Herkimer Housing Authority

Transcription

1 Autumn 2018 Newsletter Herkimer Housing Authority Autumn 2018 In this issue: Inspection Schedule 2 Contact Information 2 A/C Removal 2 HUD Fraud 2 Flu Shot Clinic 3 Rent Adjustments 3 Monthly Pest Control 3 Items on lawns 3 Syringe Disposal 4 No Smoking Policy 4 Sidewalk Shoveling 4 Heating Season 4 Snow Plow Policies 5 Patio Furniture 5 Website/Facebook 5 Auto Maintenance 5 Pet Policy 6 Mid-Town Package 6 Deliveries Homework Help for 6 Students Message from the Director On August 31, 2018, Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) which is an agency of HUD, conducted an inspection on all three of Herkimer Housing Authority s sites. I would like to congratulate our entire maintenance staff on receiving an above average scoring on the condition of the buildings and grounds. The points that we lost, unfortunately, were in the tenant apartments, where items such as leaking faucets and bathtubs/showers, paint peeling, holes in walls, and doors not latching cost us points. These are all work order items that tenants need to report to the office, and it is a requirement in tenant leases that all work orders be reported to the office. I suggest all tenants review the condition of your apartments and call the office to report items that need to be repaired. Your apartment is your home, so please pay more attention to the condition of your area. Sincerely, Richard M. Dowe Executive Director

2 Annual apartment inspection schedule for 2018 is as follows: 1/18/ and /19/18 - A1 - B6 and C1 - E8 5/17/18 - F1 - H6 6/14/18 - M10 - R17 9/20/18 - J10 - L13 10/18/ and 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 on October 2 nd of $10.00 per a/c followed by a $5.00 per day per a/c charge until removed. UPDATE YOUR INFORMATION Please be sure the office has all of your contact information up to date in our system including a working phone number and vehicle information. We need to be able to contact you efficiently when necessary. Please call the office at to update your information with a staff member. 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, child support, 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 Friday, October 5, 2018 from 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 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. Interim Income Adjustments All changes in income must be reported in writing 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 employer if further confirmation is necessary. Changes to your rent cannot be made without proper documentation. Items Left on Lawns Week after week this summer maintenance has had to pick up toys, scooters, bikes, shoes, clothes, garbage, lawn chairs, blankets, etc. from the grounds at both Creekside Courts and Eastern Gardens. Please be aware, if you do not pick up your items at the end of the day and maintenance has to clean up after you, your items may be put in the trash. It is YOUR responsibility to pick up any and all personal items at the end of each and every day. An item left on the grass could be a potential danger if run over by a lawn mower. A small hard object could become a projectile which could severely injure a child. 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: 1st Monday of each month for all complexes - beginning at 1:00 p.m. If there is a holiday on your scheduled Monday, or maintenance is unavailable due to emergency repairs in progress, the inspection will be on the following business day. Page 3

4 When disposing of syringes and lancets ( sharps ), tenants should: Use puncture-proof plastic containers with tight-fitting screw tops, such as coffee containers, soda bottles or bleach bottles. Label the container clearly by writing Contains Sharps on it with a waterproof marker. Once a syringe or lancet has been used, immediately put it into a container and screw on the top. Keep the container away from children. When the container is full, tightly screw the cap on and seal it with heavy-duty tape and put it in the dumpster. DO NOT PUT THE SHARPS CONTAINER WITH THE RECYCLABLE PLASTICS. They are not recyclable. New York State law allows disposal of sharps along with the household trash. No Smoking Policy Information We are aware that there are many violations of the No Smoking Policy taking place on a daily basis. We know this because we can smell the smoke in certain apartments, see people smoking on their porches, and we receive complaints from neighbors who rightly expect that they shouldn t be exposed to second hand smoke. This is not just a Herkimer Housing Authority rule, but a rule imposed by HUD. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has ruled that all subsidized housing units are to be smoke free. If you are found to be in violation of the No Smoking Policy, you could be evicted from Herkimer Housing Authority and made ineligible for any further housing assistance anywhere in the country. Smoking in your apartment has been banned not only for the health hazards that second and third hand smoke for other tenants, but also because of the safety issue which could put you and your neighbor s apartments at risk in case of a fire from an unattended cigarette. We all remember the devastating fire that occurred at Ilion Housing Authority s London Towers in June of One person died and two others were hospitalized. In addition, 108 apartments had to be evacuated for a brief amount of time due to the smoke. This is a serious issue for all who live in our buildings. Please be advised that we will not turn a blind eye to the matter of smoking in the apartments. Violators will be subject to the terms of the No Smoking Policy, and if necessary, evicted upon the third instance of a violation. Sidewalk Snow Maintenance All Creekside Courts and Eastern Gardens residents with the exception of 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 in the past we have had to throw away many 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 1st deadline. In doing so, you will avoid heavy fines and will stay cozy warm too! Page 4

