New Directions

Helping with housing

By Erica Rascón on May 18, 2015 in People

Since 1971, New Directions Housing Corp has committed to building and preserving a sense of community. The Kentucky-based nonprofit has expanded its portfolio to include real estate development, asset and property management, resident services, home ownership preservation, and community building and organizing.

“I don’t know what we do, but we have to find a new direction,” uttered Father Ben O’Connor to his parish. In 1969, the group had the will to help their struggling community but was unsure how to go about it. One small housing project followed another. Soon, outreach efforts extended beyond Louisville, Kentucky and into Floyd and Clark counties of southern Indiana.

Today, New Directions Housing Corp, a Yardi client, manages 1,000 affordable housing units, renting to nearly 1,000 low-income families. The organization repairs and restores approximately 200 houses each year, focusing on projects that help the elderly remain in their homes while creating safe, accessible abodes. New Directions has joined forces with NeighborWorks America and Metro United Way to achieve their goals.

To address the unique needs of every community, New Directions hosts The Neighborhood Roundtable every two months. Community members gather to create practical, efficient plans that will make their neighborhoods more stable and cohesive. Residents can take pride in the changes that take place because they are an integral part of the process. They work side-by-side with New Directions volunteers and staff. “We don’t just work here. We believe in what we do and give 150% to our mission,” states Bridgette Johnson, Director of Property Management.

There are numerous ways to get involved but Repair Affairs have become the most popular event for volunteers and staff members. “We start really early with a kickoff breakfast around 6am,” explains Janice Hill, Management Information Systems Director. “Some volunteers help with breakfast, handing out T-shirts, arranging teams, and helping teams get to their location. Then the teams start their projects: some repair roofs, fix floors, or do landscaping, painting, and other jobs to improve the exterior. There are also runners that deliver lunches and drinks to the teams. Runners make sure that the teams have all the materials needed for their work.” Volunteers often log a full 8 hour day but their efforts don’t stop there. They return to the site for the next several weeks until their projects are completed.

“For Repair Affair, we focus mostly on elders and repairs that are detrimental to letting the elderly stay in their homes and enjoy a safe, livable house,” says Janice.  Volunteers build wheelchair ramps and make other enhancements for accessibility.

Other housing projects rehabilitate and beautify existing properties, transforming them into investments that double as homes for Heverin House graduates. Heverin House is a transitional shelter that helps formerly homeless families get back on their feet and into permanent housing. Families that participate in the program receive employment assistance and financial training, equipping them with the tools needed to reach self-sufficiency.

Every department of New Directions Housing Corp stays in sync with Yardi products. “I love that all the departments can use the same software,” Janice says. “Everything is integrated and the relationship between products is wonderful.” The nonprofit uses Voyager for Affordable Housing, the industry’s only real-time, web-based software that integrates compliance, property management and accounting.

“We rely on Yardi daily, from finance to property management,” Bridgette says. “The instruction module has been very helpful as we organize new projects that are coming on board. We have access to the entire project and all changes that are being made.” As upgrades are added to Voyager, the New Directions team aims to stay abreast of the wave; they have requested to be part of the  beta test for Affordable suite 7.0.

To reap more from their current Yardi software, Bridgette, Janice, and three additional team members will attend the Yardi Advanced Solutions Conference (YASC) in DC next week. The conference gives clients access to Yardi’s experts to ask questions, make suggestions, and share best practices.

“We’ve attended YASC in DC and (California) for several years now,” says Bridgette. “Every year we learn something new.”