The N.C. Commission of Indian Affairs works to provide decent, safe and sanitary housing for economically-disadvantaged families through its U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-funded Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program. The accurate processing of Section 8 documentation by the Commission has a very positive ripple effect: When paperwork is verified and rent assistance checks are released, landlords are happy and residents feel secure in their homes.
And when all that happens within a specific timeline established by HUD, one more good thing happens: The Section 8 program itself, implemented by the Commission since 1976, receives a perfect score of 100 and an overall rating of High.
“We appreciate your time and attention to SEMAP,” states a HUD letter received this month. “SEMAP enables HUD to better manage Section 8 tenant-based programs. … As a result, HUD will be able to provide more effective program assistance” to qualified recipients.
“We get graded on a variety of indicators, and you have to hit all benchmarks to achieve a 100 percent rating,” said Greg Richardson, Executive Director of the Commission. “We typically score in the 90s, but thanks to some new measures we’ve put into place, our last quarter was judged to be perfect.”
The rating system is important, Richardson said, as it identifies weaknesses before they become problems. “Even when we’re doing a good job, we want to do a better job,” he said. “By us doing our best, landlords get paid in a timely manner and tenants have one less worry.”
For information about the Section 8 housing program, visit the Commission of Indian Affairs website or call 919-807-4440.