The Grundy County Housing Authority has received a top score from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, designating it a "high performer."
"This means the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has recognized the Grundy County Housing Authority as being one of the best in the country," said Brent Newman, CEO of the GCHA.
"This is something good for Grundy County and something we can all be proud of," he said.
Housing authorities can receive one of three ratings: high performer, standard performer or troubled performer. If a housing authority is troubled, it is assessed every year. If it is standard, it is assessed every two years. As a high performer, it is every three years.
GCHA had been considered a standard performer since 2006, when it began constructing its facilities at Mazon Park Place, Newman said. This is because one of the categories of the rating systems is financial.
"We slipped to standard when we built Mazon Park Place. We knew our finances would take a hit while we were building them," he said. "We decided it was more important to provide housing than be a high performer."
Prior to their construction, the GCHA was a high performer in the past.
In the physical category, the GCHA received a 37 out of 40. In financial, a 25 of 25; management, 25 of 25; and the capital fund rating was also perfect, with a 10 of 10. The total score was 97 of 100.
"(Saratoga Tower) is 37-years-old and chronically under funded. To have a physical score of 37 of 40 is extraordinary for that age and with the amount of money we have," Newman said.
For receiving the "high performer" status, the GCHA will get an extra $2,200 for its capital fund.
The credit for this achievement goes to many people, both Newman and Larry Tarman, GCHA board chair, agree.
"Everybody as a team put a lot of work into it with a lot less money," Tarman said. "We have a great staff with a great board who try to do the best we possibly can with the cards we've been dealt."
For several years, the GCHA's funding has continuously been cut.
In addition to the board and staff, the accomplishment is also thanks to volunteers, donors, contractors, vendors, and, of course, the residents, Newman said.
"The residents contribute on a daily basis to take care of the building. We have a lot of volunteers who clean and keep up with all sorts of things in the building. They all contribute, even just by identifying what stuff needs to be done," he said. "We can't have eyes everywhere, especially in their apartments, so we rely on them to tell us so we can fix that."
The donations of money and time from the community also are a large help. For example, last summer, Akzo Nobel Surface Chemistry of Morris contributed money and time to remodel Saratoga Tower hallways with new lighting, paint and shelves. Newman said it was about $15,000 worth of work that cost the GCHA nothing.
"There are literally hundreds of people involved in the housing authority that helped us get this score," Newman said.
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