New JPHSDD Inspection Manager Willie J. Jones, Jr thinks of his role as a relationship counselor instead of just a typical administrator.

"It's like a marriage between the landlord and the voucher holder," said Jones. "We want to make sure both partners are receiving what they need from the relationship. For the tenant, it's about survival and having a roof over their heads. For the landlord it's about business and making sure their homes are inhabited and profitable. We need to make sure that there's a happy marriage between the two."

Jones said he will look to be both thorough and efficient while heading the Inspections Department. At his previous position with the Housing Authority of New Orleans, Jones said he supervised, instructed or inspected more than 17,000 homes and apartments during his tenure.

"Getting buy-in from the inspectors is the biggest thing," said Jones. "We want to teach the why's first. Once you teach someone why we are doing something, it makes it easier for them to grasp what we're doing. We are looking to catch things at its smallest point, like a leak under the faucet, so it won't turn into bigger issues."

Jones also believes that his group of inspectors should be personable because they represent the agency at all times. He said most landlords and clients may meet an inspector before they meet a case worker.

"We are the ears and eyes of our clients," said Jones. "They depend on us to make sure they are getting a safe, sanitary and decent home. We want to hold the landlords accountable, but without landlords we don't even have a program so we want to make sure there is accountability of both sides."

Dozens of JPHSDD voucher holders toured the Cypress Grove Apartment Community last month to see all of the new renovations and signed up to rent open units.

Community Manager Teri Austin hosted the event along with assistance from JPHSDD staff. The event was an effort by both groups to show families affordable and high quality housing can both exist at the same time.

"These are the types of events that can help foster great relationships between residents and property managers," said JPHSDD Executive Director Dorian Rawles. "This shows two active participants working to fill a need. Our voucher holders need suitable housing, and our landlords need to fill units in order to maintain their business."

The Cypress Grove Apartment Community in Westwego is in the middle of a massive redevelopment project. Community Manager Terri Austin is currently projecting more than 30 housing units becoming available this month with many of the Cypress Grove units have gone through a full renovation with new floors, walls, appliances and HVAC units.

JPHSDD provided transportation for residents to tour the property while the Cypress Grove team sat down with clients to help them fill out paperwork and made sure their voucher was compatible with the type of apartment they selected.