The Louisville Field Office of Public Housing in conjunction with the state's public housing industry group, Kentucky Housing Association, recently held its annual conference for public housing authorities and community development agencies. More than 340 persons attended the four-day event dubbed "The Real World."

The keynote speaker kicking off the conference was Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson, who focused on the many real-world challenges facing affordable housing providers. Highlighting his remarks were local successes, including the first-in-the-nation Section 8 for Home Ownership program at the Housing Authority of Jefferson County and the model Park duValle HOPE VI project of the Housing Authority of Louisville.

Also during the opening session, HUD presented awards to the Housing Authority of Irvine for PHA of the Year, the Housing Authority of Sturgis for Small PHA of the Year, the Housing Authority of Somerset for Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program of the Year, the Cumberland Valley Regional Housing Authority/Housing Authority of Barbourville for Best Practices in Resident Initiatives, and the Housing Authority of Louisville for Family Self Sufficiency Program of the Year. In addition, the Field Office honored all of the PHAs attaining "High Performer" status for the administration of their Public Housing and Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher programs

Attendees showed a great deal of interest in presentations on the high-profile Rental Integrity Monitoring initiative and policy changes to the Public Housing Assessment System. The Field Office's legal counsel led a session on real-world legal issues addressed by his office during the last year, and public housing staff presented a variety of topics including tenant fraud control, commissioner training, capital funds and procurement, social services benefits, and home ownership. Closing out the conference was an informative session on the real-world dangers of methamphetamine labs, a growing concern for Kentucky's PHAs.

Louisville Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson delivers keynote address at the opening session.	The Small Public Housing Authority of the Year award is presented to Executive Director Nancy Shelton by Field Office Director Ben Cook.