1977-78: Citywide Single Family Loan Rehab Program; Cincinnati, Ohio

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Mr. Alexander was hired as the one of the key staff to completely rework a failing and under federal mandated to get clean up single family loan program (Section 312 and CDBG Funds). He is less than a year had made major assessment to how the program had been ran and then spearheaded fundamental and programmatic changes, which remain in place to day over 30 years later. Two major pieces of this restructuring were the creation of a master specifications system and requiring waivers of liens for all payments to general contractors for their subs and materials suppliers.

 

The fundamentals of the restructuring entailed resolving matters such as: analyzing a majority of past cases; construction bids as compared to costs estimates; bids relative to construction specifications; work performed and approved as compared to contracts and costs proposed; complaints of owners; codes non- compliance of projects having been rehabbed and signed off on; contractors having been paid, but subs and materials suppliers not getting paid; owners using funds for things others than what was intended; staff not knowing how to equitably administering the program.; developing a reporting system for HUD quarterly reviews that reflected clear accountability on staff’s part.

 

Facilitation: Key Groups/Participants

                                                Contractors who had participated in past program

                                                Owners of properties past participants and potential ones

                                                City Department of Community Development Staff

                                                City Building and Inspections Department

                                                Staff of Local office of HUD

                                                Program Auditors

                                                Cincinnati Rehab Finance Corporation Staff                                          

Results:

                                                HUD approved program procedures with excellent check and balance processes

                                                New master standards for specifications to be used in program

                                                New Cost estimate process/procedures with substantiation by independent person

                                                Contractor registration process and insurance requirements

                                                Owners’ requirements and verifications

                                                City Housing staff trained and more aware of HUD programmatic requirements

                                                Major marketing plan to unleash the new program and respond to negative history

                                                Increase in number of new applicants and new small general contractors participating

                                                Cleaning up past problem cases