5 Mid-Town Blue Cone System for Snow Plowing Maintenance will continue our new system to alert Mid-Town tenants when they need to move their cars for snow plowing. When maintenance is plowing the parking lot, a blue traffic cone will be placed in the hallways by the front elevator which will be visible from both hallways. 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, please check periodically throughout the day to see if there has been a change. 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 using a blue cone system mentioned above 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: The car will be towed by an independent company at the owner s expense Have you checked out our website or Facebook page? Check out our website at to find applications and other important forms or documents that you can easily print from your home computer. We offer documents such as our Tenant Handbook of house rules, complaint forms, move out paperwork, community service time sheets, pet policy, bed bug policy, and more. You can also like us on Facebook to receive any notices that we post which will keep you informed about important information or community events. You can find the link to our Facebook page on our website! Winter Storage of Patio Furniture/Grills and Bikes During the winter months, all patio furniture, gas grills, etc. need to be stored on the back 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. Automobile Maintenance Tenant Handbook - VI: Vehicles Cars must be maintained in good working order. Loud exhaust, flat tires, 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 Pet Policy Reminder All tenants should be aware, Herkimer Housing Authority has a pet policy which all tenants must abide by. This policy clearly states the rules that the tenant must follow in order to be a pet owner. Our Pet Policy has been provided to each and every tenant and is included in your Tenant Handbook of House Rules. We have had incidents of non-registered pets and pets who have not had their proper immunizations. We are finding cats and dogs being allowed to roam in and out of apartments. This is not fair to the tenants who are following the rules and have to deal with the mess an outdoor pet makes. We realize that sometimes a pet can get out of an apartment accidentally, but it is not OK to let them out unattended even for a little while. It is your obligation under the Pet Policy to clean up after your pet. Also, you may not tie your pet to the front or back of the building. The pet must be leashed and attended by an adult at all times when outside of the apartment. Please be aware that per the terms of our Pet Policy, any pets that we find outside roaming the property may be caught and taken to the animal shelter as a stray. Also, we track your pet s shots and cat/ dog licenses at recertification time. If your pet is in need of immunizations, spaying/neutering, or a current license, you will be notified. If we do not receive the documentation which was requested, you will receive a notice to vacate. It is important that your pet has the proper shots and care in accordance with the Herkimer Housing Authority Pet Policy! Monday, October 8, 2018 is Columbus Day Monday, November 12, 2018 is Veteran s Day Thursday, November 22 and 23, 2018 is our Thanksgiving Holiday December 24 and 25 is our Christmas Holiday January 1, 2019 is our New Year s Holiday The office will be closed on these days. Mid-Town Apartments Package Deliveries The office has been accepting a large number of packages for tenants from the mailman, UPS and FedEx. The mailman leaves a note in your mailbox, so the office will not call to let you know you have a package. We will, however call to let you know if you have received a UPS or FedEx package. If we are unable to contact you because your phone number has not been updated with the office, you are still responsible for picking the package up in a timely manner. If you are expecting a package, you can check with the office during business hours to inquire if it has been delivered. It would be very helpful if you could pick up your package right away. We do not have a large area to store the packages, and some days we have more than we can handle! Homework help for Students If your student needs help with homework or doesn t understand what was presented in class, there is an online resource, khanacademy.org that they can go to for short lessons in the form of YouTube videos. Khan Academy covers a wide range of subjects and is a free resource for students of all ages! Taken from their website: Khan Academy offers practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that empower learners to study at their own pace in and outside of the classroom. We tackle math, science, computer programming, history, art history, economics, and more. Our math missions guide learners from kindergarten to calculus using state-of-the-art, adaptive technology that identifies strengths and learning gaps. We've also partnered with institutions like NASA, The Museum of Modern Art, The California Academy of Sciences, and MIT to offer specialized content. Page 6