TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – The Manhattan Housing Authority has climbed its way out of a troubling designation given by federal oversight monitors.
The Manhattan Housing Authority earlier this week was placed under federal observation after the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development determined it had fallen below mandated efficiency targets.
MHA, at that time, said it was making progress on the goals HUD placed to show its recovery. The organization then announced on Friday that it had reached a “significant operational and financial turnaround.” The substance behind that declaration is an improved score from the Public Housing Assessment System (PHAS) that jumped from a 29 to a projected 77 in that entity’s latest report.
“When I began serving as Executive Director, MHA’s PHAS score was 29,” said Aaron Estabrook, Executive Director of the Manhattan Housing Authority. “This turnaround is the result of disciplined work by our staff, steady leadership from our Board of Commissioners, and a clear recovery strategy.
This progress reflects the professionalism and commitment of our staff,” Estabrook added. “Public housing recovery is hard work. Our team showed up every day and did what was necessary to restore performance.”
You can view that report below:
MHA Executive Director Aaron Estabrook highlighted key markers from HUD’s report:
Combined MASS Occupancy Rate: 93.02%Apartment Towers Occupancy: 92.57%Flint Hills Improvement Occupancy: 95.83%Financial Assessment (FASS) Score: 24Quick Ratio: 12 out of 12 pointsDebt Service Coverage Ratio: 2 out of 2 pointsStrong improvement in liquidity and reduction of current long-term debt
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