High Performer Again ....................

2
Community Partner Spotlight on
Karen Demick ................................. 2
SPHA and CHA Show Other
Agencies How Its Done .................. 2
SPHA Is Helping to Change
Residents Lives ............................... 3
SPHAs Legislative Priorities .......... 4
Commissioner News ....................... 4
INSIDE
Fall 2014
For the fourth consecutive year, the Housing
Authority Insurance (HAI) Group has selected
a St. Petersburg Housing Authority (SPHA)
program as one of the best in the nation.
The HAI Group named SPHAs Community
Policing and Crime Prevention program as the
First Runner Up in their 2014 Best Practices
and Housing Authority Risk Retention
Innovation Awards competition. SPHA is one
of only two housing authorities in the United
States to receive this years awards.
Delphinia Davis, Chair of SPHAs Board of
Commissioners, said, It is such a huge honor
that the HAI Group has recognized another
SPHA RECEIVES AWARD FROM
NATIONAL INSURANCE GROUP
Local leaders at October 7 ribbon cutting
one of our programs. Were very proud that
they see the value in community policing
programs like ours and that, once again, our
stafs innovation has led to an industry best
practice.
Detecting and eliminating crime from
subsidized housing is an issue for housing
authorities throughout the nation. However,
police departments typically do not generate
crime statistics specifc to public housing
developments, and housing authorities do not
always have the relationships they need with
the ofcers patrolling their neighborhoods.
Public housing management often faces
difculty in obtaining specifc information
about disturbances and illegal activities,
specifcally those that occur after ofce hours.
This breakdown of communication leaves the
housing authority in a reactive stance, which
is inefective and inefcient.
SPHAs Community Policing and Crime
Prevention program addresses these issues.
With the support of the St. Petersburg
Police Department (SPPD), SPHA is able to
more actively identify and prevent criminal
activities. SPPD has designated
one specifc Community Service
Ofcer, Karen Demick, for all SPHA
properties, including public housing
and Housing Choice Voucher/
Section 8. Ofcer Demick acts as
SPHAs law enforcement liaison,
working directly with SPHA staf to
proactively address and to eliminate
crime. SPHAs strong relationship
with local law enforcement is a
beneft to both our residents and to
the neighborhoods in which they live.
The Housing Homefront p. 2
Ofcer Karen Demick has been with
the St. Petersburg Police Department
(SPPD) for 31 years and has been
SPHAs Community Service Ofcer
since September 2010. She has been
a valuable resource for SPHA, being
our eyes and ears in the community.
Ofcer Demick helps us to ensure
that our properties are safe and provides information to
our Compliance Department on a regular basis. Ofcer
Demick also attends our Housing Choice Voucher/Section
8 hearings and public housing confict resolution meetings.
We are truly thankful to SPPD for providing us with the
services of Ofcer Demick, and we look forward to our
long-lasting partnership.
Community
Partner
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) once again named SPHA
as a High Performer, following its fscal year
2013 evaluations of the agency. SPHA is among
a select number of housing authorities, out of
approximately 3,200 nationwide, to achieve and
maintain this designation, which is the maximum
rating that HUD gives to housing authorities.
Having been named a High Performer
consistently for the past decade, SPHA has
demonstrated a history of excellence with
consistently high evaluation scores.
SPHAs Section 8 program received a perfect
SEMAP (Section 8 Management Assessment
Program) score of 100 percent based upon 14
key performance indicators.
SPHAs Public Housing program received a
physical inspection score of 93 out of a possible
100 points. The score is based upon the
physical condition of SPHAs properties.
Receiving the High Performer designation also
means that SPHA is eligible for both a Capital
Funds Bonus and other performance incentives
from HUD.
Additionally, SPHA received an unmodifed
opinion, which is the best outcome possible, for
its fscal year 2013 audit. This marks the seventh
consecutive year that an audit of SPHAs fnancial
statements and compliance efforts has concluded
with zero fndings.
At SPHA, we take great pride in our clean and
transparent operations, and we are also proud to
be a leading example of fscal responsibility in
the housing industry.
HIGH PERFORMER
ONCE AGAIN
Leaders from SPHA and the Clearwater Housing Authority
(CHA) have been selected to present a session entitled
Whats Under the Hood? Financial Diagnostics 101 for
Your Agency at the National Association of Housing and
Redevelopment Ofcials (NAHRO) National Conference
& Exhibition in Baltimore, MD, on October 16-18.
The training provided by SPHA and CHA will provide
commissioners, residents, and staf of other housing
authorities with a better understanding of agency fnancials
and with the tools they may need to more efectively
utilize them. It also will help them understand fnancial
reports, learn best fnancial practices, and identify where
to go for fnancial guidance. Based on SPHA and CHAs
successful fnancial practices, this session will better equip
commissioners to guide their agencies to success.
SPHA and CHA Show Other
Agencies How Its Done
Spotlight:
Ofcer KAREN DEMICK
ST. PETERSBURG HOUSING AUTHORITY NEWS
SPHA provides its residents with much-needed
opportunities to learn commercial trades or to complete
their education. Through in-house programs, such as the
Section 3 Resident Training and Education Fund and the
Collegiate Scholarship Program, and partnerships with
agencies like Boley Centers and CareerSource Pinellas,
residents are given the tools they need to reach their goals.
SPHA Chief Executive Ofcer Darrell Irions said, The
real proof of any programs success is in the people who
complete it, then go out and put to productive use what
theyve learned. I am so proud to say that our job-training
and educational programs have helped our residents to
lessen their dependency on government subsidy and to
create a better future.
