New vendor CVR begins HCV management; board presses for clearer communications, dashboards and resident inclusion
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Summary
Commissioners pressed CVR Associates and HACM staff on call-center performance, backlog in voucher processing and confusing rent/recertification notices after the authority transitioned Housing Choice Voucher operations to CVR; staff promised template fixes, better communications, and quarterly briefings with resident groups.
HACM commissioners and staff on April 9 reviewed early performance after CVR Associates began managing the agency—s Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) operations and identified continuing backlogs and communication failures that are affecting residents and landlords.
Tracy Sheffield, senior vice president with CVR Associates, and Michael Tonovitz, CVR executive vice president, described four priority projects: percent file reviews, project-based voucher (PBV) backlog remediation, a research backlog tied to conversion, and reconstruction of Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) files and escrow amounts. CVR said it has begun scanning and reconstructing records and will deliver a data-driven report to the board at the May meeting covering initial progress.
Commissioners and staff focused on resident communications and customer service. Dina Hunt, HACM chief operating officer, and CVR representatives said some Yardi/RentCafe templates used to send automated letters mixed public-housing and HCV language, resulting in confusing notices and fear-inducing termination letters. Commissioners asked CVR and HACM to revise template language immediately, consider pausing problematic mailings where feasible, and to improve phone response capacity; staff said they will explore adding call-center staff and rework templates in collaboration with Yardi representatives.
Commissioners also said the public-facing experience should improve: Vice Chair Gotzler and others suggested a dashboard or Gantt-chart-style tracker of HUD and agency milestones and asked for quarterly briefings from CVR that include resident-organization leaders so residents can serve as partners and communicators. CVR agreed to provide a first formal, data-driven board report next quarter and said a senior presence will be maintained on-site while a permanent director is recruited.
Several commissioners and resident leaders reported incidents of poor service and disrespect at HACM—s Lisbon office and other customer-facing locations; Commissioners stressed the need for staff training on de-escalation and customer service, and requested staff track and address reported incidents. CVR and HACM staff said they are reviewing call templates, phone routing and staffing; they also noted some letters are required by program timelines but promised to seek clearer, friendlier language and supplemental communications to avoid unnecessary resident distress.
The board did not take formal action during the discussion; CVR and HACM staff committed to provide more transparent reporting, to revise letters and templates, and to include resident organizations in quarterly briefings.
