Spring 2015 Homefront - ELM City Communities 2015 Homefr… · the Homefront highlights many activities and accomplishments over the past few months. Our efforts have been recognized

S P R I N G 2 0 1 5

Save the Date!

The Elm City Communities/Housing Authority of New Haven

Homefront Fostering the Connection with Our Communities and Neighbors

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On Saturday, March 14, 2015 in Wallingford, the CT-PHRN honored ECC/HANH with the 2015 Outstanding Housing Authority award.

To receive this honor is especially meaningful to Elm City Communities at a time when so much is at stake for designated

Moving to Work (MTW) housing authorities across America due to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s proposal of

critical changes to the MTW program. (Continued on page 8)

For more information on MTW, see “What is Moving to Work?” on pages 5 & 6.

Memorial Day

Monday, May 25, 2015

BOC Meeting/HANH Graduate Recognition Day

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

HANH honors its graduating seniors at the

Regular Board of Commissioners meeting.

Please see page 3 for more details.

Please note that ECC/HANH’s offices

will be closed in observance of the

holiday.

Elm City Communities/Housing Authority of New Haven Receives 2015 “Outstanding

Housing Authority” Award from the Connecticut Public Housing Resident Network

Independence Day

Saturday, July 4, 2015

Please note that

ECC/HANH’s offices will be closed in

observance of the holiday.

Dear Friends, Happy Spring! As we move out of a very cold and snowy winter, we celebrate the new opportunities that Spring brings. The Spring edition of

the Homefront highlights many activities and accomplishments over the past few months. Our efforts have been recognized and honored by others. And we, in turn, take time to celebrate the accomplishments of our residents and partners. Read on to hear about the “Outstanding Housing Authority” award presented to us by the CT Public Housing Resident Network, further progress on the redevelopment of Ribicoff Cottages and Extension; innovations in our Operations department that serve to improve our work order process; academic achievements of our students; and learn about the Inaugural CLPHA Education Summit at which ECC/HANH was a featured presenter. Our efforts to continually move forward are fostered by our status as a “Moving to Work” agency. It is the flexibility afforded by the MTW designation that allows us to use our funding flexibly to meet local needs such as the redevelopment of public housing properties, modernization and capital improvement efforts, resident and participant self-sufficiency initiatives and our youth academic achievement efforts. The MTW program is facing criticism and significant changes are proposed – changes that will dramatically impact the lives of our public housing residents. Read on in this issue to learn more about the MTW program and how you can raise your voice in opposition to damaging changes. As always, stay connected with us through our Facebook and Twitter pages. Continuing to move forward,

SPRING 2015 THE HOMEFRONT

Letter From The Mayor

Dear Friends, As your mayor, it has been my good fortune to call New Haven home for well over 30 years. This city is the hometown of my adult children and I’m proud to have raised my family here. I’m also pleased to be part of the vitality that characterizes our growing city; it is blossoming both in terms of its economy and its population. This newsletter, The Homefront, provides timely, interesting and important updates on the activities of

Elm City Communities/Housing Authority of New Haven. Everyone reading this newsletter calls New Haven home; all those reading this information are neighbors. Elm City Communities and the Housing Authority of New Haven have brought affordable housing opportunities and other services to city residents since 1938. Its mission coincides with mine as mayor – we want every New Haven neighborhood to make residents proud to call it home. The Housing Authority of New Haven provides shelter for thousands of families in our city, “creating affordable, safe, decent neighborhoods with stability and positive opportunities for all our residents.” Going forward, my administration will work to ensure the city provides the necessary resources to that end. Sincerely, Toni N. Harp, Mayor

City leaders, including ECC/HANH’s Executive Director Dr. Karen DuBois-Walton, Superintendent of Schools Garth Harries, New Haven Community Services Administrator Dr. Martha Okafor and the United Way, joined

Mayor Toni Harp as she addressed results of a homelessness study in New Haven at City Hall on March 9th. The city, who formed a coalition that commissioned the study, found that it excluded the number of homeless youth that have unstable housing. “Homelessness denies people one of the most basic building blocks there is,” according to Mayor Harp. “Without a home, it is extremely difficult to register children for school…and to complete job applications.”

