Belmont Housing Resources Employee Appreciation 2021

Celebration of Staff

“Years of Service”

2021

Message From Mike Riegel Gratitude is important every day of the year, but at this time, it’s more important than ever.

This past year was evidence of how fortunate I am to work with a team that refuses to give anything less than 110%. Even in the darkest days of the pandemic, Belmont’s team rallied beside each other for the sake of our clients. They guided our clients through some of their toughest issues – helping find answers and providing clarity when assistance was needed. Thank you to our team members who somehow navigated these unprecedented times over, and over again to be there for our clients. Your work made and continues to make real differences.

As most of you know, this is the time of year when we pause from our busy schedules to express appreciation to Belmont staff, to celebrate milestone anniversaries and to recognize outstanding service. Once again, this year the pandemic is changing just about everything we do – including our employee recognition efforts. So, instead of getting together for a luncheon and award presentations, we again decided to publish and share this “recognition book” – because we do not want the year to pass without recognizing the outstanding service provided by our staff.

Additionally, instead of rewarding a few staff with our annual awards (Customer Service, Ambassador, High-Five, Team), this year we have decided to reward all staff with some gift cards.

Message From Mike (continued)

Belmont and I appreciate each, and every staff person for playing an important role in sustaining our social and economic fabrics. We were all faced with unique and evolving challenges this year. Your drive, commitment and dedication is truly exceptional. Thank you for your faith as we walk these uncertain paths as partners together.

Let’s charge forward this year with the hope of better days to come. Let’s also not lose sight of the many, many blessings we’ve been given. Keep the faith and hold tight to that bold and unshakeable resilience. That’s how we’ll create a better future.

With respect and gratitude, Mike Riegel

Sandy Love 30 Years Sandy started at Belmont in 1991 as the Executive assistant to the, then president of Belmont, Liz Huckabone. She worked in that role until around 2004 when the Rehab Department needed to “borrow her” to help with loan closings and income determinations. It wasn’t long after that when the Rehab Department requested that she come work for us as our Loan Specialist on a full-time basis. Sandy quickly became adverse in all the rules placed upon her by the city of Buffalo to determine our client’s income as well as becoming an expert in her field producing loan documents. The role that Sandy plays within our department is crucial to our success and she possesses such a unique skill set that she will be difficult to replace when the time comes for her to retire. I have asked her to not retire until I do but I am not so sure she is on board with that plan. For many years, Sandy worked in a department dominated by men. Some of our staff tried to have her act as their secretary for which she quickly made it known that was not going to happen. She offered them help but was certainly not going to do their work for them. Sandy is a team player, but she was not going to be treated as anything but an equal. For all these reasons, Sandy has earned the respect of not only her co-workers but from our external clients as well.

Sandy’s internal strength and fortitude is put on display almost everyday dealing with difficult clients and at times a very strenuous workload. That strength was really put to the test when her husband Tom became very ill and eventually required constant at home care. Sandy took on the role of home nurse while also processing income determinations and loan documents for us at home. Keith or I would drop off files and paperwork at her house and she would e-mail us and say it was ready, at times the very next day. I am pretty sure she was taking care of Tom during the day and processing paperwork at night when he slept. That is just the kind of person that Sandy is, she was not going to let us down but there was no chance she was going to leave Tom’s side either.

On a lighter note, Sandy has a little bit of a wild side as well. You would never guess that Sandy was a video gamer or even less likely someone who used to test rollercoasters. Apparently, her and Tom were members of some club that would go to amusement parks and test out the coasters before the park was even open for the season.

I feel very fortunate to have worked with Sandy for most of her 30 years and hopefully it will never be my responsibility to try to replace her. – Eric Schiffman

Irina Poudy 25 Years

Irina Poudy began her career with Belmont Housing in April 1996 as an Accounting Clerk. She was subsequently promoted to Assistant Controller in 1999 and then in 2010 to the position she now holds, Controller. When Irina joined the Belmont family, the company was certainly much different than it is today. Back in 1996, there were only six properties for which the books and records needed to be kept. Today, we manage twenty properties with two currently in development. Irina’s primary role as Controller is to oversee all of our property accounting.

When I think of Irina and her time at Belmont, the one word that comes to mind is consistent. Irina knows exactly what she needs to do and gets the job done and done well. She has come across almost every issue imaginable that we face in the accounting world and knows how to handle the situation. While the work performed in the Accounting Department may go unnoticed at times, the results produced by Irina and her team are simply outstanding. Dependable, accurate financials produced on a timely basis without errors or findings has been critical to our success as an organization. Funders, regulatory agencies and our Board of Directors know that they can trust the information they are receiving.

