WINTER 2017 NEWSLETTER

Herkimer Housing Authority

Winter 2017

Inside this issue:

Letter from the 1

Director

Inspection Schedule 2

Open Windows 2

Creekside and Eastern 2

Hallway Cleaning

Changes in Income 2

Recycling Rules 2

Unreported Household 3

Members

Holiday schedule 3

Snow Shoveling 3

Christmas Trees and 3

Outdoor lighting

Annual Recertifications 4

Snow Plow Policy 4

Ice Melt 4

Nuisance Maintenance 4

Calls

Halloween Party 5

Christmas Party 6

Message from the Director

Winter is a wonderful time of year for both children

and adults with celebrations of country and family.

Remember those less fortunate, that have little to

celebrate either through lack of finances or poor health.

I would like to wish everyone a safe and healthy

time not only during our holiday seasons, but for each and

every day throughout the new year. Happy 2018!

Richard M. Dowe

Executive Director

Toys for Tots and Operation Sunshine

Annual Toy Giveaway

The Toys for Tots and Operation Sunshine hotline is open now and will run until Dec. 1, 2017.

Call 732-2379 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m to see if

your family qualifies and when and where you can

pick up .

Apartment Inspection Schedule

1/18/18………...101-118 and 201-219

4/19/18………...A1-A8, B1-B6, C1-C8 and E1-E8

5/17/18………...F1-F6, G1-G8 and H1-H6

6/14/18………...M10-M15, N10-N17 and R10-R17

9/13/18……..….J10– J21, K10-K21 and L10-L13

10/18/18….……301-319 and 401-419

Page 2

$ Reminder about changes $ in income

Please remember to bring in proper

documentation if your income goes up or down.

We can’t lower your rent until we have the

proper documentation in your file. Our files are

subject to review by auditors who require that

we have proof before we make any adjustments

to your rent. If your income goes up, we will

need proof of that as well.

Any changes of income or household members

must be reported within 10 days of the change.

We use the Government EIV (Enterprise

Income Verification) System to verify income.

This system tells us when and where you have

worked. If we find that you have been working

without reporting it to us, you will be required

to pay us back and it could result in termination

of your lease and legal action brought against

you for fraud.

We don’t want this to happen to you!

Please note: If your income goes down and you

are requesting an adjustment of your rent, we

will need documentation of the change at least 5

business days before the end of the month.

Open Windows One day in December 2016, maintenance

counted 27 open windows at one of our

apartment complexes.

Another local housing authority charges

$20.00 per open window per day! Leaving

your window open in the cold weather costs

us money. If your apartment is too warm, you

can lower the amount of heat you get by

adjusting the valve at the base of the heating

unit. The lower the number, the less heat you

will get. If maintenance sees open windows,

you will receive a letter from the office, and a

fine may be imposed.

Recycling Rules

We have been asked by our garbage disposal

service to remind all tenants that you are not to put

plastic bags into the recycling containers.

Plastic bags are a real problem for the recycling

center because they get caught in the machinery and

cause frequent break-downs.

If you carry your recycling to the recycling bins

in a plastic bag, please empty the bag into the bin,

then throw the plastic bag into the regular garbage

or save the bag for your next recycling trip.

Cleaning of the interior hallways in the

senior buildings at Eastern Gardens and

Creekside Courts is not the responsibility

of maintenance.

Page 8 of your tenant handbook states:

Hallway Cleaning:

Hallways should be kept clear at all

times to prevent tripping hazards. The

Housing Authority appreciates your help

in keeping your areas vacuumed and

swept.

Please do your share to keep the common

areas neat and clean by vacuuming outside

of your door as well as inside.

Page 3

Live-Ins Not Listed On Your Lease There is no other way to say it but it’s simply FRAUD! Having someone stay at your apartment and

not reporting it is fraud. Many think that “THEY” don’t live there because they get mail at some other

address, or they still say they live with their “Mom”, when in fact they haven’t seen their Mom in

months. Staying in the apartment and not reporting it IS living there.

HUD prosecutes for fraud!

