ELIZABETHTON – Kelly Geagley fears no audit or inspection.
“I want to know if we need to do something better, I never had a fear of an inspection,” the executive director of the Elizabethton Housing Development Agency said after an exit briefing by the federal Housing and Urban Development’s Section Eight Management Assessment Program on Tuesday afternoon. The inspectors gave EHDA a perfect score on the inspection. Naturally, the agency was once again designated as a high performer.
It was the second time in the past three years the inspectors have awarded the housing agency a perfect score.
Geagley gave the credit to his staff. “They are very dedicated and hard working,” he said. “They really do more with less.”
Geagley said HUD evaluates housing agencies on 15 indicators. Some of these indicators are very complex, such as how the right rent is determined, based on the tenant’s income. Other indicators include how prospective tenants are selected from the waiting list, determination of adjusted income, housing quality standards, expanding housing opportunities, payment standards and timely annual re-examinations.
Geagley has been the executive director of the agency for 17 years and has developed many innovative programs that do not show up in the annual inspections, such as Kelly’s Kids, a group of older children who provide services to other residents of the community. He has also worked closely with the Elizabethton Police Department to help provide a safe and low-crime neighborhood.