Irina is considered a friend and trusted colleague by many in our organization.

When she’s not crunching the numbers in the Accounting Department, Irina enjoys spending time with her family and traveling.

Congratulations Irina on your 25th anniversary and thank you for all your contributions to Belmont’s success! – Aaron Hejmowski

Jaime Marrero 20 Years Jaime has been a valued employee of BHR for the past 20 years. I can proudly state she is one of the best site managers with our company. Jaime has always put her residents first ensuring that their needs are taken care of and keeping her sites looking impeccable at all times. Jaime goes above and beyond in her day-to-day duties.

Although Jaime has 3 sites in her portfolio, she continues to be my go-to person when I need a hand, an extra pair of eyes and even a manager to fill in at one of our many managed properties. Throughout Jaime’s tenure, she has managed or provided assistance at 12-14 sites in the department’s portfolio. In her 20 years of service she is well versed in both HUD and tax credit guidelines.

Jaime’s portfolio contains 111 managed units-- two Senior sites and one 29-unit family property. Jaime’s occupancy and rent collection stats are off the charts. She does a great job at maintaining her properties at 96% or more occupancy and 92% rent collections. This is no easy feat when juggling 3 different regulated sites.

Jaime is the proud mother of her 13-year-old son Dominic who we’ve had the pleasure of meeting and watching grow up before our eyes.

It has been an honor to supervise Jaime and to watch her flourish in her career. I am proud to have Jaime on my team and a part of the PM Department with Belmont.

Congratulations on 20 years of service. - Ursula Goodloe

Art Taggart 20 Years Back in 2001, Belmont was lucky to have Art join our FSS team from another workforce development agency. A relatively new program, Art took the reins with his co-worker, helped build a sustainable program, and Belmont’s FSS program is still one of the highest-performing FSS nationally.

Art is a skilled facilitator and presenter. While working as an FSS Coach, Art would occasionally help his co-workers with presentations on job skills. During one such presentation in 2014, the Annie E. Casey Foundation recognized Art’s talents, and offered to fund a position in the Buffalo Promise Neighborhood’s 2-generation initiative if Art would join the team. Art was excited at the chance to try something new, and so Art’s new direction of a Financial Coach began.

Art continued working as a Financial Coach for the Buffalo Promise Neighborhood, until a new opportunity opened on the team. With his 6-years’ experience working as a Financial Coach for a neighborhood program, Art was now going to help Belmont by taking on the newly built Financial Education Center, powered by Northwest. The Financial Education Center brings Art’s experience in financial and housing counseling to the underserved Ellicott District/Medical Campus. Additionally, he helps pregnant moms in the Go Buffalo Mom program with their financial and housing stability.

Art is known for his approachability, professionalism, and his ability to help families feel empowered and encouraged. Also, Art is well respected for his knowledge in the field and is called upon by many partner organizations to provide education workshops and attend outreach events. Thank you to Art for 20 years of dedicated service to Belmont and Western New York! – Karyn Hausknecht-Yetman

Alice Lanier 20 Years When Alice came to Belmont in October of 2001, it was truly our gain. She brought with her almost 15 years of a mix of administrative and human services experience. And what an asset that combination has been!! Alice’s commitment to efficiently and compassionately serving our customers is second to none. Alice is THE ‘voice of Belmont’. Everyone knows that that when they call or come into the Resource Center, they will be greeted with her warm and welcoming personality. It is not uncommon to receive positive comments from callers and visitors regarding her pleasant manner. No matter how busy the Center gets, she rarely loses track of anyone and keeps everything moving along smoothly … which is truly an art.

Alice takes pride in the thoroughness of the assistance she provides. In order to accomplish this she has perfected her knowledge of the Section 8 program, has attended numerous trainings and outreaches, and has taken it upon herself to have a basic knowledge of the overall operations of the entire agency.

She is skilled at gathering complex information, deciphering the needs at hand and is able to either address them herself or expertly direct an individual to where they need to be.

As Belmont has grown in the 20 years Alice has been with us, she has seen her share of challenges such as the opening of 3 resource rooms, ever changing technology and phone systems, staff coming and going, and more. And through it all she has maintained remarkable tact with both external and internal customers. This culminates in the numerous customer service certificates she has received over the years, and the ever-deserving Ellen Wells award in 2005.

