SPHA Receives Best Practices Award from National Housing Authority Insurance Group

ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – In July 2011, the Housing Authority Insurance Group (HAIG) notified the St. Petersburg Housing Authority (SPHA) that its Fraud Prevention and Recovery program has been selected to receive the national "2011 First Runner Up of the Best Practices Award.” The award will be presented formally to the housing authority at HAIG’s national conference in September. This is the fourth major Best Practices award to honor one of SPHA’s programs in the past year.

Chief Executive Officer Darrell Irions said, “On behalf of our Board of Commissioners and staff, we are very proud that HAIG has chosen to recognize SPHA's Fraud Prevention and Recovery program as one of the Best Practices for the U.S. housing industry.”

SPHA’s Fraud Prevention and Recovery program recovered $87,351.51 in fraud in 2010, the second highest fraud collection year since the program’s inception. Started in 2001, the goal of the program is to reduce the incidents of fraudulent activity in the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) / Section 8 program and save taxpayer dollars.

Melinda Perry, SPHA’s Chief of Programs, said, “The commitment of our staff and our partnerships with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Inspector General, as well as local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, have allowed us to recover significant taxpayer dollars through this innovative program.”

Since 2001, SPHA’s Fraud Prevention and Recovery team has recovered a total of $648,859.61 from landlords and tenants. One half of these funds is reinvested in fraud recovery efforts, and the other half is used for Housing Assistance Payments to HCV landlords. More information about this program can be found on SPHA’s website at www.stpeteha.org/fraud.htm.

About St. Petersburg Housing Authority (SPHA):

The St. Petersburg Housing Authority (SPHA) is a public body corporate that has a 70+ year history of developing and administering affordable housing programs within its jurisdictional area, which includes St. Petersburg and a 10-mile radius outside of the city. Consistently scored as a “High Performer” on U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) assessments, SPHA provides housing assistance to more than 3,400 families. More information about the authority’s programs and services can be found at www.stpeteha.org.

About Housing Authority Insurance Group (HAIG):
The Housing Authority Insurance Group (HAIG) serves public housing authorities. 501(c)(3) nonprofits, affordable housing providers, low-income housing, and multifamily apartment owners. More information about HAIG’s services can be found online at www.housingcenter.com.