Dr. Martha Okafor pointed out that there were gaps in information amongst different homeless populations including youth, single women and persons coming out of prison with certain conviction records. Dr. DuBois-Walton, along

with other city leaders, discussed the need for more innovations to support getting homeless people out of shelters, into the workforce and into their own homes. “This is about ending homelessness in New Haven [and] this is what we are

working toward. We made progress but we will have some work to do.” DuBois-Walton added that this type of coordinated work is a part of getting to the solution.

(Source: WTNH.com)

Mayor Toni Harp Holds Press Conference to Present Results of Homelessness Study in New Haven


Connecting With Our Communities

Making A Difference…

The Second Phase of The Ribicoff Development Closed Successfully With Leadership & Teamwork

On February 27th, the final transactions were completed for the second phase of the Ribicoff Development.

Ribicoff Cottages will be replaced with 56 units of senior housing and 50 units of family housing with a future

phase consisting of 8 homeownership units.

The deal, which was a project that began with former Director of the Glendower Group Jimmy Miller, was

brought into existence under the leadership of Director of Special Projects Shenae Draughn, the entire Special

Projects team, the Planning, Development and Modernization team and Finance team.

The first phase of construction is well underway and is

slated to be online by the Fall of 2015.

ECC/HANH Operations Team Introduces New Technology to Better Meet Work Flow Needs

In an effort to more effectively meet the needs of ECC/HANH’s residents and reduce their carbon footprint, the Operations team is working with the Information Technology department to roll out

an internal workflow program which will go into effect May 2015. With the implementation of new equipment (which is currently in testing), work orders and other detailed information will be sent

directly to Building Maintenance Workers’ (BMWs) phones. This process will allow BMWs to pinpoint and address residents’

concerns efficiently while also eliminating the need to utilize paper resources as the communication across devices will be in real-time.


Elm City Believes! Rewards Academic Achievement At Report Card Challenge Ceremony

The winner for the overall highest percentage of report card participation was Farnam Courts. The individual winners

for most improved grades in each housing sector were: Artavia Boone (LIPH), Indya Jones (HCV) and Zion

Morales (Scattered Sites).

During the upcoming school break in April, ECC/HANH will celebrate the children of Farnam Court who, as

recipients of the prize for highest participation during the Report Card Challenge, will have the video game bus and

pizza party on site for a day of excitement and reward.

ECC/HANH wishes to congratulate all of the students on their academic successes in this challenge. The event represents a message that ECC/HANH stands by –

attendance, education and achievement are the keys to success for our young people. Elm City Believes! seeks to

create a culture of academic achievement that empowers our young people and breaks the cycle of poverty.

###

On March 24th at the Atrium in City Hall, ECC/HANH Executive Director Karen DuBois-Walton joined with Mayor Toni N. Harp, Superintendent of Schools Garth Harries and ECC/HANH Board Chair Erik Clemons to

recognize the winners of the Inaugural Report Card Challenge.

The event celebrated over 50 students who attended with their proud family members and are supported by the

agency’s low income public housing (LIPH), housing choice voucher (HCV) and Scattered Sites programs. The challenge was borne out of the Elm City Believes! initiative to support

the academic achievement of students and asked that students in grades K-12 submit a copy of their report cards to any one of our management offices located throughout the

city.

The incentives were the promise of recognition, gift cards and prizes to the development that had the highest

percentage of participation in the challenge.

ECC/HANH recognizes the important role that education plays in the lives of our youth. We will be celebrating the hard work and dedication

of our high school graduates as we host the “Graduate Recognition Day” for the Class of 2015 on Tuesday, June 16, 2015 at HANH’s main office

at 360 Orange Street, New Haven, CT 06511.

Each graduating senior will receive a certificate and gift during the ceremony that will take place at the Regular Board of Commissioners

meeting. All participants are invited to join us for refreshments after the ceremony. Participants’ families are also welcome.

