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Is Your PHA Considering a RAD Transition? Emphasys Consulting Can Help

RAD transition

Know the financial impacts to your COCC as your business model changes

When a PHA goes through the process of a RAD transition, most financial consultants are very much focused on the individual properties relative to their current and future state and making the “deals” work. Often, what is not discussed and what is not forecast is how the PHA business model will change and the financial implications of the transition to the organization’s operations.

Regardless of whether the conversion was to PBV or PBRA, Emphasys Consulting has had to come in after the fact and assist numerous Agencies that have found themselves unaware they would be facing a decrease in financial resources to maintain the Central Office Cost Center (COCC) operations. This has happened both during and after the transition process. Without having this knowledge in advance of critical transition milestones, PHAs can be left with no choice but to abruptly eliminate positions and consolidate roles, or to use their developer fees or sales proceeds to make ends meet rather than using those funds for planned future affordable housing development.

At Emphasys we believe it is imperative that PHAs currently considering, or in the midst of, a RAD transition need to have a transition business plan that ensures there are no surprises on the impact that a RAD conversion can have on the PHA’s operations.

Emphasys Consulting can assist by performing a financial and strategic review of a PHA’s business model that highlights the various milestones along the way and that will drive important business decisions to assist with sustaining the longevity of your organization’s operations.

Contact Emphasys Consulting today…

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Protecting Your PHA Against Fraud

Protecting Your PHA Against Fraud

Working for a public housing authority is a noble cause. Whether it be Section 8 housing or a HUD development, you are providing a service to those who need a little help with their housing situation. And no one expects that such a benevolent group could be capable of fraud, but sadly it happens, and it often goes undetected until it is too late. So, how can you go about protecting your PHA against fraud?

Fraud Can Happen Anywhere, to Anyone

In a small town in New England, such a fraudulent situation rocked the confidence of the townsfolk who have always trusted their local housing authority. The PHA manager was embezzling from tenants with the help of a resident that colluded with him to hide the infraction. He was stealing tenant rent payments, while at the same time erasing their names from the list of residents under the protection of the PHA. 

When the residents sought legal representation to fight forced evictions, they no longer had a paper trail, and thus, lost the case. This went on for a while until eventually the manager slipped up and both men were sent to jail for housing fraud. The town was devastated by the betrayal and the tenants had trouble trusting the housing authority after the incident.

What could have prevented this? After all, this was a manager. 

The first thing is oversight. Even the president of the United States has an oversight committee to keep his actions in check. So, why doesn’t a smaller agency under the umbrella of HUD also have its own oversight? Perhaps it is a budget issue. So, instead, it is up to the folks working in the PHA to keep each other honest and always be diligent and vigilant to the integrity of the office. 

People’s living situations, and often, their lives, are in your hands. It is up to you to keep their money and their livelihood safe. And this sort of thing happens more often than people realize. When it is easy to siphon excess funds or embezzle from the unknowing, someone will let their lesser demons talk them into it. And once that gate is open, it is hard to close. 

Removing Temptation

Vigilance is good, oversight is better, but the best tool to prevent fraud in your public housing agency is with software that keeps an eye on all money coming and going. It keeps your office staff honest, it keeps the residents honest, it cannot be tampered with and is easy to use for even the most technologically untalented folks.

One such program is a suite of software from Emphasys. Emphasys has taken the prevention of fraud and its passion for keeping good people safe and developed technology to help keep fraud at bay. Our proprietary system maintains a constant log of your tenants, their household living capacity, their finances, and lets the agency know if anything changes. 

It also holds office staff accountable for anything they miss. It provides a constant paper trail that catches any discrepancy with accuracy and efficiency. You will know right away if anything is amiss and be able to address it before it gets out of control. If the Agency in New England had used Emphasys, this terrible situation would never have happened.

Protecting Your PHA Against Fraud

If you manage a public housing authority, you need to add Emphasys to your tool belt of effective fraud prevention options. With Emphasys’ software solution, you will have a greater scope over what is happening in your community and the ability to send reports to auditors and authorities if anything seems less than above board. The Emphasys suite of products is designed to keep you and your residents in mind, 24/7.

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Emphasys Software Announces Partnership with the New York State Housing Trust Fund Corporation

PEMBROKE PINES, FL – August 2, 2021 – Emphasys Software (Emphasys), a leading provider of compliance-driven software designed to serve the needs of the nation’s public housing authorities, is proud to announce its partnership with New York State Homes and Community Renewal’s Housing Trust Fund Corporation (HTFC) and a successful launch of HTFC’s online waitlist lottery for Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs) for New York City.

Comprised of multiple agencies operating across the entire state, the HTFC focuses on providing crucial services to New York State residents, including Section 8 housing, unique rental options, homebuyer programs for low-income residents, and a broad range of other services all of which are geared towards community development.

“As a statewide, multi-agency organization, our challenges are unique and our technology needs are no different,” explained Ruthanne Visnauskas, Commissioner / CEO of New York State Homes and Community Renewal. “Thankfully, Emphasys is providing the much-needed expertise and software solutions that are assisting our staff in administering HCR’s Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program, which helps approximately 45,000 New York families and individuals live affordably in rental homes of their choosing.”

Commenting on the partnership and online waitlist opening project, Emphasys Software PHA’s GM / CEO, Dave Badun said, “I’m grateful for the trust that the HTFC has placed in us and am proud of how our teams came together to successfully execute on one of the largest waiting list openings in American history. Our technology registered a staggering number of applicants processing almost 372,000 completed applications seamlessly with the site serving over 16,000 applicants at one time.” He continued, “We are pleased that the HTFC chose to partner with Emphasys and are looking forward to continuing to help the HTFC fulfill their mission of serving New York State’s low-income residents.”

Emphasys Software’s suite of products for public housing authorities is one of the most robust in the industry. It includes support for Section 8, mobile inspections, property management, and an all-in-one service solution designed to manage and automate waiting lists, applicant information management, Rental Assistance Demonstration and the recertification process.

About Emphasys Software:

As a pioneer of enterprise software for public housing authorities, Emphasys has set the standard for innovative compliance-based business solutions since 1976. Emphasys’ software is used to help manage and house nearly one million families through over 200 of the nation’s leading, and many of the nation’s largest, public housing authorities. Emphasys offers a complete suite of enterprise software applications with service and support that automates business processes efficiently and effectively. Emphasys Software is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Constellation Software Inc. (TSX:CSU).

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