It would be an understatement to say that every one of us genuinely leaves an interaction with Alice with a smile on our faces, especially because of her infectious giggle. Thank you, Alice, for the tremendous example of customer service that you have given to us and the thousands of clients you have touched over the years. Congratulations on all your successes in your 20 years here at Belmont! – Mylisa Dick

Pam Berger 20 Years Congratulations to Pam for 20 years of service to Belmont! I can’t believe the time has gone by so quickly!

Seems like just a few years ago that Pam joined Belmont as a site manager – she started off managing Townview, Colonial Meadows, Colony Run and Seneca Woods. Pam’s hard work and excellent performance quickly led to her promotion in 2005 to Property Manager. And it wasn’t long after that – just 3 years – that she was promoted to her current position as VP of Property Management.

Pam’s success at Belmont is due to a variety of reasons – she’s hard working, puts in extra hours, has great people skills, learns quickly, is quick to offer to help or volunteer for special assignments, among others.

Pam has obtained the “Registered Housing Manager” designation from the National Center for Housing Management”, which is no easy task! This certification requires the completion of a rigorous series of courses, culminating in a “dissertation” and passing a final exam. Not only did she pass the exam, she scored in the top 10% of all people to ever take the exam! No wonder she’s our in-house expert on all things “property management” - we’re truly fortunate to have her on our team.

It is a huge understatement to say that much of the success of the Property Management Dept. at Belmont is due in no small part to Pam’s efforts. At every turn, she is prepared to do what is needed to advance Belmont’s mission. From a personal standpoint, Pam has always been there to support my efforts and provide me with good counsel. In case you can’t tell from her photo, Pam is a dog-lover extraordinaire, and she serves as a foster mom for rescued dogs from all over the country!

Words are not enough to express my appreciation. Thanks, Pam – for dedicating a significant part of your life to helping Belmont achieve its mission. – Mike Riegel

Kay Dio 15 Years Fifteen years is a major life milestone for anyone, but it specially is for Kay Dio being at Belmont. Kay began her career with Belmont in 2006 as an Executive Assistant to founder and then-president, Liz Huckabone. In 2011, Kay was promoted to Site Manager and joined Property Management where she manages Southwind Landing Apartments, a 100-unit property designed for seniors 55 years of age and older. Throughout her tenure in Belmont, Kay has exhibited continuous hard work and dedication to her work, her tenants and their families.

Kay is a licensed NYS Real Estate Salesperson and has acquired several nationally recognized professional designations over her property management career: Certified Occupancy Specialist, Certified Tax Credit Specialist, Certified Financial Specialist, Certified Manager of Housing and Certified Maintenance Manager. Property Management in the world of affordable housing comes with a myriad of regulatory requirements, all of which necessitate documentation upon documentation. During site reviews, whether they be in-house or third-party, a regular comment about Kay’s tenant files is that they are clear, well documented and ‘tell a story’. This consistently reflects well on Kay and Southwind in particular and on Belmont as a whole.

COVID-19 presented a challenge to all and particularly in managing and renting up properties. In 2020 and 2021 Kay’s property experienced several COVID-19 related deaths that took a toll on tenants and staff alike. She remained strong; comforting tenants, their families, and her coworker. She not only exercised empathy but a great deal of understanding and compassion when frustrations ran high. In a time where it would have been easier to choose oneself above all else, Kay faithfully worked and accommodated her surroundings.

Kay’s a team player, and I am grateful to have her on my team. When asked to help with the rent up at Alberta Place Apartments and training our new Site Manager, Kay gladly put her best foot forward. She has set an ideal working and relationship standard for all of us with her work ethic and her dedication.

Thanks, Kay, for you have been an indispensable part of Belmont’s journey and success. We are thankful for your passion, dedication, and enthusiasm. Happy Anniversary and Thank you for 15 years!! - Niveen Laa

Nick Cinelli 15 Years

Nick joined Belmont in April 2006 as the Maintenance Technician for Islandview Apartments, Niagara Village and Cambria Commons. As a result of growth within the department, the position of Senior Maintenance Tech was created, and Nick was promoted to that position in October 2008.

