2024 CCHRCO Spring Conference

Event

Sun, May 19, 2024 - Tue, May 21, 2024

REGISTER ONLINE TODAY!

2024 CCHRCO Spring Workshop

Are You Compliant?

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Cherokee, NC

May 19-21, 2024
Harrah Resort

For questions or concerns, please contact:
Veronica Revels
Phone: 336-229-7119
Email Veronica

Hotel Room Reservations

Harrah's Cherokee Casino
777 Casino Dr
Cherokee, NC, 28719

Room Reservations Phone: 1-828-497-7777

Group Code: S05CCHR
OR use this link to make a room reservation.

Cut Off for Room Reservations is

Check-In Time: 4:00 PM
Check-Out Time: 11:00 AM

Room Rates: Based on single-double occupancy, room rate $119 and $219

There is an additional charge of 13% tax per day.
Complimentary daily self-parking is available at no cost to you. Valet parking is available.

TRAINING TOPICS

MONDAY & TUESDAY

Financials for Accounting staff:
James Kinkead & Ted Barfield, CPAs with Barfield and Kinkead LLC will present financial training. Topics will include:

GASB Update New Standards especially concerning compensated absences.

Overview on recently issued or effective GASB standards and how they may impact your Authority. These include:

GASB 96 - Subscription-based Information Technology Arrangements (SBITA). This is effective currently for all recent and upcoming year-ends.
GASB 100- Accounting Changes and Error Corrections - effective for your next year-end
GASB 101 - Compensated Absences - effective for your next year-end

Uniform Guidance - especially concerning allowable costs.

HUD has been more active recently in performing various reviews at agencies and are focusing on some allowable cost issues. We'll review the nature of some of the costs that are being questioned and review relevant sections of the Uniform Guidance regulations that directly relate to these issues.

EPIC issue and methods

EPIC, what is the process? Follow-up with HUD when the various parts are loaded into EPIC.

Year-end financial reporting.

A discussion of preparing for and completing your year-end closing and REAC reporting with an eye towards getting ready for your audit. We'll focus on major financial statement items / elements and how to reconcile, analyze and document for your year-end and audit.

Capital Fund & EPIC Overview

These sessions are presented by HUD staff from the Office of Capital Improvements. Tom Shelton, Flora Chavez, and Erica Vilardi, Housing Capital Improvement Specialists will review how the Capital Fund provides funds, annually, to Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) for the development, financing, and modernization of public housing developments and for management improvements. HUD has moved the management of Capital Funds to a more paperless process through using the Energy Performance Information Center (EPIC). PHAs are required to manage their Capital Fund grants in EPIC.

Participants should attend all three sessions covering Capital Fund & EPIC, as each session will build upon the last.

Session 1: Introduction to The Capital Fund Planning Process & EPIC

In this session, participants will become acquainted with the Capital Fund planning principles and necessary steps behind the workflows in EPIC. PHAs are responsible for the long-term viability of the PHA and its properties. The Capital Fund plays a pivotal role in financing activities to achieve the PHA's mission and goals as it concerns their public housing properties. Annually PHAs are also required to complete the Capital Fund Submission and planning is major component, which is largely completed in EPIC. We will provide an overview of each of the modules in EPIC and explain how they relate to the Capital Fund submission and planning process.

Session 2: Capital Fund Eligible Activities, Reporting Requirements & EPIC

In this session, we will also cover different budget line items and which activities are eligible under the Capital Fund and how to fulfill the reporting requirements in EPIC. We will review each module in EPIC. For example, we will learn how to submit a document package and the 5-year action plan. Participants will also learn about revising the 5-Year Action Plan and Annual Statement/Budget.

Session 3: Capital Fund Grant Lifecycle & EPIC

In this session, participants will learn about the importance of Capital Fund Obligation, Expenditure, and Fiscal Closeout. We will touch on procurement and contract management. In this session will cover additional features in EPIC such as how to use EPIC to exercise fungibility, how to report on RAD transactions, or Debt Service Obligations. We will briefly discuss when and how to submit Performance and Evaluations Reports, and the newer features available such as Monitoring and Close-out Packages. We will cover how to use EPIC for non-formula Capital Fund Grants, including Emergency/Disaster Capital Fund Grants, Emergency Safety & Security Capital Fund Grants, Lead-Based Paint Capital Fund Grants, and Housing-Related Hazards Capital Fund Grants. Finally, we will touch upon how to request to use Operating Funds for Capital Fund purposes.

MONDAY ONLY

Maintenance:

Nelrod will present on

Fair Housing for Maintenance (2 sessions)
Maintenance employees will learn the types of Fair Housing issues that may arise and how to respond when they do. They will also gain an understanding of their roles and responsibilities in meeting the reasonable accommodation and modifications requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. As maintenance employees strive diligently to satisfy residents, the repairs, or modifications they make are frequently not made in accordance with Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS). Participants will learn how to document their actions for reasonable modifications to be properly tracked and reported by the Occupancy Staff.

Topics Covered:

Essential Fair Housing Procedures for Maintenance
Maintenance Do's and Don'ts
Sexual Harassment, Bullying, and Hostile Environments in Housing and Employment
Pets, Assistance, and Service Animals
Reasonable Accommodations and Reasonable Modifications
Compliance with Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS)

Creating & Updating Maintenance Plans (2 sessions)
Creating a comprehensive and productive, preventive maintenance program poses interesting challenges. To appreciate the subtleties of what makes a maintenance plan effective, you must understand how the plan encompasses the total maintenance program and the impact of maintenance on overall agency performance. This course will lead participants through the process of creating and updating a maintenance plan that guides staff in the performance of daily activities and results in improved property conditions and higher resident satisfaction.