HUD is a federally funded program, and as such, having someone living with you who is not

listed on the lease is a violation of your lease and is prosecutable in a court of law for fraud due

to federal funds being abused. According to the office of the Inspector General, 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

Christmas Trees and Exterior Lights It will soon be time to put up Christmas trees and lights,

so here are a few reminders:

When putting up outside lights, please use an

extension cord designed for outdoor use

Do not put holes in the siding when hanging exterior

lights

Do not run cords under doors, across doorways or

under carpets

You may run an extension cord out a window for

exterior lights, but be sure to put something in the

window such as a rolled up towel to prevent the cold

air from coming in

Use heavy interior extension cords. Always check

the cords for wear before using

Always unplug all Christmas lights when not at

home

If using a “live” tree, be sure to water it every day

When it is time to dispose of your “live” tree, please

drag it to the curb for the Village to pick up.

Holiday Schedule

The office will be closed on Monday,

December 25th and Tuesday, December 26th

in observance of the Christmas Holiday.

We will also be closed on Monday, January

1st for the New Year’s holiday.

Snow Shoveling Please remember that it is the obligation of each

tenant at Creekside Courts and Eastern

Gardens to keep the sidewalk and steps to their

apartments shoveled. When you are done with

your area, if you have time, perhaps you can help

out one of your “senior” neighbors.

Rock salt is provided in all of our senior

buildings. If you are not in a senior building and

need rock salt, call the office and maintenance

will bring some to you.

Page 4

SNOW PLOWING POLICY

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. This applies to all 3 complexes, Mid

-Town, Creekside Courts and Eastern

Gardens.

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.

If your car is not registered with the

HHA, you need to come into the office

with your registration to register it

immediately and get a hang tag!

If a car is not registered, or is with-

out a hang tag and it is parked in the

HHA parking lots, OR if your car

remains in the lot at the time of snow

removal, it will be towed away at your

expense. The office staff will not call you

and ask you to move your car.

We are implementing the blue cone snow

plow alert system at Mid-Town

Apartments ONLY:

On days that maintenance needs

to plow, we will be putting a blue traffic

cone in the area by the front elevators

which will be visible from either wing

just by looking out of your door.

When the cone is in the hallway,

you must move your car for plowing. If

the cone is not in the hallway, you don’t

need to move your car.

Please keep in mind that when it

snows continually throughout the day,

the cone may be put out mid-day, so

please check every so often. We hope

that this clears up any confusion on

when the parking lot will be plowed.

Maintenance provides a pail of ice melt in the

front entrance of every senior building. Please

help us out. Spread a little on the walkway when

you are leaving your apt if you see that it is icy.

If you see the pail going empty, please let us

know. Better to be safe, than sorry.

Annual Recertification Residents who are paying rent based on their

income must provide updated information

regarding income, assets, expenses, and family

composition.

Those residents who chronically fail to

return their recertification paperwork by the

due date which is clearly marked on the cover

letter will be required in the future to come to

the office to recertify.

Failure to complete your recertification

paperwork in a timely manner could result in a

termination of your lease or your rent going to

ceiling rent which may be much higher than what

is necessary to pay.

We have been receiving nuisance maintenance calls after

hours. The items listed below are considered to be emergencies,

any other issue will have to wait until the office opens on the

next business day. Our maintenance men are family men and

are not up at all hours of the night to respond to issues other

than the ones listed below.

Acceptable maintenance emergencies include:

Fire - Call 911

Broken lock on a first floor window or entry door

Waterlogged ceiling in danger of falling

Electrical outlet smoking or sparking

Major plumbing leaks or flooding

Natural gas leak or fumes

Electrical situation which could result in shock or fire

No heat when the outside temperature is below 50 degrees

No running water

Utilities shut off

Broken glass where someone could get cut

Obstacle which prevents tenant’s access or exit

Nonfunctioning toilet

Refrigerator not working

Lock out – THERE IS A $30 CHARGE AFTER HOURS

Halloween Party 2017

October 31, 2017

Page 5

Please join us!

Herkimer Housing Authority is hosting our

annual Christmas party!

Wednesday, December 13, 2017 from 1:00-3:00

in the Community Room at the Mid-Town

Apartment Building

~

Great Food

Music by DJ Tommy D

Fun with friends and neighbors

Door prizes

Sign up by December 6, 2017 in the

office or call 866-2252