When Nick first began his career at Belmont, the Property Management Department was responsible for 14 properties representing 293 apartments. Today, we oversee 1,047 housing units within 21 properties. In his capacity as Senior Maintenance Tech, Nick is the big picture guy. He’s developed preventative maintenance schedules, as well as 20year capital improvement plans for all properties and regularly keeps a “Needs, Wants and Nice to Have” list for each site as well.

Eight of our properties are regulated by HUD and as such are required to undergo rather rigorous physical inspections called REACs. Prior to Nick’s assumption of REAC oversight, our properties generally scored between the mid-70’s to mid-80’s – with an occasional 60 or 90% thrown in. Now we regularly score in the 96 – 99% range across the board.

Early in his role as Senior Tech, Nick was the key player in two major capital projects at Herbert Star and Islandview Apartments which resulted in close to a half million dollars of improvements at those sites. Fast forward to this year and he is again involved in a major capital improvement project. This time it’s for Julianna Apartments to the tune of $1.3 million!

What many of you may not know about Nick is that he’s an avid wine maker in what little spare time he has – and he’ll make wine out of just about anything -- if you can ferment it, Nick’s going to rack it – sometimes with awesome results – sometimes not so much. But it’s all about the process and experimentation. When he isn’t making wine, he’s perfecting maple syrup or working out how to tap the trees on ‘the farm’! He’s an avid cook, too, whether it’s for just he and Ruth, a family get together or for deer camp!

Nick’s two grandsons were mere babies when he began his career at Belmont and now, they’re teenagers – funny how Nick hasn’t aged at all though! And along the way a granddaughter and another grandson joined the Cinelli Family keeping Poppa on his toes and him loving every minute of it!

We are appreciative of Nick’s solid performance throughout the years and most especially over the last two years. Just as the dust may have started to settle from his work on the corporate office relocation, he was presented with the all the challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and was a major contributor to our on-going efforts to keep staff and tenants safe as we traversed the ‘new normal’.

It is my pleasure to congratulate Nick on 15 years of service to Belmont. - Pam Berger

Erica Cooper 15 Years In the 15 years Erica has been with our organization, her annual reviews consistently mention her customer service for our vendors as well as her work ethic. Each review also speaks to her commitment of ensuring the task at hand is completed with accuracy and efficiency. This has contributed to Belmont’s success in serving our community. In her role as an Administrative Assistant, she has contributed to several process improvements for the Housing Program, including last year's implementation of a new scanning process to ensure inspection reports are kept up-to-date electronically within Housing Pro. During Belmont’s move to a new building, it was regularly noted by leadership how Erica assisted with packing up the old office and organizing items in the new building, while maintaining her responsibilities to keep our programs running.

I am grateful to Erica for helping me learn the processes and procedures at Belmont. She assisted in the training of the Section 8 administrative assistants to ensure back up measures were in place during her absence. During her absence, we noticed how essential Erica is; she's the oil that has kept the wheels of our operations turning.

Thank you, Erica, for your years of dedication and hard work, which has been instrumental in Belmont ability to successfully meet our mission year after year. – Joy Tedeschi

Stephanie Barker 15 Years I’m delighted to celebrate Stephanie and her 15th year anniversary as part of our Belmont family. Stephanie started her career at Belmont in 2006 at our Hamburg office as an Administrative Assistant. Stephanie’s ability to multi-task and her rapidly growing knowledge of Section 8 made her an instant choice to move into a Housing Specialist position in 2007 when one became available at the Hamburg office. After closing the Hamburg office and relocating staff back to Buffalo, the Buffalo office was so fortunate to have quality staff like Stephanie join us “downtown”. Stephanie brought with her the talent to float into and “clean up” vacant caseloads. However, her talents didn’t stop there. Over the last few years, Stephanie has spread her wings and lent her skills in the Resource Room as the HS liaison, helping to triage client walk-ins and at times, mini housing counseling for Section 8 clients.

Stephanie’s hard work and dedication to “everything Belmont” was rewarded by being promoted to Senior Housing Specialist in 2020…. An honor that was well deserved.

Over the last 15 years what has impressed me the most about Stephanie is her commitment. In everything she does whether for clients or co-workers she is committed to DOING HER BEST AND GIVING HER BEST. She is always looking for ways to make people and situations better.

Sometimes making things better comes in her baking ability and sharing with staff (which we NEVER mind 😊😊). With clients, making things better sometimes requires her to stay past her quitting time so she can complete the work she promised to a client.