Here are some success stories:
Former SPHA resident Tamara Harrell successfully
graduated from the Section 8 program in May 2014 in
order to purchase her frst home. Ms. Harrell worked
full-time while studying to be a registered nurse, all with
the goal of moving her family of of housing assistance.
Today, thanks to her hard work and the support of
SPHA and Habitat for Humanity, she and her two
children are living in a new home that they own.
With SPHAs help, Public Housing resident Latoya
Wimberly overcame the odds against her to achieve
her dreams. With an interest in nursing, Ms. Wimberly
completed the necessary coursework to be a Certifed
Nursing Assistant (CNA) using SPHAs Resident
Training and Education Fund. She faced some obstacles
that required additional work and perseverance, but by
June 2014, Ms. Wimberlys CNA license was approved
by the board. She is great example of someone facing
adversity and not giving up!
Tanisha Lovett was unemployed when she moved into
one of SPHAs public housing properties in 2011. After
being out of work for a year, she decided that she wanted
to return to school and obtain a CNA license. She
approached SPHAs Property Management staf in April
2012 for assistance. In less than a month, Ms. Lovett was
enrolled in the Section 3 program and the classes needed
to obtain her certifcation. She successfully completed
her coursework, and she was hired at a nursing home in
July 2012. With SPHAs assistance, she recently received
a First Aide Certifcation, too!
In the past four years, SPHA Section 8 residents Michael
Davis, Courtney Moore, Tyesha Roberts, and Jyaira
Moore each have received $2,500 college scholarships
from the Housing Authority Insurance Group. The
residents were informed of the scholarship opportunity
through SPHAs Collegiate Scholarship Program, which
connects residents between the ages of 16 and 23 to
scholarship opportunities ofered by housing industry
groups.
Between 2003 and 2005, SPHA helped 115 families with
down payment assistance for achieving their dream of
homeownership. The loans are forgiven at 10 percent
per year, with total loan forgiveness after 10 years,
as long as the family still lives in the unit and hasnt
defaulted on their mortgage. The funds were made
available through SPHAs Hope VI grant, which has
since been closed out.
These residents successes also have a fnancial beneft for
the agency. As they graduate to self-sufciency, they no
longer need housing assistance, which SPHA can then
provide to other families on the wait lists. In this way, SPHA
is able to efectively house more people in need with no
additional federal funding.
The Housing Homefront p. 3
SPHA Is Helping to Change Residents Lives
Development Update
The Request for Proposal process for SPHAs Wounded
Warrior Housing Turnkey Development Services project
has been cancelled, due to a fnancial gap in funding
the project. SPHA remains committed to developing
afordable and accessible housing for disabled veterans
and their families, and we will keep you updated as
we reconsider our options. In the meantime, SPHA
has applied to HUD for additional Veterans Afairs
Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers, which provide
rental housing for homeless military veterans.
The Housing Homefront p. 4
SPHAs job-training and educational programs are part of
the agencys bigger picture eforts to change the way that
housing authorities operate on a national scale. SPHA is
supportive of changing federal mandates to allow housing
authorities to function more efciently, serving more
potential clients with less waste of taxpayer dollars.
Specifcally, SPHA is supportive of fve-year time limits
for Section 8 and Public Housing residents. Known
as Five and Up, the time limits would apply only to
healthy families, who would also have access to SPHAs
job-training and educational programs. The goal would
be to move families up and of of housing assistance,
creating more turnover within the housing programs and
allowing SPHA to serve more people in need. The time
limits would not apply to disabled or elderly residents.
As another potential cost-saving measure, SPHA is
working to change the federal regulations that require
housing authorities to pay Utility Reimbursements
to tenants who have little or no income, essentially
paying them to stay in government housing. Currently,
SPHA pays approximately $500,000 per year in these
reimbursements to residents. By ending the federal
practice of Pay to Stay, SPHA would be able to help
more families waiting to receive housing assistance
or could invest the savings in creating more housing
opportunities.
Both of these goals require congressional approval for
implementation.
SPHAS LEGISLATIVE
PRIORITIES
In Memoriam
Long-time SPHA Commissioner Lorraine
Perry passed away on June 24, 2014. She served
this agency with compassion, intelligence, and
character for 12 years. She was originally
appointed as the boards Resident Commissioner
in September 1997, and her frst term lasted
until November 2000. Commissioner Perry was
reappointed to the board in January 2006 and was an active
board member until her passing. She will be missed by our
board, staf, and residents alike.

New Commissioner Update / SPHA
Former St. Petersburg City
Council member James (Jamie)
Bennett and public policy
advocate Ayele Hunt were sworn
in as members of SPHAs Board
of Commissioners earlier this year.
Also, Valerie Roberts has been nominated as SPHAs
Resident Commissioner. As a public housing resident, Ms.
Roberts will represent tenants interests on the board, making
sure their perspective is considered in all SPHA business. St.
Petersburg City Council will vote on the nomination later
this fall.
The seven-member Board of Commissioners is SPHAs
governing body, responsible for oversight and policy-making.
SPHA operates under Chapter 421 of the Florida Statutes
as an independent quasi-governmental entity and a political
subdivision of the State of Florida. While the Mayor of St.
Petersburg appoints the board, the housing authority is not a
department of the City of St. Petersburg and receives no city
funding. SPHAs income is derived from tenant rents, federal
subsidies, grants, investments, and inter-agency contracts.
New Commissioner Update / DHA
Christopher Gahles joined the DHA Board of
Commissioners this past spring. Commissioner
Gahles is the Operations Manager at Rhein
Medical, Inc. He is eager to put his business
expertise to work to help increase afordable
housing units in Dunedin.
Commissioner
NEWS
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