News on 8, Summer 2013, v.12 no.1

              Volume 1, Number 2 November 2002
A Newsletter for Section 8 Rental Assistance Landlords and Tenants
Published Twice Yearly by Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency
Summer 2013 Volume 12, Number 1
HUD-VASH Program Leads Army Vet to
Find Inspiration in Helping Fellow Vets
Steven Sturgeon served three
years with the U.S. Army from
1989-1992, including a tour
to Panama during Operation Just
Cause. During this invasion, Manuel
Noriega was removed from power.
Today, Steven provides offi ce
support to the counselors and social
workers at the Oklahoma City Vet
Center, located at 1024 N.W. 47th
Street. Veterans come to the Cen-ter
for assistance with Post Trau-matic
Stress Disorder, military sexual
trauma and couples counseling.
Steven enjoys visiting with fellow
veterans, often offering a cup of cof-fee
and a kind smile.
“I absorb the stories from the Viet-nam
veterans,” Steven said. “It’s like
a history lesson for me.”
A few years ago when facing
fi nancial hardships, the single father
visited the Veterans Administration
(VA) Medical Center at 921 NE 13th
Street for much needed help.
“I was on the verge of not being
able to handle my bills,” he said.
“Pam Stark at the VA Medical Center
gave the tools I needed and told me
who I needed to see. A lot of doors
opened for me.”
One of the doors that opened for
Steven was an introduction to the
HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive
Housing (HUD-VASH) program.
HUD-VASH combines Section 8
Housing Choice Vouchers from
organizations like OHFA with case
management and clinical services
from the Department of Veterans
Affairs. HUD awarded OHFA with
100 of the vouchers. Steven is one
of 72 veterans currently participat-ing
in the program through OHFA.
“The best thing about the HUD-VASH
program is that it helped me
save a little money,” said Steven.
“Basically it helped me get back on
my feet.”
Another door that opened was
his current job at the Vet Center.
When Steven visited with an
employment specialist at the VA
Medical Center, one of the many
job leads he received was the offi ce
position at the Vet Center.
OHFA also administers OHFA
Advantage, a homebuyer program
that offers 3.5 percent down pay-ment
assistance on a VA loan.
OHFA Vision:
An affordably
housed
Oklahoma
OHFA Mission:
Creating
housing
solutions for
Oklahomans
VISION
&
MISSION
WEBSITE
OHFA Website:
www.ohfa.org
Steven Sturgeon sits in the formal living
room of the Del City home he rents. He found
housing assistance and a job through the
HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing
(HUD-VASH) program.
Since May 1, OHFA began abating/sus-pending
Housing Assistance Payments
(HAP) when owners/landlords failed to
correct Housing Quality Standards (HQS) defi -
ciencies upon OHFA’s reinspection of the unit.
This change affects the owners/landlords
and tenants participating in the Section 8
Housing Choice Voucher Program in the fol-lowing
ways:
• HAP will be abated/suspended after the
reinspection when the unit fails to meet HQS
requirements by the date listed on the rein-spection
appointment letter.
Failed Housing Quality Standards Inspections Not Corrected
Will Cause Suspension of Housing Assistance Payments
• A family residing in an affected unit will not
be responsible for OHFA’s portion of the rent
during the abatement/suspension period. The
family will continue to pay their portion of rent
only. An owner/landlord may not terminate a
family’s tenancy when abatement/suspension
occurs.
• OHFA will issue the family a voucher to
begin searching for a unit that meets HQS
requirements, as long as there are no tenant
defi ciencies required to be corrected.
• If repairs are made after the abatement/
suspension period begins, the owner/landlord
or tenant must contact OHFA immediately to
schedule a reinspection of the affected unit.
• If OHFA fi nds the repairs have been
made, OHFA will end the abatement/suspen-sion
the fi rst day of the month following the
date the repairs have been verifi ed as hav-ing
been completed. Payments suspended
during the abatement period will not be
restored.
• If repairs have not been corrected within
60 days from the date the abatement/suspen-sion
period begins, OHFA will terminate the
HAP contract.
The hearts of all of OHFA’s
employees and trustees are
with those aff ected by the
Spring 2013 tornadoes.