Having Stephanie as part of our Belmont family has truly been a pleasure. I look forward to working side by side with Stephanie to continue to make Belmont GREAT. – Terri Flaherty

Keith Braun 10 Years Keith started his employment as a Rehab Specialist, was promoted to Senior Rehab Specialist and then again to Housing Programs Manager in his 10 years here at Belmont. It didn’t take long for us to realize that Keith was going to be a great addition to our staff. He proved to be not only knowledgeable, but he showed a very strong work ethic and dependability. It wasn’t unusual for the other rehab specialists to be seen asking Keith questions and looking for advice, and Keith really seemed to enjoy helping them. Once Keith established himself, he would take the recently hired rehab specialists under his wing and shared his knowledge and experiences with them.

Although we knew Keith had quite a bit of experience in the residential construction industry when we hired him, what we didn’t know was that he was also a very good teacher. Those skills were what made him an obvious choice to promote him to Senior Rehab Specialist and then Housing Programs Manager.

Keith has held many different titles in the residential construction field and when we hired him, he was working as a licensed Home Inspector. He has also worked for a framing company, an HVAC contractor and was once a Building Trades instructor for BOCES. As it turns out, Keith is also a pretty good public speaker. While teaching is where I believe he developed his public speaking skills, one can only assume that he was born with his sense of humor that comes out when he gets in front of an audience.

No one is off limits as he once took a shot at Mr. Riegel while emceeing an all-staff meeting. After the meeting he came up to me and said that he just couldn’t stop himself.

If you asked Keith what the most important job he has ever held, he would answer husband, father, and now very proud grandparent. He is always willing to boast about his kids and his grandchildren and has plenty of pictures to share. - Eric Schiffman

Diane Heim 10 Years Diane began her career at Belmont in August of 2011 as the Property Management Assistant. Over those 10 years, she has seen multiple staff changes, the relocation of the corporation office and the addition of several sites resulting in a 30% growth of the Property Management Department.

In property management, rent ups of new sites are not for the faint of heart and Diane has worked on 7 of them! She worked tirelessly on lease ups in 2013, 2015 and 2016 and then one each year starting in 2018 up to the current rent up of 201 Ellicott. She won’t admit it, and doesn’t recognize it in herself, but she’s become somewhat of a pro at the process – from developing all of the required forms, without being prompted to do so, to scanning new tenant files for the syndicators. And it’s not just scanning the files and sending them on their way. Diane has learned the particulars of those projects to ensure that the submissions are well organized and complete.

In short, Diane has made us better at what we do.

Diane achieved the Certified Occupancy Specialist designation through the National Center for Housing Management and, while she usually works out of the corporate office, she has regularly answered the call when we need assistance on a property providing either management office coverage or her extraordinary organizational skills.

Diane spends a lot of time on the phone being the point person in the monitoring our voice message mailboxes. To her credit, she consistently provides excellent customer service, even when the individual to whom she is speaking is over-stressed, overwhelmed – or simply not very nice. While Diane likes to ‘fly under the radar’, her efforts have not gone unnoticed. She was recognized in 2015, winning the Ellen Wells Award for Outstanding Customer Service.

In Diane’s spare time you can find her outside at home working in her gardens. And as much joy as that brings to her, there is something that truly makes Diane’s heart happy… spending time with 5-year-old granddaughter Molly who likes to bake and 2 year old grandson Benji who, when he slows down long enough, likes to snuggle.

And through all the changes that Diane has seen over these 10 years, she deflects any acknowledgements by saying that she’s ‘just doing her job’. We are so very fortunate that she has chosen to ‘just do her job’ at Belmont.

Congratulations – and THANK YOU -- on 10 years of amazing service to Belmont and the community we serve. - Pam Berger

Cynthia Gembola 5 Years Congratulations to Cynthia on reaching her first, milestone anniversary of 5 years.

Cynthia joined our Niagara County branch of our Belmont family in 2016 as an Administrative Assistant / Eligibility Specialist and made an immediate impact. Previously, our Niagara County office didn’t have an Administrative Assistant. However, we were given another Section 8 Program to run and we needed a crackerjack staff person able to organize and process applicants for the program. Cynthia was a gem. Cynthia was able to step in and help organize and mainstream processes for the new program. Cynthia spent two years as the Admin/ Eligibility Specialist before a Housing Specialist vacancy needed to be filled. Due to the similar nature in positions between Eligibility Specialist and Housing Specialist and Cynthia’s proven track record of quality work, she stepped into the vacant Housing Specialist position and hasn’t looked back. It’s hard to believe that Cynthia has only been with Belmont 5 years. It seems like she been a part of us for much longer.

