Texas NAHRO Trainings

  • Hearing Officer Specialist with certification exam - April 16-17, 2024 (Dallas, TX)

    Price:

    Training Only: $600 Member/ $700 Non Member

    Training with Exam: $750 Member/ $850 Non Member

    Training Location:

    DHA – Housing Solutions for North Texas 3939 N. HAMPTON ROAD DALLAS, TX 75212

    Purpose

    This two-day training is essential for hearing officers, members of hearing panels, managers who represent the PHA in hearings, and policy analysts. Hearing Officer Specialist is packed with information, covering all aspects of public housing and housing choice voucher hearings. After getting grounded in the regulations, participants examine PHA policies and grievance procedures that determine how regulations are implemented. The seminar will walk participants through coordinating and conducting orderly and fact-based hearings. Commonly heard issues, working with advocacy groups, the 504 coordinator, and reasonable accommodation issues will be addressed. This workshop also includes extensive hands-on practice. In small groups and individually, participants will read cases and make decisions, citing appropriate regulations and PHA policies.

    Learning Outcomes

    Upon completion of Hearing Officer Specialist, you should have developed and mastered the skills needed to conduct hearings and write decisions with hands-on case studies and best-practice strategies.

    Day One

    • Apply critical thinking skills to the facts of the case in order to integrate HUD regulations and guidance into the PHA’s policies and procedures to make reasoned decisions
    • Recognize the elements of cohesive and comprehensive hearing and grievance procedures
    • Identify how and when to work with the PHA’s 504 coordinator, Legal Aid, and advocacy groups
    • Conduct orderly appeals and hearings

     

    Day Two

    • Practice making and writing hearing decisions, with appropriate citations, first in a group and then individually
    • Recognize housing choice voucher regulations for informal reviews for applicants and informal hearings for participants
    • Identify public housing regulations for informal hearing for applicants and grievance hearing for tenants

     

    AGENDA: View the agenda

  • HCV Specialist with HOTMA - April 29- May 2, 2024 (Corpus Christi, TX)

    Price:

    Training Only: $700 Member/ $800 Non Member

    Training with Exam: $850 Member/ $950 Non Member

    Training Location:

    Corpus Christi Housing Authority Training Room

    3740 South Port Ave

    Corpus Christi, TX 78415

    Purpose

    Get three NMA trainings in a single class: eligibility, rent calculation, and occupancy. In just one week, housing specialists can acquire the knowledge they need to do their job.

    Learning Outcomes

    Upon completion of HCV Specialist, you should be able to explain and apply HUD regulations and guidance to determining eligibility, the intake process, occupancy, and rent calculation in the housing choice voucher (HCV) program.

    Day One

    • Identify and explain key program components
    • Describe factors of eligibility, waiting list requirements, and preferences
    • Describe and explain the process of voucher issuance

    Day Two

    • Describe the various aspects of the leasing process in its entirety
    • Analyze and describe the processes associated with annual activities
    • Describe and analyze reasons for terminations and the informal hearing process

    Day Three

    • Explain and discuss the concept of portability, the challenges it presents, and the expectations for housing authorities on both ends of the process
    • Read and interpret form HUD-50058 and its accompanying instructions
    • Identify and calculate annual income

    Day Four

    • Identify assets and calculate income from assets
    • Calculate adjusted income by correctly deducting HUD-defined allowances and expenses from annual income
    • Recognize the requirements for verification of income, allowances, and expenses

    Day Five

    • Calculate gross rent and maximum rent at initial occupancy
    • Calculate the HAP and family share for an HCV family using the payment standard, utility allowance, and gross rent
    • Calculate prorated rent for mixed families

     

    AGENDA: View the agenda

  • NSPIRE HCV - May 7-9, 2024 (Austin, TX)

    Price:

    Training Only: $600 Member/ $700 Non Member

    Training with Exam: $750 Member/ $850 Non Member

    Training Location:

    Housing Authority of the City of Austin

    1124 S I-35 Frontage Rd

    Austin, TX 78704

    Purpose

    NMA’s brand-new NSPIRE for HCV seminar covers everything you need to know about HUD’s new National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE). Develop and master the skills needed to be an effective and efficient public housing inspector.

    You’ll learn about the three new inspectable areas and about the similarities and differences between NSPIRE and HQS. Most importantly, you’ll also learn exactly how to read a standard and review each standard in detail with industry-leading inspections experts.