ECC/HANH SCHEDULED TO HONOR GRADUATING SENIORS IN “CLASS OF 2015” RECOGNITION EVENT - JUNE 16, 2015


Connecting With Our Youth

ECC/HANH Youth Celebrate National “Read Across America” Day with the Boys & Girls Club

On March 2nd, ECC/HANH celebrated National Read Across America Day – Dr. Seuss’s Birthday with youth at the Boys &

Girls Club of New Haven. The read-aloud party was a great success with the Student Employment Training Program

(STEP) interns who served as guest readers for the event. All youth received certificates for participating and took a reading oath. They heard classic Seuss stories such as “Green Eggs &

Ham” and “Cat in the Hat.”

Elm City Believes! Garners National Attention at Inaugural CLPHA Education Summit in DC

Executive Director Karen DuBois-Walton, Board Chair & Executive Director of ConnCAT Erik Clemons,

Superintendent of Schools Garth Harries, Executive Director of Common Ground Charter High School Lizanne Coz and ECC Education Policy Director Emily Byrne attended the first-ever

gathering which was hosted by the Council of Large Public Authorities (CLPHA) and supported by the Bill and Melinda

Gates foundation.

The summit brought housing providers and educational professionals together around the organizing frame that “every child deserves access to stable housing and a quality education to improve their life outcomes.” ECC/HANH was chosen as

one of three authorities (along with Akron, OH and Vancouver, WA) to be selected to be part of a case study

conducted by the Urban Institute. A draft of the case study is expected to be widely released in the Spring of 2015. For more information about the event, please check out ECC/HANH’s

blog at: https://elmcitycommunitieshanh.wordpress.com.

HANH/ConnCAT Youth Wins Basketball Tournament Graphic Design Contest

In February, Inextricably Bound, a community development corporation, announced a graphic design contest with the theme “So You Think Your

Pastor Can Hoop?!” where local pastors will compete in a basketball tournament.

On March 5th, IB announced the winner: HANH resident Heaven Robinson, a 6th grader from LW Beecher School and a ConnCAT participant. HANH

congratulates Ms. Robinson on her creativity! Her design (right) will be featured on IB’s marketing materials and she will receive two tickets to attend

the family sporting event in May. If you want to know more, please contact Assistant Director of Youth

Programs Karina Medved at: (203) 823-9823, ext. 120.

Making A Difference…


This is Part One in a series The Homefront will cover about The MTW Program and how it works here at ECC/HANH.



THIS MOVEMENT NEEDS YOUR VOICE! WHAT CAN YOU DO TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE MOVING TO WORK PROGRAM AT ECC/HANH?

1) Sign the petition that says you are against these proposed changes that would limit funding flexibility. You can find the petition at any of the Tenant Resident Council (TRC) meetings, at our main office at 360 Orange Street or you can speak with Housing Specialists for more information.

2) Write a letter to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) expressing that you are against the changes that would limit funding and would take away the self-sufficiency initiatives Elm City Communities/HANH provides for our residents. Without this MTW funding, we would have no GED/specialized training programs, no FSS & homeownership programs, no

educational programs for our youth and it would halt the redevelopment of our residential neighborhoods. This includes our relationship with established partners in the community (i.e., The

Boys & Girls Club, New Haven Public Schools, ConnCAT, etc.)

Letters to HUD need to be addressed as follows: The Honorable Julián Castro, Secretary

United States Department of Housing and Urban Development 451 Seventh Street, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20410

Do you have questions about the above information or how to get more involved in the MTW

movement? Please contact Jasmin Franjul at (203) 498-8800, ext. 1009.


Commissioners’ Corner A Q&A Session with

HANH’s Commissioner Alberta Witherspoon

MTW has been a program that has allowed Elm City Communities/HANH to make the positive and impactful

changes in the way it’s served its residents and why this honor is particularly impactful.