Cynthia brings to our Niagara County office her good nature, sincere compassion, positive out-look and ability to find humor and laugh at just about any situation. It’s been a pleasure to work with Cynthia and enjoy the laughs. Thank you for 5 (fast) years. – Terri Flaherty

Niveen Laa 5 Years It’s hard to believe that Niveen is only celebrating her 5-year anniversary at Belmont. She has become such an integral part of the Property Management team in such a short amount of time. While she officially became a Belmont employee in May of 2016, assuming the role of Site Manager for Shawnee Landing and Cambria Commons, she began her association with us in October 2015 as a volunteer working at Artspace Buffalo Lofts as an Administrative Assistant.

After a successful run as Site Manager, she was promoted to the position of Property Manager in November of 2019. Niveen is a licensed NYS Real Estate Salesperson and has achieved the following nationally recognized designations through the National Center for Housing Management: Certified Occupancy Specialist, Certified Tax Credit Specialist, Certified Financial Specialist, Certified Manager of Housing and Certified Management of Maintenance.

Shortly after being promoted and while still covering the day-to-day responsibilities at her two former properties as we sought a new Site Manager, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The new Site Manager started the day the offices closed. That didn’t stop Niveen. She was determined to train that person, while ensuring her own and the new Site Manager’s safety. Add to that, we had to re-write our operational procedures to accommodate the ever-changing COVID landscape while Niveen was working to learn what those procedures were. She rose to the challenge in typical Niveen fashion.

Niveen has a unique and diverse background and is multi-lingual, having been born in Sudan, emigrating to Cairo, Egypt, educated in Rome, Italy and then making her home in the United States. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in International Affairs with minors in Communications and Economics while studying at the John Cabot University in Rome. And while working at Belmont, achieved her Master’s Degree in International Development with a concentration in Management through St. Mary’s University. Also, since joining the Belmont team, she realized one of her proudest achievements - becoming a US Citizen!

In her application for Property Manager, Niveen spoke of her background having equipped her to “communicate professionally with different cultures; to help others, I need to first understand them”. One of the most fascinating aspects of her background is that during her time in Cairo, she worked to improve dialogue between rival gangs and was the liaison between gang members and the Embassy of South Sudan.

Niveen has always found time to engage in socially conscience volunteer efforts. In Rome she was an active member of the Students Take Action Against Violence in Darfur (STAND) program and in Cairo she volunteered at the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center. Those volunteer efforts continued in Buffalo having serviced as a board member for the Shufto Soccer Initiative, a notfor-profit organization committed to promoting health, wellness and sports development activities for underserved youth and being an active member of another area not-for-profit, Reaching Out to Africa (ROTA).

We are fortunate that Niveen has brought her “passion for community building” here to Belmont and congratulate her on 5 years of service! - Pam Berger

Schellen Wright 5 Years Schellen came to Belmont in 2016 with 10 years of customer service experience and her dedication to her customer’s and work shows. After her promising first year as a Housing Specialist she was given the added task of Ports in addition to her regular caseload. Around the same time she also began mentoring new staff members and assisted in group trainings. She was able to juggle all of this while consistently attending to the needs of her clients and regularly meeting her deadlines. Due to this she was then given the added responsibilities of the Section 8 Originals caseload, and she never missed a beat. This was not unnoticed by her supervisors, who knew they had a leader in the making.

But, when the opportunity arose, Schellen followed her interest in being able to get more involved in the lives of her clients and joined the Family Self-Sufficiency team in 2020. She quickly let it be known that she would do anything it takes to see the clients on her caseload succeed. At the beginning, she submerged herself in as many trainings as she could and successfully obtained her certification as a HUD Housing Counselor. Then, seeing a need to connect better to our clients she started an online monthly newsletter for the FSS participants. She has established herself as a leader on the FSS team and her input has been crucial as the program has been undergoing many updates.

In addition, Schellen has been an asset to the agency as a whole by her participation on the Diversity, Customer Service, Newsletter and Wellness committees.

