Senior Housing and Assisted Living

In today’s wild profitable times it has turned more essential to find a way to pay for housing cost with incomes that have been cut either by job loss or pay reductions. The United States commenced offering federal housing help during the Great Depression. Although there are several different programs available, Section 8 housing is one of the most common.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development offers two different types of voucher programs available in the Housing Choice Voucher Program. The first assists people with short incomes pay their rent by subsidizing it. The second does the same thing but is established through the Veterans Administration for military veterans.

Section 8 is in reality a voucher system that is established to either be project or tenant based. Although there is a difference in the type of vouchers that are accepted there is not a difference in the way that a person would apply for the program. The public housing agencies may hold 20% of their vouchers to be used as project based vouchers.

Project based refers to the vouchers being utilized in particular public housing agencies. So whatever voucher of this type that an individual gets would only be able to be used at a specific flat complex. Tenant based vouchers mean that the voucher can be applied by the tenant at any apartment complex that accepts section 8 vouchers. When operating under the tenant voucher system the individual or family would lease a unit and pay a portion of the rent, normally a portion of the applicant’s income, and the section 8 voucher would pay for the rest.

Applicants for the program will submit a form at the Housing Authority office. Not all cities are allowing for new section 8 applicants so see to it that they are prior to submitting a form. Once an individual submits their application for section 8 housing it may take a few months or many years for them to get a spot in the program. This is dependent on the number of space useable in the program in the applicant’s city.

There are several profits to landlords for accepting section 8 applicants. Some of the benefits include knowing that a share of the rent will always be paid on time by the housing authority, back rent available in the instance of an eviction taking place, partial business licence fee for the complex, annual reviews by the housing authority to see that the tenant is keeping the property in an acceptable way.

As with anyone starting to rent an apartment there are some valued tips to also take into consideration. It is always important to understand the contract prior to signing. Although the public housing agencies will be paying a part of the bill it is vital to have a perceptive of what is necessary and covered at the new apartment. Consider getting renters insurance to protect the assets that are going into the new house. It is crucial to make sure that the apartment and area that is being moved into is safe and sound. Being a low-cost place to dwell is a great thing but safety is vital to a person and their family.

With the amount of economic stress many people are presented with in today’s world more people are wondering about section 8 housing. It is something that was set up by the United States some years ago and assists out a great deal of people today. It is a program that has welfares for both the renter and landlord that is involved in the rental.

Find more pointers and advice about section 8 housing eligibility and how it can provide you and your family with cheap housing. Click here to find out more.

The government of Canada and Ontario recently announced the funding of approximately $4.8 million for 40 new affordable housing rental units for seniors and persons with disabilities.  These 40 affordable rental units are part of an 80-unit project with approximately $4.8 million in federal and provincial funding is complemented by $10.1 million in municipal financial incentives.  The Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program Agreement comprises a commitment of $301 million from each of the two senior levels of government. In total, the federal, provincial and municipal governments will invest at least $734 million in the program, which will provide affordable housing for up to 20,000 households in Ontario.

"Locally, this achievement gives a hand-up to individuals and families who need safe, affordable housing that meets their needs," said Minister Raitt. "Our government is investing in this project to get the local economy moving, creating immediate jobs and economic stimulus for the community."

Foster Pointe Senior Homes, a 61-unit three story affordable senior development located in the Brooklyn Centre neighborhood on Cleveland’s west side, announced that it will be ready for occupancy mid-summer 2010.  Brooklyn Centre is a walkable neighborhood with a number of parks including the renowned Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail. The community’s units boast one and two-bedroom efficient floor plans that connect kitchen and living room areas to create a large, open living space, with all floor plans providing a breakfast bar.  Foster Pointe includes numerous environmentally friendly development features, including upgraded insulation, energy efficient windows, Energy Star appliances and an advanced light package.  Foster Pointe exceeds the Enterprise Green Community Program Standards, a national standard for green and environmentally healthy affordable housing.

“We’ve been incorporating green components for several years and that includes Energy Star certification for many of NRP properties. We are attempting to improve the quality of people’s lives and not charge them extra for it,” says Aaron Pechota, Vice President Development, The NRP Group.

