Southeast Nebraska Community Action (SENCA) today was recognized as Fulton Villa in Falls City, Nebraska was named the Most Improved Project of the Year for 2016 by the Multi-Family Housing Program at USDA Rural Development.
USDA Rural Development Nebraska State Director Maxine Moul presented SENCA with a plaque at Fulton Villa and offered her personal congratulations for receiving the award. Helping to honor SENCA at the presentation were SENCA staff and board, and tenants.
During the past year, Fulton Villa, a 12 unit single story elderly property built in 1986, experienced a substantial drop in its occupancy rate which cut the actual project income by more than half. Newer apartments in the community had begun to attract existing and potential tenants away from Fulton Villa. Unless SENCA could turn the increasing vacancy situation around, they stood to lose income that Fulton Villa needed to keep its units affordable for its tenants.
SENCA acted quickly and renovated the units at Fulton Villa to make them competitive with the new apartments. Reserve funds were used for the renovations that included replacement of kitchen cupboards and floor covering, bathroom vanities, doorbells, smoke detectors, and bathroom exhaust fans. The plan worked and Fulton Villa became fully occupied. On January 1, 2016 a non-smoking policy went into effect but it did not change the occupancy level.
“SENCA, the manager and owner of Fulton Villa, took action and used extensive media and advertising channels as well as offered rate incentives to existing tenants and new tenants,” said Multi-Family Housing Specialist Sharon Kluck. “Due to the steps SENCA took it rose the occupancy of Fulton Villa from 50% occupied to full capacity.”
For more information on the Multi Family Rural Rental Housing program, contact Sharon Kluck at 402-437-5035 or at Sharon.kluck@ne.usda.gov.
Visit: http://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/all-programs/multi-family-housing-programs.