Herkimer Housing Authority

Transcription

1 Autumn 2016 Newsletter Herkimer Housing Authority Autumn 2016 Inside this issue: Letter from the Director 1 Inspection Schedule 2 Interim Income 2 Adjustments A/C Removal 2 HUD Fraud 2 Flu Shot Clinic 3 Laundry Room Rules 3 Pest Control 3 4PETSAKE Food 4 Pantry Blue Cone System 4 Snow Plow Procedure 5 Patio Furniture 5 Hang Tags 5 Sidewalk Maintenance 5 Message from the Director The Board of Commissioners has engaged in the services of a development consultant to assess our properties at Mid-Town Apartments, Creekside Courts, and Eastern Gardens in order to develop a strategy for redevelopment. In order to achieve this, a physical assessment will be undertaken by local architects and engineers. This will require these individuals entering into resident apartments when and where necessary. Notices will be sent out by my office announcing when this physical assessment will take place. Our properties date back to the early 1950 s. What is to be accomplished is an upgrade to all of our apartments, with more adequate living space and new interior design. Several meetings with residents will take place as progress moves forward, and I am sure that the entire community of Herkimer will be impressed with the outcomes. Also, there will be apartments designed to accommodate handicapped tenants. We are looking for your patience and input with the design. Drawings of the interior and exterior will be set up in our Community Room when completed. This is going to be an exciting time for Herkimer Housing Authority! Heating Season 5 Auto Maintenance 5 Summer Picnic Sincerely, Richard M. Dowe Executive Director

2 Annual apartment inspection schedule for 2016 is as follows: 1/21/ and Completed 4/21/16 - A1 - B6 and C1 - E8 Completed 5/19/16 - F1 - H6 Completed 6/16/16 - M10 - R17 Completed 9/28/16 - J10 - L13 10/13/ /17/ Air Conditioner Removal Remember, your air conditioners must be removed from all windows by the October 1st deadline. Failure to remove air conditioners by October 1 st will result in a charge of $10.00 on October 2 nd followed by a $5.00 per day charge until removed. Interim Income Adjustments All changes in income must be reported within 10 days of the change. It is up to YOU to provide documentation of any change to this office. We will request information from the provider if further confirmation is necessary. HUD Fraud - Is it worth it? Do you Realize? If you commit fraud to obtain assisted housing from HUD, you could be: Evicted from your apartment or house. Required to repay all overpaid rental assistance you received. Fined up to $10,000. Imprisoned for up to five years. Prohibited from receiving future assistance. Did you know that... You are committing fraud if you sign a form knowing that you provided false or misleading information. The information you provide on housing assistance application and recertification forms will be verified. The local housing agency, HUD, or the Office of Inspector General will check the income and asset information you provide with other Federal, State, or local governments and with private agencies. Certifying false information is fraud You must include: All sources of income and changes in income (raise or bonus) you or any members of your household receive, such as wages, welfare payments, social security and veterans benefits, pensions, retirement, etc. Any money you receive on behalf of your children, such as child support, AFDC payments, social security for children, etc. All assets, such as bank accounts, savings bonds, certificates of deposit, stocks, real estate, etc., that are owned by you or any member of your household. All income from assets, such as interest from savings and checking accounts, stock dividends, etc. Any business or asset (your home) that you sold in the last two years at less than full value. The names of everyone, adults or children, relatives and non-relatives, who are living with you and make up your household. Page 2

3 Flu Shot Clinic at Mid-Town Apartments The Herkimer County Public Health office will be holding a flu shot clinic at the Mid-Town Apartments Community Room on Thursday, September 29, 2016 from 11:00 a.m - 1:00 p.m. This clinic is open to anyone who would like to get their flu shot, not just residents of Herkimer Housing Authority. Please bring your insurance card with you. Public Health workers will process all insurance claims. Mid-Town Apartments Laundry Room Rules Be considerate of your neighbors, please use only 2 washers or dryers at a time Leave the laundry room as neat and clean as you found it Use paper towels to wipe the inside and outside of the washers and dryers when you are finished and clean the lint screen on the dryer Pre-rinse any heavily soiled garments or bedding before bringing them to the laundry room Return HHA laundry carts promptly after use so that others can make use of them as needed When leaving, turn off the lights and television if no one else is in the room Monthly Pest Control Inspections We have expanded our pest control inspections to include general housekeeping checks. We have been noticing that some apartments are kept in less than favorable conditions, so we are taking steps to make sure that all apartments are being kept in a clean, uncluttered, and sanitary condition to avoid any pest problems that could arise. This is a reminder that maintenance does monthly pest control inspections and will enter your apartment to check the conditions and traps even if you are not home. The schedule is as follows: Mid-Town Apartments - 1st Monday of the month Eastern Gardens - 2nd Monday of the month Creekside Courts - 3rd Monday of the month If there is a holiday on your scheduled Monday, the inspection will be on the following business day. Page 3