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty last week announced the District selected a development team led by Urban Matters, Mission First, Mt. Lebanon CDC and the Washington Interfaith Network (WIN) to redevelop the former MM Washington Career High School. The Urban Matters/WIN proposal calls for redeveloping the 80 to 90 units of affordable senior rental housing and 15,000 square feet of community space.  The development team expects to begin construction on the site next year and expects to complete the work in at the end of 2012.

Last year, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development issued a solicitation seeking development partners to redevelop 11 excess school properties across the District including MM Washington, a 94,000 square foot former school at 27 O Street in Northwest.

“We’re making real investments to build stronger, healthier neighborhoods,” said Mayor Fenty. “This is a great example of how we are using our excess government-owned properties back into productive use and meeting the needs of our seniors at the same time.”

The concept of a paperless workplace truly seems too good to be true, doesn’t it? Well, what if your public housing department can really make this a reality? Think about the time you’d save if you didn’t have to continuously hunt through filing cabinets for a particular application, a re-certification or the paperwork for a certain inspection.

In the past, housing groups have struggled to locate room to store the ever-increasing quantity of applications, funding contracts, loan and mortgage documents and more. Thanks to electronic document management software applications, they no longer have to be concerned about losing an important document or the problem that comes along with accidentally duplicating information and saving in it an assortment of places. An electronic document management system provides solutions to these organizational problems, as well as addresses other important issues of housing departments.

Besides paper and document processing, housing departments have 3 other major concerns: complying with record keeping and reporting laws, reducing administrative costs and distributing their grant money as effectively as possible. The best way for affordable housing agencies to handle paperwork influx, decrease costs, more easily comply and allocate resources is to implement an online document management and compliance system that includes workflow automation.

Such a system provides a faster and more organized means of secure document capture, routing, storing and maintaining audit-able records of applications, re-certifications, terminations, inspections along with financial documents. Document imaging and compliance software enables housing departments to monitor a document’s complete life cycle, from creation to disposition. The best kind of software program will automate approval processes in order to electronically move a document through its appropriate business process workflow instead of personnel moving a paper folder from person to person.

By means of an online document management application, your organization’s documents are now digital. So, what takes place if more than one user is accessing and altering the same document at the same time? Version control and revision tracking features take care of this issue. The application will track and make a record of who has accessed what files and what changes to the document(s) were made. The most up-to-date and current version is displayed as the current file.

Because the application is web-based, housing groups are able to eliminate the requirement for filing and storage space, resulting in reduced overhead expenses. The electronic system converts paper documents to digital documents, ending the struggle of manual paper processing. Not only are mind-numbing tasks gone, but paper processing, printing and photocopying expenses are eliminated.

Now, onto Records Management. With a system that includes a Records Management module for compliance, the solution tracks document retention periods and will alert you when its deadline has passed, and the document needs to be purged. This functionality is particularly helpful to avoid compliance difficulties that arise from surprise audits.

Document management software maximizes business effectiveness for housing departments as they allocate their grant money. With easy-to-use electronic access, the affordable housing unit can now drag and drop or import digital documents, or scan the paper documents into the system where all data is stored and routed through the appropriate workflow.

In addition to endless paperwork, housing agencies also daily receive a plethora of emails. A document management application categorizes and archives emails and faxes as they are continuously received. System users are able to then go back and effortlessly retrieve archived emails using a text search.

So, your next move is to get out there and do your research. Find an affordable, subscription based document management and compliance software that solves the requirements of your organization, and then benefit from ultimate business efficiency and compliance.

Want to find out more about how or why housing authorities use document management? Then visit DocuVantage on how to choose the best electronic document management software for your requirements.

categories: affordable housing agencies,affordable housing departments,affordable housing,housing authorities,local government,county government

Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) Executive Director Gloria L. Materre, Mayor Richard M. Daley, Alderman Ray Suarez, Department of Family and Support Services Commissioner Mary Ellen Caron, Department of Community Development First Deputy Commissioner Ellen Sahli and members of the Senior Lifestyle Corporation recently celebrated the grand opening of a new development featuring 85 new affordable homes for seniors in Chicago’s Kelvyn Park neighborhood on the city’s Northwest Side.  IHDA provided a $1.25 million low-interest loan from the Illinois Affordable Housing Trust Fund to build Senior Suites of Kelvyn Park, 2715 N. Cicero Ave., Chicago. IHDA, the state agency dedicated to creating affordable housing for Illinois residents, was a key partner in the construction of the 60 one-bedroom and 25 studio apartments.  Senior Suites of Kelvyn Park will bring 25 studios and 60 one-bedroom apartments, complete with bathroom and kitchen facilities, at initial monthly rents from $650 to $795. The apartments in the six-story building will be available to seniors, 62 or older, whose incomes meet federal guidelines.

