CRTC

Your home for housing rehab and community development

We offer customized services related to housing rehab and community development training and software. CRTC has developed a software tool called RehabSpec, used for Rehabilitation, Estimating and SPECwriting software, a complete end-to-end system for Housing Rehabilitation Agencies

Make your job easier!

  • Manage housing rehabilitation projects from beginning to end
  • Full documentation is included
  • Create Inspector Worksheets for use as checklists in the field.
  • Create complete job specifications by Building, Unit, Location, Surface and Work Item.
  • Produce work write-ups, estimates and other documents
  • Customize all the provided reports using the built in report editor.
  • Make your own custom reports using MS Access (Not Included).
  • Use Fonts and Color in the specs.
  • Issue Change Orders to awarded jobs
  • Locate cases by Case#, Address or Owners name.
  • Create electronic case files
  • Include complete photo documentation

Experience

CRTC's training courses are designed with input from HUD field offices, state and local government program staff, and housing practitioners. We have provided training for thousands of housing and community development practitioners nationwide for over twenty years.

Under the direction of Gerard Diaz, CRTC has been providing community development program analysis, consultation, and training for housing and development programs and practitioners for over twenty years, and has participated in HUD's technical assistance contracts for both CDBG and HOME. Housing program design, program policy, procedures and information systems are areas in which he has assisted many localities. Mr. Diaz has over twenty-five years in residential and light commercial construction in both government and private sector environments. He has served on the boards of nonprofit housing providers and is a HUD-certified HOME Program Specialist - Regulations.

Lead hazard reduction and lead regulations have also been an area of specialization. He has successfully completed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency prescribed training curriculum for Lead Inspector and Lead Risk Assessor. Mr. Diaz served on Ohio's Legislative Task Force on lead-based paint and serves on the Ohio Lead Advisory Council.

Trainings

CRTC has established a reputation of providing quality training on a national level, has developed more than 30 courses, and has a library of course modules and AV's which are used to design training programs in response to client needs. Most CRTC trainings are now offered under sponsorship and may be provided in collaboration with HUD's funded CDTA providers. All courses may be customized to suit local and regional needs. For more information, or to schedule a course in your area, please call for more details. Following are descriptions of our most commonly requested courses.

This HUD training course examines the issues and requirements for implementing HUD's Lead-Safe Housing Rule, 24 CFR Part 35, in all programs funded under CPD. Implementation of a model forms set to assist and document compliance with the rule is reviewed.

This HUD training is a primer for Construction Managers on designing and managing effective programs for both new construction and rehabilitation construction.

This one day training will provide certification as a Lead-Safe Certified Renovator, as required by the EPA under 40 CFR 745, using the joint HUD-EPA curriculum. This training is available now.

These one to three-day training sessions examine the expanding list of health, safety, environmental and affordability issues which determine property standards and standards for quality of construction for rehabilitation. The trainings project HUD's evolving requirements for rehabilitation funded under the HOME program. Training may be structured as a one-day overview or two or three days, going into more depth concerning property standards, construction quality, healthy homes, energy affordability, green building and approaches to updating and implementing written rehabilitation standards.

This course focuses on the technical specification writing skills required of rehab specialists, program coordinators, and supervisors who want to increase their production skills or improve their ability to monitor contracted services. Participants will learn inspection and cost estimating techniques, how to prepare consistent, clear, and concise specifications and cost estimates, and how to implement requirements for rehabilitation quality, lead-based paint, and accessibility. Methods and uses for automated equipment to prepare specifications and cost estimates will also be covered. The issues of incorporating lead risk assessment and lead hazard reduction into the rehab process are also examined.

This two-day training examines the construction process for new building projects from site selection through final payment, certificate of occupancy and close-out, with an emphasis on regulatory compliance. Examination of the coordination of the roles of developers, owners, architects, consultants, contractors and construction managers through the construction process is a primary theme of this training. Sound planning, process management and control of quality and schedule are emphasized topics.

This course is specifically designed for rehabilitation specialists, program coordinators, and supervisors. The course covers rehab for rental and sale as well as owner-occupied rehab. Participants will learn to evaluate and refine construction management techniques and administrative procedures, update their technical skills, and improve their customer service and communication skills. The course also incorporates regulatory requirements for successful management and reporting of the rehabilitation construction process.