Everyday Elm City Communities/HANH provides a home, through developments and scattered sites, to over 1,700 school-

ages children between the ages of 4-18 years. Additionally, HANH serves another 5,000 youth through the Housing Choice

Vouchers (Section 8) program.

Everyday approximately 400 children are served through programs directly funded by us such as: The Boys & Girls Club, the Youth Police Initiative, Elm Shakespeare, the City of New

Haven and Center for Adaptive Learning, to name a few.

ECC/HANH shows the commitment to the education of their youth and to breaking the cycle of poverty by launching such

initiatives as Elm City Believes! This initiative is comprised of policies that help reduce the achievement gap and also provides

meaningful partnerships with schools, educations and community-based organizations to create a new, vibrant middle

class in New Haven.

To date, ECC/HANH has been able to transform public housing developments into communities of choice at an

investment of over $412 million and has provided the opportunities and resources to its residents as they transition

into varying levels of education and self-sufficiency.

Being recognized by the CT-PHRN is an honor and credit to the residents ECC/HANH serves. The Moving to Work program

has allowed the agency to create “outstanding” change that impacts the lives of thousands of residents every day.

And the agency’s work is far from done.

facebook.com/ElmCityCommunities

twitter.com/ECCommunities

DO YOU HAVE STORY IDEAS FOR THE HOMEFRONT NEWSLETTER? TELL US!

EMAIL: [email protected]

IN THE NEXT EDITION OF THE ECC/HANH HOMEFRONT:

We sit down with

Commissioner Witherspoon who has been a resident with

ECC/HANH for over 30 years and one of the 11 resident

leaders who, along with the visionary representatives in

Washington, helped HANH to become one of the Moving to Work (MTW) agencies in the

country.

COMING SOON! UPDATES & NEWS FROM OUR

STEP INTERNS & 2015 YOUTH AT WORK PARTICIPANTS

Upcoming Dates for Summer 2015: ECC/HANH Summer BBQs

For the residents of Scott Ridge and Essex Townhouses

Held at Scott Ridge Wednesday, June 24, 2015

5pm-7pm

For the residents of Quinnipiac Terrace, St. Anthony and Q-Ridge

Held at Quinnipiac Terrace Wednesday, July 15, 2015

5pm-7pm

For the residents of McConaughy Terrace and Valley Townhouses

Held at McConaughy Terrace Wednesday, August 19, 2015

5pm-7pm

Dates/times are subject to change. For rain date information, please call Cheryl at (203) 498-8800, ext. 1084

ECC/HANH 2015 PHRN Award (Continued from Page 1)

360 Orange Street New Haven, CT 06511

Elm City Communities 360 Orange Street New Haven, CT 06511

Elm City Communities. Making a Difference.

Elm City Communities/Housing Authority of New Haven

Karen DuBois-Walton, Ph.D.

THE HOMEFRONT SPRING 2015

THE BENEFITS OF EATING WHAT’S IN SEASON: Top 5 Reasons Eating Seasonal Food Is Better for You and the Planet

1. Flavor Produce that is allowed to fully ripen in the

sun tastes amazing! 2. Nutrition

Locally-grown plants have had more sun exposure which means higher levels of

antioxidants! 3. Economy

Contrary to popular belief, seasonally-fresh food is much cheaper to produce for farmers

and the savings are passed to you! 4. Community

Getting to know where your food is coming from, who is growing your food and how

they do it makes you feel more connected to the process and supports your community.

Did you know that at CitySeed Farmers’ Markets you can DOUBLE

your SNAP dollars? Use your SNAP/EBT card at CitySeed and get a $1 to $1 match – up to $10 doubled to $20 at each market each week. Good

for: fruits, vegetables, seedlings or canned fruits & vegetables only. ALL NEW HAVEN GROWN!

To see CitySeed Farmers’ Market

schedules, please visit: http://cityseed.org/

market-schedule

Spring 2015 Homefront - ELM City Communities 2015 Homefr… · the Homefront highlights many activities and accomplishments over the past few months. Our efforts have been recognized

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