Housing Choice Vouchers/Public Housing:

Nelrod will present on:

HOTMA: Zero Income Families (2 sessions)
New HOTMA income definitions will impact what information you gather, verify, and include for your "zero-income" families. This two-part series will focus on strategies and requirements to perform compliant and accurate rent calculations for those families.

Part 1: A mock interview will be used to demonstrate effective strategies used to gather complete and accurate information during the interview process, including the use of an updated Zero-Income Interview Guide (to be provided to participants).

Part 2: Learn how to analyze the information gathered during the interview process to determine what falls under the new definitions of income; what information is required to be verified and reported on the HUD-50058; and Best Practices for educating your families on reporting requirements.

Preparing for HUD Comprehensive Compliance Monitoring Reviews (2 Sessions)
Would your agency be prepared for a full review of all your programs, policies, and procedures? As a response to COVID, COVID waivers, and offices having multiple years of abnormal business procedures, HUD field office around the country have begun the make sure PHAs are now again compliant and have up-to-date policies by conducting Comprehensive Compliance Monitory Reviews (CCMR).

This course will cover:
What documents are required prior to on-site review?
What to expect during the on-site review?
PHA responsibilities and requirements after the review.
How your agency can start preparing now.

TUESDAY MORNING Only

On Tuesday, (ran concurrently) Nelrod will present on:

HCV (2 hours) - HCV Landlord Briefings and Incentives

How do landlords know about or view your HCV program? Acquainting and providing landlords with information to help them understand the rules, regulations, processes, benefits, and paperwork associated with the HCV program is important in improving landlord and PHA relationships. Adding and retaining landlords through engagement and education can help your housing authority maximize the available housing stock for your Housing Choice Voucher families. Participants will learn how to conduct effective landlord briefings to attract new landlords and retain current landlords, what best practice documents should be included in landlord briefings, what added information should be provided to make the lease-up process hassle-free, and how the PHA may use its administrative fees to recruit and retain owners to

participate in the program. Topics for both new landlord briefings and further education ideas for current landlords will be discussed.

PH (2 hours) - Negotiating Repayment Agreements

Reducing and recovering overpayments due to fraud and error is one of the most important fiduciary responsibilities. Participants will learn how to distinguish between fraud and error, what discovery, and recovery tools we have at our disposal - and how to use them. Attendees who attend this session will receive information on how far back a PHA can go when investigating unreported income, options available when entering into a Repayment Agreement and steps to take, if a tenant refuses to enter into a Repayment Agreement.

DEBT SET OFF PROGRAM (DSO):

On Tuesday Morning Only, Alex Smith from SC Association of Counties and Bill Walsh of Five Star Computing, NC will discuss the North Carolina and South Carolina Debt Setoff programs. DSO allows the state's Department of Revenue through garnishment of Individual Income Tax refunds to collect debts owed to claimant agencies. Come learn how your agency can participate.

TUESDAY MORNING
(Continued from Monday)

Maintenance:
Narcotics Awareness and Identification
David Seagle Retired NC ALE Agent Alcohol and Narcotics Division
This training will cover recognizing narcotics, identifying the different types of narcotics and safely handling and disposing of them.

Financials for Accounting staff:
James Kinkead & Ted Barfield, CPA's
The session will wrap up with Q&A for other accounting concerns

Capital Fund & EPIC Overview

HUD Staff will offer open office hours for Q&A

2023 CCHRCO Spring Workshop Agenda

Sunday, May 21, 2023

2:00 PM until 5:00 PM: Board Meeting - Ash and Beech
2:00 PM until 6:00 PM: Registration

Monday, May 22, 2023

7:00 AM until 8:00 AM: Breakfast (CCHRCO) Location: Maple-Name Badge Required
7:30 AM until 9:00 AM: Registration
8:30 AM until 10:00 AM: Course #1 - Financials for Accounting Staff @Ash and Beech
8:30 AM until 10:00 AM: Course #2 - HOTMA: Zero Income Families Part 1 @Hickory
8:30 AM until 10:00 AM: Course #3 - Fair Housing for Maintenance @ Locust
8:30 AM until 10:00 AM: Course #4 - Capital Fund & EPIC Overview @Oak
10:00 AM until 10:15 AM: Break
10:15 AM until 11:45 AM: Course #1 - Financials continued @Ash and Beech
10:15 AM until 11:45 AM: Course #2 - HOTMA: Zero Income Continued @Hickory
10:15 AM until 11:45 AM: Course #3 - Fair Housing Maintenance @ Locust
10:15 AM until 11:45 AM: Course #4 - Capital Fund & EPIC continued @ Oak
12:00 Noon until 1:15 PM: Luncheon - Maple- Name Badge Required
1:30 PM until 3:00 PM: Course #1 - Financials continued @ Ash and Beech
1:30 PM until 3:00 PM: Course #2 - Preparing for HUD Review @Hickory
1:30 PM until 3:00 PM: Course #3 - Creating a Maintenance Plan
1:30 PM until 3:00 PM: Course #4 - Capital Fund & EPIC continued @ Oak
3:00 Pm until 3:15 PM: Break
3:15 PM until 5:00 PM: Course #1 - Financials for All continued
3:15 PM until 5:00 PM: Course #2 - HUD Updates continue
3:15 PM until 5:00 PM: Course #3 - Maintenance continued

Tuesday, May 23, 2023

7:00 AM until 8:00 AM: Breakfast (Provided by CCHRCO) Location Mt. Pisgah
8:30 AM until 10:30 AM: Course #1 - Financials for All continued
8:30 AM until 10:30 AM: Course #3 - Maintenance Group Discussion
8:30 AM until 10:30 AM: Course #4 - HUD EPIC

Workshop Ends
Have a safe trip home, and we'll see you in Myrtle Beach, SC, August 27-30, 2023, for the Annual Conference!