Opp Housing Authority earns high marks
Published 1:02 am Friday, October 28, 2016
Opp Housing Authority is ranked among the best in the nation’s housing authorities.
OHA received a high performance rating in public housing and housing choice voucher program.
They scored 97 out of 100 on the Public Housing Assessment System indicators.
Those indicators include physical, financial, management and capital fund for the public housing.
They scored a perfect 25-out-of-25 in the financial score category as well as perfect in the capital fund category.
They also scored 96 in section 8 housing, which authorizes the payment of rental housing assistance to private landlords.
Last year, they scored an 88 in public housing and a 100 in section 8.
Housing Authority Director Beverly Bell-Barber said that it’s good to have high performing scores, and that they worked hard to earn the improved score.
“The site inspection score made (our score) go up,” she said. “We hired an employee whose sole job is to maintain the exterior.”
The authority has consistently maintained rented units and a full batch of Section 8 clients.
The ratings are done yearly.
High performing scores means better funding, she said.
Subsidies are determined by occupied apartments.
“When someone moves out, you have to turn it and get it ready to get your subsidy.”