HACM Board Moves Forward With Section 8 Contractor Award

At a special Board of Commissioners meeting on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee’s (HACM) Board approved a resolution authorizing staff to finalize a contract with CVR Associates, Inc. to manage and operate its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program. The vote helps ensure the 60-day transition period aligns with the start of the new fiscal year.

The decision is a key step forward in meeting the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) requirement that HACM procure a qualified vendor to run the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program. The vendor selection followed HACM’s open, transparent, and competitive procurement process in full compliance with HUD regulations. The scope of work and evaluation criteria were outlined in the Request for Proposal (RFP), along with detailed goals, requirements, timelines, and budget to ensure vendors understood the expectations and could respond with tailored, comprehensive solutions that meet HACM’s needs.

An evaluation committee, consisting of HACM staff and partners, conducted a thorough evaluation of the six proposals submitted by the RFP deadline. After interviews with the four candidates who met the competitive criteria, CVR and Quadel were identified as having the demonstrated capabilities and experience best suited to HACM’s needs. Following a final round of interviews, CVR emerged as the top-scoring finalist and was recommended to the Board (view a summary of the process and highlights of the proposals).

The transition to CVR will begin with a 60-day period designed to align with the start of HACM’s fiscal year. “I appreciate the Board acting with urgency to approve the award of this contract, allowing us to finalize the contract and begin the transition,” said Willie L. Hines, Jr., HACM Secretary-Executive Director. “CVR is highly qualified, and we believe their expertise will help us complete the required federal corrective actions and return our Section 8 program to high-performer status.”

To preserve the program and improve service delivery for our Section 8 participants, it was essential for the board to award the contract at this time. While much has been discussed regarding HACM’s Section 8 program operations, CVR has demonstrated exceptional success in revitalizing HCV programs facing similar challenges. This partnership signifies an important step in rebuilding HACM’s Section 8 program and establishing a solid foundation that will enable the agency to provide significantly improved services for our program participants and partners. We are confident that Section 8 participants and program partners alike will value the exceptional quality and dedication that CVR brings to its services.

HACM will continue as the administrator of the program, with a designated staff liaison working closely with CVR. HACM hired Dena Hunt as Chief Operating Officer of Real Estate and Housing to serve in this role. Hunt, a Marquette University Law School graduate, brings extensive experience in affordable housing, including managing the HCV program for Milwaukee County’s Housing Division and holding multiple senior roles with HUD.

The program will continue operating from HACM’s existing Section 8 offices at 5011 W. Lisbon Ave., ensuring no disruption of service. HACM’s Section 8 employees will have the first opportunity to apply and interview for open positions with CVR to provide these services. CVR must seriously consider HACM employees and may not hire individuals without first interviewing HACM staff directly affected by this contract. CVR will be onsite in Milwaukee throughout the transition to establish its local presence, with an estimated 46 full-time staff members in Milwaukee to operate the program.

CVR was selected for its comprehensive, tailored proposal and extensive experience managing Housing Choice Voucher programs. Their proven ability to successfully transition programs of similar size, commitment to customer service, and robust quality control and workflow systems align extremely well with HACM’s current needs. CVR will make all reasonable efforts to move HACM’s Section 8 program out of troubled status, with the goal of attaining Standard Performer in Year One and High Performer in Year Two.

“CVR has a strong track record of successfully working in diverse communities across the country. We fully intend to hire locally, ensuring we tap into the talent within Milwaukee. We’re excited to bring our expertise, training, and proven systems to support HACM’s needs and look forward to establishing our local presence in the coming months,” said Fradique Rocha, CVR CEO.

HACM and CVR are committed to ensuring a seamless transition throughout the process. It is anticipated that there should be little to no effect on the nearly 7,000 voucher households that HACM serves within the city. These efforts are expected to increase efficiencies and improve the overall experience for participants, landlords, and other partners in HACM’s Section 8 program.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.