    Learning Outcomes

    • Review how NPSIRE was developed
    • Compare and contrast NSPIRE and HQS
    • Identify the inspectable areas under NSPIRE
    • Describe the different health and safety determinations under NSPIRE
    • Name the different types of inspections under NSPIRE
    • Review the NSPIRE software
    • Understand minimum habitability requirements
    • Understand how to read a standard
    • Identify and review each NSPIRE standard

    AGENDA: View the agenda

  • Effective Interviewing for Program Integrity - May 21-22, 2024 (Dallas, TX)

    Price:

    Training Only: $600 Member/ $700 Non Member

    Training with Exam: $750 Member/ $850 Non Member

    Training Location:

    DHA – Housing Solutions for North Texas 3939 N. HAMPTON ROAD DALLAS, TX 75212

    Purpose

    Successful error reduction strategies and fraud prevention begin with interviewing. This training provides the know-how to produce skilled, well-trained interviewing staff, utilize effective tools for communication and data collection, and create a standardized staff interviewing methodology. Throughout the training, you will examine hands-on case studies that illustrate topics such as conducting eligibility interviews, resolving discrepancies, asking the right questions to prevent fraud, collecting data, and using verification forms. The training allows attendees to identify key policy issues to reduce errors and prevent fraud.

    Learning Outcomes

    Upon completion of the Effective Interviewing for Program Integrity training, you should be able to leverage a strong understanding of HUD regulations and guidance in order to:

    • Identify the skills needed for interviewing effectively
    • Learn a planned approach to interviewing
    • Improve your listening skills
    • Improve your questioning techniques:
    • What makes one question better than another?
    • What questions should you avoid?
    • How do you bridge questions to gather maximum information?
    • Deal more effectively with “zero-income” families
    • Recognize the difference between a participant’s “failure to report” and “fraud”
    • Utilize interview tools and forms for program integrity
    • Identify policy issues to improve program integrity

     

    AGENDA: View the agenda

  • RAD Project-Based Voucher (PBV) Specialist - July 16-18, 2024 (Dallas, TX)

    Price:

    Training Only: $600 Member/ $700 Non Member

    Training with Exam: $750 Member/ $850 Non Member

    Training Location:

    DHA – Housing Solutions for North Texas 3939 N. HAMPTON ROAD DALLAS, TX 75212

    Purpose

    The RAD Project-Based Voucher (PBV) Specialist seminar is designed specifically for agencies transitioning their public housing units to the project-based voucher program under the first component of the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) Program. This course is intended as an introduction for public housing or HCV staff transitioning to the PBV program as well as for anyone unfamiliar with RAD PBV. The course begins with an overview of the basics of both RAD component one and PBV and explores the differences between tenant-based vouchers and project-based vouchers as well as the difference between PBV and RAD PBV. Staff will leave with an understanding of how to set rents, how PBV contracts work, how to determine eligibility and operate the waiting list, the basics of inspections, how units are leased, how to organize files, and occupancy issues such as annual recertification, income increases, and terminations.

    Learning Outcomes

    Based on HUD regulations and guidance, develop and master the skills needed to successfully transition your PHA’s public housing units to the project-based voucher (PBV) program under the first component of the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program and ensure long-term compliance.

    Day One

    • Introduction to component one of the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program
    • Applying for RAD, and RAD requirements for the five-year and administrative plans
    • Similarities and differences between tenant-based vouchers, PBV, RAD PBV, and public housings
    • The CHAP contract (Commitment to Enter into a Housing Assistance Payments Contract) and other important documents
    • PBV HAP contract

    Day Two

    • Eligibility and the waiting list
    • Initial and ongoing rents
    • Utility allowances
    • Choice mobility
    • Annual and interim recertifications
    • Increases in income
    • Inspections
    • Terminations
    • Reporting and administrative management
    • PBV project files
    • Program administration
    • Action plan for the PBV program

     

    AGENDA: View the agenda

  • HOTMA – HCV - Aug 20-21, 2024 (Austin, TX)

    Price:

    Training Only: $600 Member/ $700 Non Member

    Training with Exam: $750 Member/ $850 Non Member

    Training Location:

    Housing Authority of the City of Austin

    1124 S I-35 Frontage Rd

    Austin, TX 78704

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