolish
existing structures and conduct competitive procurement processes to engage private sector development partners in the
redevelopment or other repositioning of these properties. Any sale proceeds will be used to further AHA’s mission. During
relocation and for approximately two years thereafter, AHA will support the relocated families with human development and
support services provided by professional firms.

Once QLI is complete, AHA will continue to own, operate, and sustain 11 high-rise communities and two family communities
in its public housing portfolio. AHA will strategically invest its capital resources in the 11 remaining high-rise communities to
improve the quality of life for residents and to ensure the long-term viability of the property. Given that these properties are
also obsolete and not market competitive for housing seniors and disabled persons, AHA will continue to explore ways to
better position these communities to their highest and best use. AHA will continue to work with the PMCOs to operate the
remaining high-rise and family properties in a way that achieves AHA’s MTW Agreement benchmarks for rent collection
levels, occupancy rates, emergency and routine work orders, and inspections. Appendix H of this CATALYST
Implementation Plan provides more detail on AHA’s performance against these benchmarks for its housing portfolio for the
period ending June 30, 2007 and for the projections for the upcoming FY 2009.
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