May 03, 2012

EL PASO - The Housing Authority of the City of El Paso, Texas (HACEP) is proud to announce that the Public Housing Program is again rated a High Performer by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the 2011 fiscal year ending June 30, 2011. This is the highest honor that can be bestowed on a public housing authority. HUD officially noticed HACEP on April 17, 2012, that the Public Housing Program earned a score of 93 out of 100 on the Public Housing Assessment System (PHAS), which is the annual performance assessment for public housing programs throughout the U.S.

“What this means is that our Public Housing Program continues to earn HUD’s complete trust and confidence that our operations are running to the best of their abilities,” said Gerald W. Cichon, Chief Executive Officer of HACEP. “This also enables HACEP to be more competitive when the agency applies for competitive grant funds, provides an additional $500,000 each year to HACEP for capital improvements projects, and that HACEP will have a three-year window before our next federal inspection of our public housing properties. I commend all the staff at HACEP for this accomplishment because everyone worked together as a team.”

The PHAS is divided into four key areas: the Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) that assesses the physical conditions of a housing authority’s public housing properties; the Financial Assessment Subsystem (FASS), the Management Assessment Subsystem (MASS), and the obligation and expenditures of the Capital Fund Program. HUD annually assigns each PHA a rating on each of the four indicators and an overall performance rating of high (90 percent or above), standard (60-89 percent), or troubled (59 percent or below).

HACEP’s Public Housing Program now joins the Housing Choice Voucher Program (formerly known as Section 8) as a federally-recognized high performer. HACEP’s HCV Program earned high performance status in both 2010 and 2011 by earning a 97 and 100, respectively, on the Section Eight Management Assessment Program (SEMAP). This is the first time in over 10 years that both of HACEP’s affordable housing programs earned this designation for the same fiscal year.

“During the last fiscal year, the biggest challenge we faced was preparing our public housing communities for the REAC inspections by removing overgrown vegetation, repairing or replacing fences, doors, and windows, and replacing soil around foundations and sidewalks that eroded away over time from the elements,” said Roman Velasquez, Director of the Public Housing Program. “All of the HACEP staff and the temporary workers we hired through the Section 3 Program worked very hard over many months to make sure we earned as many points as possible.”

ABOUT HACEP
The Housing Authority of the City of El Paso, Texas (HACEP) provides safe, decent and affordable housing to assisted families at or below 80 percent of the area median income. HACEP is among the 20th largest public housing authorities in the United States and provides high-quality housing assistance to 40,000 El Pasoans through its Public Housing, Housing Choice Voucher, Tax Credit, Non-Subsidized and Section 8 New Construction programs. HACEP operates a $77 million annual budget and is regulated and primarily funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Shane B. Griffith - Public Information and Government Relations Officer
sgriffith@hacep.org
(915) 849-3710