Creative Housing Solutions, Inc.

513.961.4400 | 800.321.5270 | Fax 513.961.2233 or 866.339.0024

Project Profile

Housing Authority of DeKalb County
Physical Needs Assessment with Utility Allowance Study

Client:
Housing Authority of the County of DeKalb, Georgia
750 Commerce Drive, Suite #300
Decatur (Atlanta), GA 30031
Attn. Matthew McClammey, Development Director
(404) 270-2528

Project Assignment:
Prepare a Physical Needs Assessment (PNA) for three public housing developments consisting of 868 units in 179 buildings.

Assignment Details:
The overall goal was to develop a PNA to determine the physical needs of HAD’s largest properties.

CHS began the process by meeting with executive staff to understand their concerns and objectives.

PNA: CHS conducted thorough development and unit assessments which included:

Inspection of 100% of each development site.
Inspection of 100% of the exterior of each building.
Inspection of 20-30% of the dwelling units.
Assessment of Section 504 (HC) compliance.
Review of environmental reports.
Evaluation of infrastructure and mechanical systems.

Executive Summary: CHS prepared an executive summary of the findings and recommendations. This document was shared with the Executive Staff, HUD, residents, and government officials.

Tenant Paid Utility Allowances were calculated as a component of this project. The HUD Engineering Method was used for these calculations. CHS uses the Engineering Method to save the PHA time and expense during the annual update process. After the Engineering Method UA’s are calculated, the annual update process takes no more than 4 hours versus several days using the Consumption Method.

[pdf version]

Tasks

Physical Needs Assessment
Utility Allowance Study

Timeline

Start – May 2005
Complete – June 2005

Interesting Facts

179 Buildings Assessed
Oldest Development – 1948
Newest Development – 1977
Total Identified Needs - $37 Million
Utility Allowances Updated

935 Lenox Place, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229
(800) 321-5270