All of this was fitfully recognized as she was nominated not once, but twice, for the Ellen Wells Customer Service award!! We are thankful for all Schellen has contributed to the mission of the agency. Congratulations on a very successful first 5 years of service!! – Mylisa Dick

Melinda Gregory 5 Years Mindy joined the Belmont Property Management Team as a Service Coordinator in July of 2016. She works at two different properties, that serve two very different populations. At Islandview Apartments, Mindy helps a senior population navigate the challenges of aging in place and connects them with needed services to allow them to stay safely in their homes and live independently. Niagara Village was developed for those households which consist of at least one adult that is physically disabled.

A typical day may include helping an individual understand a billing issue, arranging for Meals on Wheels, or helping with discharge planning when a resident is returning from a stay at a rehabilitation facility. On those more challenging days, Mindy may find herself as a referee between two or more residents who don’t particularly get along or helping the Site Manager navigate the challenges of bullying or working with someone with a hoarding disorder.

Aside for the usual suspects when it comes to bringing in different speakers along with flu and blood pressure clinics, Mindy thinks outside the box in bringing enrichment to the tenants she serves. She’s arranged for drum circles, visits from Paws for Love through the SPCA (a tenant favorite) and has some annual events that are so appreciated by the tenant population. Mindy works to ensure that no one is forgotten during the holidays. Some of our residents have no families and Mindy arranges to have Thanksgiving dinners brought to their homes through a local senior center.

It takes a special type of person to be a Service Coordinator and Mindy is that special person! She’s creative, organized, possesses empathy, problem solving, good communication skills as well as extraordinary customer service skills. The challenges of working in a COVID-influenced world, changed the dynamic of working as a Service Coordinator where so much of your day-to-day schedule entails face-to-face communications. Mindy met that challenge head on and met her tenants where they needed to be met whether they were technologically savvy or needed to communicate via phone. She realized how important her outreach was during a time when so many of our tenants were feeling so isolated from loved ones and the world in general. A co-worker describes Mindy as cool, calm and collected at all times, even in the most challenging of situations, and a person who truly finds her work very rewarding.

When she is not wearing her Service Coordinator Super Cape, Mindy’s enjoying time with her husband, is busy home schooling her twin daughters, or playing with the family’s two dogs. And when she finally gets to relax, chances are she’s trying to catch a Buffalo Sabres game!

Congratulations on 5 years, Mindy, and thank you for all your dedicated work on behalf of the tenants we serve. Michele Rogowsky

Joe Bradberry 5 Years In my short while here at Belmont, I’ve come to know Joe as one of the most passionate and kindhearted individuals I have ever met. His level of professionalism and compassion are unparalleled in our field and he has personally been a guiding light for many that have walked the halls of our company. Personally, I can reflect back on a conversation Joe and I had early in my career here. During a company event, Joe made it a point to come over and talk with me as I hadn’t known many people here at the time and I’ve always been a bit shy. Joe took the initiative to make me feel like a true member of the team and had confessed to me his longing to create positive change in peoples lives. I vividly remember asking him how he got through the difficult days that would have made anyone else question their choices; he told me that a little bit of kindness and a whole pot of coffee go a long way. He couldn’t have been more right.

Joe, we are extremely lucky to have you on our team. You have proven time and time again that resilience, empathy, and professionalism are paramount to success, both on an individual and company-wide basis and we cannot thank you enough for all you’ve done in the last 5 years. You have taught us all so much, not only about HQS and Inspections, but how to simply be a better person than the day before. To say you are an asset to Belmont is truly an understatement and I am truly thrilled to have you as a member of our team. Congratulations on 5 years and here’s to many more!!! – Mike Wlodarczyk

Dan Hanssel 5 Years Dan Hanssel, our Landlord Outreach Specialist came to Belmont in the fall of 2016 after a successful career in marketing and sales. His background proved to be a wise choice for a job that entails encouraging landlord participation in affordable housing programs like Section 8. In addition, Dan was given the challenge of improving landlord relations. He began with a landlord survey and a landlord advisory session. It was a pretty eye opening and challenging to say the least opening that box! But in the last five years of soliciting landlord satisfaction surveys, Belmont has continued to increase the percentage of happy landlords, and I believe that is in large part due to Dan’s ability to understand the challenges that our landlords face and the demanding nature of the business.

Dan holds monthly landlord trainings which I know from attending are widely popular and appreciated.

Dan brought back our internal landlord listing services and routinely identifies 50 + units monthly on average, which we all know is like finding needles in haystacks.

During this time, he has also brought on over 250 new landlords. He routinely negotiates the rents with landlords to fit within limits while touting the programs advantages. Dan works closely with the team at Belmont responsible for helping our client get “housed” and I know they rely on him heavily. He has a business mind but a kind and understanding heart as to the plight our clients face and is excited to play a part in making a difference and changing lives.

