Home City Housing Builds Better Neighborhoods.The mission of Home City Housing was developed in 1968 to address a need in Greater Springfield that is just as relevant in the 21st century:
OUR STAFF
Thomas Kegelman joined Home City Housing in May, 2009, assuming the role of Executive Director. Prior to that position, Mr. Kegelman was with The Community Builders development staff from May 1993 to April 2009, becoming Senior Project Manager. During that time, he assumed responsibility for managing several development projects. As a consultant to the inner-city community development corporation of Nueva Esperanza, Inc. in Holyoke, MA, he managed a 127 unit HUD Section 236 sale and refinancing and three Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) rental projects, including 5,000 sf of commercial rental space. On one of these projects he helped a group of tenants purchase the defaulted mortgage on their building and foreclose on the landlord. Also as a consultant, he worked with the Worcester organization, Oak Hill CDC. In another tenant buyout, Mr. Kegelman helped a group of 190 tenants in Vernon, CT take ownership of their property through the Title VI preservation program. He developed ninety-six units in two Section 202 Elderly Housing projects; managed a 200 unit LIHTC refinancing; and assisted in a 430 unit 236 decoupling with 4% bond financing. In addition, he organized an intensive community planning program, facilitating dozens of meeting with public housing residents, community members and city officials. He then prepared a successful HOPE VI funding application for the Holyoke Housing Authority in only a few weeks, managed development of the consequent Master Plan, Subdivision Plan and production of the first phase of 50 rental units. He also managed two HOPE VI projects in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Most recently, he oversaw the residential redevelopment of the Northampton State Hospital, including a 28 unit mixed-income subdivision of for-sale homes, renovation of 33 rental units, new construction of 40 additional rental units, and the design and permitting of a 115 unit subdivision for mixed-income homeowner and rental housing. In the redevelopment of the Northampton State Hospital he worked closely with the Citizens Advisory Council, local city councilors, neighborhood residents and city officials. Prior to joining TCB’s development staff, Tom worked for 15 years with community-based non-profit corporations. He served as Director of Technical Services for HAP, Inc., overseeing a team of rehabilitation and weatherization specialists as well as the Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation Program. Prior to that, he worked with TCB’s management division rising to the rank of Regional Property Manager before leaving to pursue a Masters Degree. Mr. Kegelman holds a Masters Degree in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. E-mail -
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Director of Property Management
Senior Property Manager
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Property Manager
Property Manager
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Assistant Property Manager
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Occupancy Specialist
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Resident Manager
Accounting Manager
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Temporary Accounting Clerk
Project Manager
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Executive Assistant/ HR Manager
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Receptionist
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Assistant Maintenance Superintendent
Maintenance Technicians
In this picture: Gilberto Heredia, David Reed, Jose Perez, Raul Lopez, Julio Martinez, Frank Torres and Esteban Nieves
Custodians Jose Perez has been employed by Home City Housing for seven years. He likes everything about his job and takes pride in servicing and maintaining properties for the tenants and the community. Esteban Nieves has worked with Home City Housing for 40 years. His responsibilities include trash removal so that tenants can live in a nice, clean environment. He “likes every aspect of his job and serves the company he works for with pride.” |
| Our Staff |
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Ronald T. Cote joined Home City Housing in May 2011 after nearly 20 years in the property management and construction industries. He is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the property management and maintenance staffs. Ron has extensive on-site management experience in both the residential and commercial real estate sectors. He has managed portfolios of up to 872 residential units, commercial properties totaling just under 1 million square feet, and staffs of over 30 people. Working for a national real estate development firm, he oversaw start-up procedures for new acquisitions of 100+ unit apartment communities. He was also used as a troubleshooter for poorly performing properties where he demonstrated the ability to develop and implement turnaround strategies for optimal success.
Carmen Rivera began working at Home City Housing in January 2008. She is responsible for over 200 units predominantly in the Hill McKnight neighborhood in Springfield. Her certifications include Low Income Tax Credit, Certified Occupancy Specialist, and Massachusetts Real Estate Licenses. Carmen says that her job offers her the opportunity to help others find a home. “I feel fortunate that when I go home at night I can say that I helped someone today.” Home City Housing offers her flexibility and a nice family environment which make it a wonderful place in which to work. The accomplishment that she is most proud of is getting promoted to Senior Property Manager.
Maritza Zavala began working for Home City Housing as a Property Manager on May 23, 2011. She is responsible for the six assets in Northampton which were developed by Valley CDC and HER, Inc. Maritza is a Certified Occupancy Specialist who likes her job because “there is never a dull moment in property management. Prior to beginning at Home City Housing, Maritza was involved with a 154 unit property that underwent a $6 million rehab. She conducted the apartment home inspections before the rehab and gave recommendations on what needed to be changed. She was also in charge of initial tax credit move in certifications for the property. The certifications were done three times before the units were put in place and she met all three deadlines. The most rewarding moment for her was at the time of the final walk through and the residents were happy and appreciative for what had been done. 