4 4PETSAKE Food Pantry, Inc Keeping people & their pets together! Located at the Mohawk Antiques Mall, 100 E. Main Street, Mohawk, NY. Open on Wednesdays from 11am-2pm. Their mission is to keep pets with their owners and prevent them from being surrendered or from being abandoned. They are dedicated to making a difference in the lives of pets and the people who love them by assisting with pet food, advocating spay/neuter and vaccine programs and nutrition education to low income senior citizens, veterans or anyone that has fallen on hard times. In order to take advantage of this service, you must be a member. The income guidelines are: Proof of Income Requirements: 4PetSake Food Pantry has income limits for pet owners seeking assistance from the Pantry. You must bring proof that your household s income is at or below guidelines as shown below. Continued membership in the pantry will require annual submission of proof of income. 1 $14, $1, $20, $1, $25, $2, $30, $2, $35, $2, $41, $3, $46, $3, $51, $4, Family Size (Household) For each additional member, add $3,960 to Annual Annual Poverty Guidelines Monthly Poverty Guidelines YOU MUST SUBMIT PROOF OF INCOME, SUCH AS: A copy of the latest income tax return. A copy of the latest check stub. A letter signed by your employer which verifies employment & gross income. A letter signed by a social worker or employee of an agency helping you get other types of assistance that confirms your income level. Other papers that provide proof of monthly income (or lack thereof), such as Social Security Award Letter, Unemployment check stub, and/or Disability check stub. Food stamps or Medicaid eligibility letter. (Just the card isn t enough, as we cannot tell if it s currently active.) You must submit proof of ownership such as a copy of your pet s license, a rabies or spay/neuter certificate or You can find their application information on their website: Mid-Town Blue Cone System for Snow Plowing Maintenance is trying out a new system that will alert Mid-Town tenants when they need to move their cars for snow plowing. A blue traffic cone will be placed in the hallways by the front elevator which will be visible from both hallways when maintenance is plowing the parking lot. This will make it easy for tenants to determine if they need to go out and move their car. If you see a blue cone in the hallway, you MUST move your car. If there is not a blue cone in the hallway, you can check periodically throughout the day to see if there has been a change. Page 4

5 Snow Plow Policy - Strictly Enforced! If there is a snowstorm, OR we receive 3 or more inches of snow OR you see maintenance plowing, you must remove your car from the parking lot by 8:30 a.m. Mid-Town Apartments is trying out a blue cone system mentioned on page 4. Maintenance staff is not authorized to move cars for tenants. If you own a car, you are responsible for moving the car on your own. If you are unable to move the car, you must have a friend or relative move the car for you. Failure to remove your car when maintenance is plowing the lot will result in the following: First offense: A warning ticket will be issued Second offense: A fine of $20.00 will be charged to the tenant s account Third offense: The car will be towed by an independent company at the owner s expense Parking Hang Tags All registered automobiles have been issued a hang tag for the rear view mirrors. They help identify the owner of the vehicle in case maintenance needs to contact them. Failure to display the hang tag while parked on Herkimer Housing Authority property may result in the car being towed at the owner s expense. Winter Storage of Patio Furniture/Grills During the winter months, all patio furniture, gas grills, etc. need to be stored on the patio areas. Bikes need to be secured to the back porch railings or stored somewhere off site. Toys must be picked up and stored until spring. Any winter items must be stored neatly on the back porch patio as well. Sidewalk Maintenance All Creekside Courts and Eastern Gardens with the exception of the senior citizens are required to keep their sidewalks and steps clear of snow and ice. Failure to do so will result in ice build-up which could be dangerous to not only you, but anyone walking by. Due to the fact that last year we had to throw away around 18 bags of ice melt due to it hardening up, we will no longer be able to provide full bags of ice melt to tenants. If you need a small amount of ice melt, you can request it by calling the office. Heating Season is Coming! As stated on page 2 of this newsletter, all air conditioners must be removed by October 1st. The weather gets pretty chilly after this date, and maintenance will not start the boilers in any building if even 1 air conditioner is left in a window, so please, be considerate of your neighbors and make sure your air conditioners are removed by the October 1 deadline. In doing so, you will avoid heavy fines and will stay cozy warm too! Automobile Maintenance Tenant Handbook - VI: Vehicles Cars must be maintained in good working order. Loud exhaust, leaking engine fluids, etc. will not be allowed. If a car is found to be leaking fluids onto the parking lot, the tenant will be charged for the clean-up costs and may have their parking privileges revoked. Residents may not do vehicle repairs in the parking lot. Page 5

6 Summer Picnic July 20, 2016 The guys hard at work! This year we had a DJ! Thanks Tom, you did a great job! The weather was beautiful and we had a lot of people sitting outside enjoying the sunshine! A traditional picnic menu was served. We had a large group of people eating indoors too! Page 6