UPCS-V Demonstration Update (February, 2017)

Earlier today, HUD held a conference call for participants of the UPCS-V Demonstration. The call provided an update of what was occurring with the Demonstration and the next steps in the process.

There are 234 agencies that are participating in the UPCS-V Demonstration. Of these, four agencies are currently doing UPCS-V inspections. Fifteen additional agencies are scheduled to begin doing UPCS-V inspections in April 2017. HUD has been gathering feedback from PHAs to improve the usability of the inspection software and has identified 39 items to improve in the software. Additionally, the protocol and decision trees are being updated from feedback from PHAs. HUD has noted that there are a limited number of electronic devices that will be available for the Demonstration and is prioritizing PHAs who need them and do not have them.

During the call, HUD noted two areas where they were looking for additional feedback. First, HUD would like feedback from landlords. They would like to hear from PHAs about landlord groups in their area. They are also looking to conduct a landlord event–possibly a call or a conference. Second, HUD will hold two IT vendor days in Phoenix, AZ and Jacksonville, FL on April 5th and April 7th respectively. They are encouraging PHAs to attend these events with their software vendors so that HUD is able to “facilitate a conversation.”

Finally, HUD shared this timeline during the update:

• Past;
  • First PHAs completed inspections of record in January;
  • UPCS-V 2.0 released;
  • Updated software;
  • Updated decision trees;
• Present;
  • Expand adoption of UPCS-V to larger number of PHAs;
  • In-person and WebEx training;
  • Incorporating weekly updates from weekly trainings;
• February – June;
  • Increase the number of inspections for statistical valid sample;
  • Understanding potential challenges for PHAs;
  • Release of next version of protocol of refinement of decision trees with PHA input;
  • Continuous software user experience;
  • IT Vendor Day;
• June – January (2018);
  • Working towards a full online training tool; and
  • Continue training PHAs and evaluating data collected from the Demonstration.

Any questions or feedback can be given to HUD at OED@hud.gov. In the past, HUD has posted a recording of the call and the accompanying slides on their OED website, within a few weeks.