Brenda Garcia has been with Home City Housing for two years. She is responsible for marketing and leasing up five properties: Neighborhood Homes, Better Homes Rental, Tapley Court, and Center City in Springfield as well as Voces in Holyoke. She is certified in the management of Tax Credit properties. Because she is an active, people-person, Brenda says the favorite part of her job is meeting with prospective tenants to carry out the lease-up process. Brenda takes great pride in having initiated the pre-application process for all properties managed by Home City Housing.
Rebecca Hernandez began to work at Home City Housing about nine months ago. Her primary responsibility is to provide administrative assistance to the property managers. Becca likes that she is working in an area that is new for her, and that there is a lot of variety to her work. She is proud of the fact that she successfully worked in the reception area and assisted with reorganizing its files. Becca also effectively assisted in the transfer of the payroll recordkeeping system into Access software.
Lionol Gonzales has been with Home City Housing for over 12 years. Her responsibility is to carry out annual recertifications for all tenants. She prepares and transmits the HUD Voucher and Excess Income reports each month, and requests and reviews the EIV reports for Liberty Hill tenants. Her certifications include Low Income Housing Tax Credit, Certified Occupancy Specialist, Blended Occupancy Specialist, Enterprise Income Verification, and Mixed Financing Training for HUD Section 8/ HUD 236/ Tax Credit/HOME/HSF/MHP properties. She enjoys working at Home City because it is family-oriented and she enjoys working with others. Lionol takes pride in her ability to maintain compliance with the multiple regulations regarding recertification.
Liz McNeill has been the Resident Manager at Byers Street for seven years. She is responsible for rent collection, work order processing, mail, record maintenance and coordination of services with tenants. Liz has a certificate in Office Systems Technology. What Liz likes best about her job is meeting and assisting new people. Even better than that, she is proud of seeing people grow and change as she works with them and encourages them to take that next step of starting school, taking a job or a moving to a larger apartment.
Yvette Guertin has been an employee of Home City Housing for three and one half years. As the Accounting Manager it is her responsibility to manage the day-to-day operations of the accounting department and to ensure that efficiencies and processes are carried out and accomplished by the two staff whom she trains and mentors. Yvette has an associate’s degree from Holyoke Community College and a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Western New England College. What she likes about her job is that Home City Housing has allowed her to work with many people including the staff, property owners, board members and auditors. She also enjoys the intricacies and variety of each property which utilize her strong organizational and attention-to-detail skills. She is most proud of developing the accounting department into an organized, accurate, productive and recognized asset of Home City Housing.
Stefanie Donze is a part-time employee as well as a full-time student at Holyoke Community College and has been with Home City Housing for ten months. Certified in Microsoft Office, Stefanie’s primary responsibility is data entry. She enjoys working with her co-workers and is proud of being able to juggle work, school, and a commitment to dance classes as well.
Kathy Kroll started working at Home City Housing in January 2011. She assists the organization in three areas: housing development, special projects related to property management, and the identification of funding and financing resources that enhance Home City Housing services. With a master’s degree in Economics from the University of Notre Dame, Kathy has over 25 years of experience in the field of community development, working for neighborhood-based housing organizations as well as regional housing and community development entities in western Massachusetts. She likes the diversity of her assignments that challenge her to learn new skills and also give her an opportunity to draw upon her experience.
Danillie Mars has been with Home City Housing since November 2008 when she was hired to assist with the organization’s transition prior to the founding Executive Director’s retirement. She assists the Executive Director, coordinates Human Resources functions and manages the office. She is certified as a Human Resources Generalist and has taken classes in employment and payroll law. Danillie finds Home City Housing a challenging learning environment where she has received increased responsibilities, including staff supervision. The accomplishments she is most proud of are updating the employee handbook and initiating cost savings procedures for the organization.
Rosa Narvaez has been an employee of Home City Housing for just over one year. As the first point of contact with the organization, she is responsible for greeting people, and providing information to prospective tenants. She also takes maintenance calls from existing tenants and processes work orders to the maintenance department. When needed, she directs calls to Property Managers. Rosa likes the fact that working at Home City Housing has expanded her knowledge of the housing industry and of the services available to low-income families. Rosa describes what she is most proud of, “When I see a needy family be able to obtain an apartment and see their eyes light up when you tell them, yes, we will be able to help you and your family and there is a unit available. We help families in shelters displaced by fire, and families affected by domestic violence who want to better themselves and their lifestyles. This is what we here at Home City strive for and that is why I am proud to be part of this agency.”
Gilberto Heredia has worked at Home City Housing for 15 years. His responsibilities include all aspects of property maintenance, turnovers and service calls. He has a Certificate in Lead Remediation. Gil likes his job because it involves something different every day.