The Technical Construction Series is available only as a sponsored course. We will conduct the course at a time and location convenient for you. You may also select training in one or more of the systems, rather than the entire series. Designed by practicing tradespeople, this course provides an opportunity to improve the professional's grasp of the technical aspects of building systems. It focuses on the skills required to evaluate the safety and the viability of existing building systems, identification of appropriate repairs, and the design and implementation of new systems.

This course combines elements of the Specification Writing for Rehabilitation and the Rehabilitation Construction Management courses with analysis of current program design and operation to identify potential improvements and efficiencies. This course is an excellent forum for attendance by both management and operational level personnel, providing a comprehensive look at the key elements essential to smooth and productive operation of housing rehabilitation programs.

This course examines HUD's Section 8 Housing Quality Standards, their application in conducting inspections, and reporting and notification of inspection results. Many visual aids are employed to promote discussion of conditions commonly encountered in the field.

This course provides participants with the information necessary to develop local housing program rehab standards. Participants learn the proper application of building codes, housing codes, and Housing Quality Standards in rehab; to enumerate essential elements of a successful rehabilitation construction program; and to consider applicable codes and standards along with local needs to define a housing rehab standard. The application of the CABO One and Two- Family Dwelling Code to rehab and the impact of energy conservation measures on affordability are included.

This course provides participants with the information necessary to develop local housing program rehab standards. Participants learn the proper application of building codes, housing codes, and Housing Quality Standards in rehab; to enumerate essential elements of a successful rehabilitation construction program; and to consider applicable codes and standards along with local needs to define a housing rehab standard. The application of the CABO One and Two- Family Dwelling Code to rehab and the impact of energy conservation measures on affordability are included.

This course is an overview of the requirements of the International Residential Code for One and Two-Family Dwellings and is provided to equip housing program administrators and operatives with sufficient understanding of this complex code to oversee its proper application in housing production.

This course examines the application of the International Property Maintenance Code as rehabilitation standard for housing rehabilitation programs. Inspection of properties to identify and prioritize deficiencies by application of the code's provisions is examined in detail. How to couple the codes' requirements with HUD's lead-based paint requirements and environmental and historic review and other crosscutting requirements to derive an appropriate rehabilitation scope of work and determine rehabilitation feasibility is a primary focus.

This series of courses examines the requirements and implications of HUD's Final Regulation on Lead-Based Paint Hazards in Housing Receiving Federal Assistance for various HUD/CPD programs. Training modules may be selected to cover the programs and issues most pertinent to the sponsors' needs.

This series of training modules is designed to orient the board and staff of newly formed housing development organizations or CHDOs (organizations undertaking a new beginning) to the spirit and regulatory environment of effective affordable housing production. An overview of HOME requirements and introduction to effective capacity development and project initiation are provided.

Preceded by consultation and analysis of the organization, its mission and environment, sessions are designed to suit the client.

Training in implementation, efficiency and capacity development to users of the RESPEC Rehabilitation Estimating and Specification Writing Software System is provided.

Technical Assistance

Consultation and technical assistance have been provided to a wide range of clients nationwide. Extensive research is combined with the ideas and suggestions of experienced practitioners that take into account the everyday realities of the affordable housing business.

Creativity and flexibility allow the design and development of technical assistance, working development sessions, consultations, and customized training courses on the full range of community development issues and problems.

Our individually designed consultation and technical assistance covers all areas of community development, including comprehensive planning and evaluation procedures, housing rehabilitation, housing development and management consultation, each designed to meet your own identified needs. Conducted in your local area, technical assistance addresses your housing stock, your programs, and your issues. The technical skills of housing practitioners, combined with the expertise of professional trainers, result in a cost effective and practical alternative to out-of-town training.

Resources

Small Business Administration
http://www.sba.gov

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
http://www.hud.gov

Environmental Protection Agency - Lead
http://www2.epa.gov/lead

Products

RehabSpec software is a sophisticated housing rehabilitation management, estimating and specification writing system that speeds up the process of producing construction work write-up reports from days to only a few hours. Now includes Intake and Housing programs to manage the entire rehab process

https://therehabspec.com