Through a partnership with the City of Chicago, the six-story, 75,000 square foot development also houses a senior center to connect seniors with services supporting their independent lifestyle. The center features a fitness center, computer lab, cafeteria and other amenities. Seniors who live in the surrounding neighborhood also will benefit from the center.  Since the mid-1990s, IHDA has invested more than $41.7 million in low-interest loans and tax credit equity to join Senior Lifestyle Corp. in adding affordable housing throughout the Chicago area.

“Seniors across the state are living on a fixed income, and may need to make choices about expenses that could impact their ability to afford safe and decent homes. It’s our role as the state’s housing finance agency to work with public and private partners to create more affordable options, such as Senior Suites of Kelvyn Park,” said Materre, IHDA Executive Director.

“Our Senior Suites developments provide Chicago’s seniors an opportunity to stay within their home neighborhoods in affordable, high-quality residences,” said William B. Kaplan, chairman of Senior Lifestyle. “With the support of city and state leaders, we are able to continue to address the strong housing demand of its senior citizens.”

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) recently announced the opening of two affordable housing projects for very low-income, elderly residents in Jonesboro, Arkansas.  Benedictine Manor I and II are part of a senior campus located in downtown Jonesboro consisting of two adjacent, two-story buildings with 20 one-bedroom apartments for very low-income seniors.  FHLB Dallas awarded two Affordable Housing Program (AHP) grants totaling $290,876 in 2007 to be used toward the construction of the projects. The funds were awarded through Simmons First Bank of Jonesboro, a FHLB Dallas member financial institution in Arkansas.

"As a proud member of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, Simmons First Bank of Jonesboro is honored to help facilitate the affordable housing project of Benedictine Manor I and Benedictine Manor II. The construction of this remarkable facility will continue helping the elderly of this community for many years to come," said Barry Ledbetter, president and chief executive officer of Simmons First Bank of Jonesboro.

"Benedictine Manor, the housing element, is another piece to the senior campus," said Brian Rega, director of St. Bernards Village, an affiliate of St. Bernards Village, Inc. "It has always been a priority of our enterprise to be able to offer affordable housing, and that dream has now come to fruition."

Representatives from Cedar Rapids, Iowa and the surrounding areas celebrated the groundbreaking of the Cedar Crest Apartments last week.  The newly constructed community of 45 homes for seniors age 55 or older is located on a 2.1 acre site that features the redevelopment of a three-story historic farmhouse into community space for residents with a retained layout and historic millwork. The new apartment building will integrate the exterior design and character of the existing home and will include underground parking for all residents. The development will be completed in the fall of 2010.

The $8.8 million development was financed with $3.84 million in Low-Income Housing Tax Credit equity investment from Enterprise, and support from the Iowa Finance Authority, the city of Cedar Rapids, the Iowa Department of Economic Development and Blackridge Bank.

Don’t have time to read the Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2011?  That’s ok.  The budget released presents an overview of the Obama administration’s 2011 priorities and is a draft that remains short on details in many respects.  With healthcare reform still on the negotiating table, the White House estimates that the cost will be $16 billion this year and $743 over the next 10 years.  Some scary numbers are that mandatory outlays for Medicare under existing law are $489.3 billion and $264.5 billion for Medicaid.  According to the budget, spending on Medicare and Medicaid is set to rise by $58 billion between 2010 and 2011.  Below are some interesting related components to senior living we thought were worth summarizing:

• Affordable Housing – Department of Housing and Urban Development
• FHA is projecting insurance of $223 billion in single family forward mortgages and $30 billion in Home Equity Conversion Program (HECM) with an additional $148 billion in commitment limitation available in case these amounts are exceeded during execution.  The administration is projecting the reverse mortgage industry will endorse 120,429 units in 2010 and 119,953 units in 2011.
• Jobs Programs – Take your pick on the where…real estate, in-home care…Obama just wants more jobs
• Elder Care – Aid Working Adults in Caring For their families (page 4)
• Elimination of fraud and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid (page 4)
• HUD – Housing for Elderly Cuts, $825 million in 2010 down to $274 million in 2011 (page 4)