April 2017
  
 
What's Happening!

5/8- Marketing Mondays 
5/12- Closed
5/16- Landlord Orientation
5/20- Good Neighbor Program
5/30 - Board of Commissioners Meeting 
Contact Us
Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority
1627 Western Avenue
Cincinnati, Ohio 45214
(513) 721-4580
 
CMHAConnect
Find CMHA On-line:
Like & Follow Cintimha
CMHA is Hiring!
Do you like working with numbers? Are you a master of Microsoft programs? Do you or someone you know want to change careers?  Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority is looking for new team members. Applications are accepted online.
Hello from the CEO!
Gregory D. Johnson
MTW Without The Designation
   
Moving To Work (MTW) Agencies have the flexibility to combine federal funds from multiple programs in order to better meet the needs of their communities. Those public housing agencies use flexibility in pursuit of three MTW statutory objectives 1) Cost Savings, 2) Self-Sufficiency and 3) Housing Choices. Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority is not a MTW designated public housing agency but we are taking innovative approaches to help Hamilton County families. Housing Choices are increasing with the opening of Cary Crossing and the forthcoming opening of West Union Square by providing much-needed affordable housing for persons with disabilities and seniors. There are several programs and partnerships CMHA has initiated to assist families with self-sufficiency. Recently, the agency held a Hiring Event with 49 companies and organizations in attendance and the fifth Sherwin Williams Painter's Training Program had 17 graduates. You can read more about those programs and their success in the stories below
 
Being a long-term asset to the community is not just part of our mission it is what motivates us and sets us apart from other Public Housing Authorities. The partnerships developed by CMHA allow the agency to go beyond housing by providing a positive connection between residents, landlords, businesses and the community at large. M.O.V.E., CMHA's weekly employment opportunity program, offers residents a chance to apply for employment with various partners that are seeking to fill vacant positions within their organization. How to Do Business with CMHA events are held quarterly and in those sessions business owners of varying sizes learn about current and future business opportunities, economic inclusion, how to bid on Federal contracts and much more. We are working to improve the lives of children with the First Learning Initiative and by participating in the Child Poverty Collaborative. Both program goals are to provide measurable and sustainable results that improve children's lives. In essence, CMHA is doing the work of a MTW Agency without the designation or the flexibility afforded to Moving To Work PHAs.
 
Also be sure to stay connected to what's happening with CMHA by visiting our website and following Cintimha on social media. Find out how to register as a vendor on the Business Opportunities tab, see the calendar on the News and Events tab, and learn about our major programs on the CMHA Programs tab of www.cintimha.com. And you can always share information with us by calling our Talk 2 Us Hotline (513) 721-CMHA.
 
Kind Regards,   
 
 
Gregory D. Johnson, MS, PHM, EDEP
Chief Executive Officer
SherWilliams    Connecting Families To Opportunities  
Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority continues to connect people to opportunities that could lead to economic self-sufficiency and entrepreneurship in some cases. CMHA's M.O.V.E. Program is designed to assist residents, Section 3 and HCV participants to reduce barriers. The Sherwin-Williams painting class is one of three M.O.V.E. opportunities that benefit families. The HomeWork Painter Training Program is a week-long class for CMHA and Section 3 residents to improve and increase job skills. Sherwin-Williams and CMHA have successfully partnered on the training program multiple times. 
       
As a partner, CMHA provides the site and participants for the week of training while Sherwin-Williams provides the curriculum, training, certification and $300 in supplies for each graduate. In addition, each trainee who passes a special test receives their EPA Lead Safety Certification at the graduation. Marquette Manor, located in Fairmount, hosted the fifth class of painter training students. The HomeWork Painter Training Program is an important partnership for CMHA and the residents served. Sherwin-Williams has invested $175,000 into the project since the partnership began in 2015 and the graduates have gone on to earn nearly $200,000 in additional income. Congratulations to the 17 new graduates who received hands-on training!
 

Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority along with 49 additional companies met with Hamilton County families at the April 7th Hiring Event. People searching for new employment opportunities and educational training filled the CMHA Auditorium on that Friday afternoon. This Hiring Event was the agency's most successful to date! 117 people received 195 job offers, with several people receiving multiple offers.  

And finally thank you to all the people and businesses that participated in the Hiring Event. Keep in mind the M.O.V.E Employment office is open every Tuesday from 9am to 3pm at our 1627 Western Ave. location.  
   
 agencyspotAgency Spotlight:  Section 3
Section 3 is a provision of the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Act of 1968 that helps foster local economic development, neighborhood economic improvement and individual self-sufficiency. The Section 3 program requires recipients of certain HUD funding to provide employment, job training and contracting opportunities for low- to very-low income residents in connection with projects and activities in their neighborhoods, to the greatest extent possible. Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority has a successful Section 3 program. In FY2016, CMHA infused $39 million into area businesses and approximately $13 million or 33% benefited Section 3 businesses.

Mr. George Fountain is the President of Fountain Landscaping and he is a Section 3 business owner who has worked with CMHA for 20 years. In business since 1987, Fountain Landscaping is a commercial and residential landscaping company that also builds retaining walls, ponds, decks and additional "hardscaping" projects. Mr. Fountain first worked as a consultant with CMHA, hired to speak with Millvale residents in 1997 about becoming entrepreneurs. He later connected with the Section 3 program and successfully bid on projects, winning landscaping contracts for various CMHA owned properties. As a Section 3 business, Fountain Landscaping also hires CMHA residents to be a part of the team and the residents increase their work experience and self-sufficiency. Mr. Fountain also participates in the training and seminars CMHA offers to business owners. He recently attended the sustainability workshop and stated, "I like to stay certified and stay informed. Section 3 allows us to network with other companies and educates us on the proper way to bid on projects." 
Mr. Robert Bell & Mr. George Fountain 
       
Mr. Fountain feels that the Economic Inclusion Program at CMHA is a great community resource for businesses, residents and the community at large. Businesses and residents not only get a chance to work on government jobs at the housing authority, many of them find multiple doors opening after successfully completing work at CMHA. Mr. Fountain explains how the connection helps business owners, "We get city and state job alerts from Mr. Bell (CMHA Economic Inclusion Coordinator). Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority is like the handle to the umbrella that leads you out to network with everybody. If we didn't have the Section 3 connection then a lot of us would miss out on bidding opportunities. It's a prime opportunity and an advantage over other companies because of the information provided to us from the CMHA Section 3 program."  To learn more about how to do business with CMHA visit our website  or call Robert Bell at 513.977.5863.