The SHRA Ombudsman Program provides an impartial intermediary to help resolve complaints or disputes involving the Agency’s Conventional Public Housing Program reported by housing program participants, community members, business owners, or other individuals or organizations.
Process
A problem has a greater chance of being resolved if the complainant is willing to be part of the solution.
The Ombudsman should be contacted after all other attempts to resolve a complaint or dispute have failed.
Before contacting the Ombudsman, the complainant should follow a series of steps to try to achieve resolution. Responses received at each step should be documented in detail to better assist the Ombudsman in conducting a thorough review of the complaint.
Step 1
If your complaint involves a neighbor, you should first try to work out the issue between yourselves.
If you are not successful resolving a neighbor to neighbor dispute on your own, or if your complaint involves an employee, procedure, or policy, report your complaint by completing the Tenant-Management Communication form (TMC) and return it to the Housing Technician at the housing community office.
Community members, business owners, organizations or other individuals should also contact the Housing Technician to report a complaint.
Step 2
If the Housing Technician is not able to resolve your complaint or is non-responsive, contact the housing community’s Site Manager.
Step 3
If you are not satisfied with the Site Manager’s response, contact the Regional Manager.
After you have exhausted these options for resolving your complaint without success, contact the Ombudsman’s Office by phone at (916) 449-1299 or email to Ombudsman@shra.org.
Response from the Ombudsman
The Ombudsman will provide an initial response to complaints within two business days.
All complaints will be addressed through an unbiased process of gathering information from all parties related to the matter, reviewing applicable Agency policies, procedures and practices, making appropriate findings, and/or providing helpful referrals or recommendations, if appropriate.
The complaint resolution process will be administered with fairness, patience, courtesy, dignity, and respect to all involved parties.
Due to laws that protect confidentiality and privacy, the findings or decisions involving any individual who was the subject of a complaint will not be disclosed to the complainant.
The Ombudsman’s report of findings is the Agency’s final step in the complaint resolution process and may not yield a satisfactory or different response for the complainant.
Authority of the Ombudsman
The Ombudsman is able to intervene at all levels of the Agency to try to resolve complaints.
The Ombudsman will ensure that the complaint resolution process is administered with fairness, patience, courtesy, dignity, and respect to all involved parties.
The Ombudsman cannot respond to matters involving lawsuits or appeals that are pending against the Agency.
The Ombudsman may make referrals for legal or advocacy resources if appropriate, but cannot give legal advice.
The Ombudsman cannot make any recommendations to the court or to overturn a court decision.
The Ombudsman’s report of findings is the Agency’s final step in the process.
Contact the Ombudsman
To send an email to the Ombudsman for help with a problem regarding the Conventional Public Housing Program, click here.
Do not include any personal information such as your social security number, t-code, or date of birth.
You will receive an intial reply within two business days.
To contact the Ombudsman's Office by phone, please call (916) 449-1299.