Dan has also become the resident expert on the area’s rental market and is often called upon for his expertise and advice by local housing coalitions, the City, and the County, which has made him not only an asset to the company but the community! Congratulations on 5 years with Belmont Dan. – Sandy Becker

Domonica Howard 5 Years Domonica is one of the kindest, sweetest people I have ever had the chance to work with. Her positive attitude and personality bring a certain demeanor to the whole department. I truly believe that what she means to our staff cannot me measured. In a position typically dominated by men, she fits in perfectly.

Domonica is always looking to learn and take on new challenges and in her 5 years here at Belmont she has been a very productive member of the rehab department. When we were looking for someone to jump in and help with the County Lead Program, she was quick to volunteer. When we needed someone to take on a larger role with the GHHI program Domonica was again ready and willing. At the time we hired Justin, Keith was busy trying to get GHHI up and running, Domonica took Justin into the field and helped train him. Justin earned the nickname “Little D” due to the amount of time she spent working with him. All of these things and more make Domonica a valuable employee of Belmont and one I wish will be here for many years to come. - Eric Schiffman

Jennifer Kwoka 5 Years In 2016, Jennifer joined the Belmont Family being hired as a Housing Specialist. Being no stranger to the Belmont family (Jennifer had been “training” in our housing department since she was little) Jennifer was quick to learn the role and become a team player within the department.

Shortly after learning the role of housing specialist, Jennifer volunteered for a specialized caseload as a Relocation Specialist. Jennifer took on the challenging and rewarding task of working strictly with a client base of those who were moving. Jennifer was able to make this role her own; to where she even wrote the relocation manual and has been training new housing specialists on relocations. Jennifer was a leader in maintaining our utilization, which allowed her to seamlessly move into the role of managing all new clients coming on to our program with the originals caseload. Jennifer was able to showcase her knowledge of the position, administering orientation to our clients and being a reliable source for new housing specialists. Jennifer has not only flourished in her own role but is known to take on many tasks; volunteering her time to help vacant caseloads, leading case conferencing with the housing specialist team, training and even assisting in other departments. This is why, most recently, Jennifer was promoted to Senior Housing Specialist.

Jennifer is a huge Disney and Harry Potter fan, and often will travel to the Magic Kingdom a couple times a year. She loves music and the arts; Jennifer has been on the board of the Buffalo Gay Men’s Chorus and is also part of the box office team at Shea’s Performing Arts Center!

When Jennifer isn’t working she is “Aunt Je”, spending her time with her adorable nephews Caden and Owen and also her boyfriend, Henry.

Jennifer is a shining example of how growth, teamwork and determination can allow you to flourish and become a confident leader. Jennifer is a valuable member of the Housing Team at Belmont and I am so grateful to know her and to work alongside her. Congratulations on 5 years!

– Brittany Germano

Anthony Giunta 5 Years For the past 5 years, Tony has aided in keeping our standards for HQS inspections high; his accuracy and attention to detail are something to marvel. Clients and coworkers alike have all said that with Tony’s background in Home Inspections, he brings a wealth of knowledge to Belmont that we have all pulled from. His expertise has indefinitely led to the expansion of our HQS lexicon and provided our team with the support necessary to bring efficacy to all our positions. His knowledge has also been quintessential in explaining the inspections process to clients; he has turned a rather intimidating process for clients, into something that is both personal and educational. This has aided greatly in reducing the stigma that surrounds some of our positions and has truly shown clients that we are simply there to help. However, that is not all Tony has been known for.

With a can-do attitude, Tony has made it abundantly clear that going the extra mile to accomplish a goal is something that we can all take notes on. Tony has been relentless in his pursuit of success and effective change over the past 5 years. He has always been one to pick up extra inspections and be thorough when doing so. During my time as a Housing Specialist, I actually did a ride-along with Tony. While doing so, I observed Tony going above and beyond to assist clients and answer any questions they may have. He always ensured that the client understood the reason for the visit and made them comfortable in our presence. In that sense, his customer service is something to hold in high regard. By any right, we are truly fortunate to have Tony as a member of our team and I know we all look forward to a bright future with him. – Mike Wlodarczyk

Thank you to our honorees and to ALL OF OUR STAFF for your service to Belmont and to the community!

You are appreciated!