Message From President John Mahon
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Greetings MARC Family,
Welcome to our latest newsletter.
I hope this message finds you and your communities safe, healthy, and engaged.
To say we are in unprecedented times is an understatement. While we continue to struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic, we also struggle with the response and desire for change due to systemic racism which the murder of Mr. George Floyd exemplifies. NAHRO has shown leadership in beginning discussion not only within leadership, but with national committees and the membership.
MARC is privileged to have as a Board member the Chair NAHRO’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Committee, Liz Glenn. Appropriately, as you will see further down, Liz has provided us an article discussing current events addressing systemic racism and the murder of Mr. Floyd.
While not the starting point of the current movement, the MARC region plays an important role in speaking out and demanding change. As you know, the largest urban centers in our Region, namely New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, DC have been at the forefront for demonstrations and protests for change. As a result, many of our residents have been actively engaged and we must recognize our role as housers.
Not to be forgotten is that June also has other events of significance and recognition. Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19
th
that the Union soldiers landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free.
June is also
Pride Month, when
the
world's LGBT+ communities
come together and celebrate the freedom to be themselves. Founded in tribute of those involved in the Stonewall Riots where LGBT+ patrons and community fought back against police raids, Pride has evolved into a month-long celebration and recognition of all facets of LGBT+ life. We must remember this inclusivity includes our residents and staff.
Kim Taylor of the Trenton, N.J, Housing Authority, who serves on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Committee, has provided this month’s newsletter with an article on Pride that intersects with systemic racism.
I would also like to take a moment to thank our agency staffs. We are there to be supportive to our residents but in many cases, we are more than that. If we do our jobs correctly, we are in front of the front lines. By helping to keep our residents healthy, many of whom are most vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus, we are also helping to keep the stress off our frontline medical workers. THANK YOU, HOUSING AUTHORITY STAFFS EVERYWHERE!!
Wear your masks. Keep social distancing.
Remember: Common sense helps the common good.
Warmest Regards,
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Created in 1997 by Ben Haith, founder of the National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation (NJCF).
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Message from NAHRO President Sunny Shaw
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Hello MARC-NAHRO friends,
Oh, how I have missed seeing you so I truly appreciate the opportunity to greet you in your newsletter!
As I write this letter, we have completed a 63 day stay at home order and are now in various stages of reopen. I know many of you have been home much longer than that. In my time working from home I did not learn any amazing new skills or develop new talents. I am still a lack luster cook and I cannot play the piano (yet). I did,
however
, learn the importance of routine and how to get “presentable” for a webinar in 5 minutes flat! Even better, I have learned that housers can be wildly successful working from home and I have developed a greater appreciation for you – my colleagues. Your resilience has been awe inspiring.
You have continued to serve your communities. You have processed interim decreases at a shocking rate in order to ensure families maintain stability in their homes. You have continued to lease vacant units to give households an actual home to shelter in. You have connected with community partners for food delivery, PPE, and testing. You have exemplified everything we should be.
There is no question that our lives and our work will be forever changed. In fact, we don’t know what the new normal will even look like. But I believe that with our resiliency and our collective determination, we will be able to rise like a phoenix from the ashes – stronger, braver, and even more equipped to serve our communities. It’s your voice, your leadership, your advocacy, and your presence that will make this happen.
Thank you for all you do. Thank you for continuing to grow and inspire. Thank you for taking this challenge and turning it into an opportunity. You have stepped up to the plate and hit it out of the park. You are an MVP!
Be well, champ!
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Elizabeth (Liz) Glen
MARC NAHRO Board Member
Chair-NAHRO Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Committee
Member, NAHRO International Research and Global Exchange Committee
#BlackLivesMatter
"Black Lives Matter. My life matters. I know this like I know my name. I know this like I know morning follows night, like my Mama loves me, like I know I need air to breathe in order to live.” I know this like I know George Floyd’s name, like I know, Rayshard Brooks’ name, like I know Breonna Taylor’s name, like I know Ahmaud Aubery’s name, and Freddie Gray, and Tayvon Martin, and Amadou Diallo, and countless and faceless other black people who are struggling to sustain themselves in America.
~~~
I am a black woman who experienced growing up during the Civil Rights era. Like many others in my generation, many of my values about equality, civility, inclusion, tolerance, activism, and power were shaped by many events that occurred between 1963, when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated and 1972, when persons aged 18 and older, first got the right to vote. Presidential Primaries were held in September then, and as long as you turned 18 by the General Election, you could vote in the Primary. My 18
th birthday fell after the Primary but before the General election and so I voted for the first time when I was 17, about to turn 18. It was a powerful feeling casting my vote for the very first time. I have not missed an election since. I owe that to the men and women who have fought since 1865 to give black men and women the right to vote.
I knew I was beautiful. The saying “Black is Beautiful” was our mantra. Black people used that saying to lift us up even when society would not. We proudly wore our hair natural and celebrated our African heritage jubilantly. James Brown made a hit record called “Say it Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud.” I was proud to be a black woman, proud of our heritage of survival, of passion, courage, and exceptionalism. I also knew that being black could be a death sentence, condemned to morbidity, disparity, exclusion, and inequity. Jim Crow was still very much a part of our history, even persisting in the 60’s when it became illegal. As a child of the fifties, I was painfully aware of Jim Crow and schools for whites only. I couldn’t attend kindergarten on the army base where my Dad was stationed because I was “colored.” I can recall whites-only water fountains and the brutal attacks by police of the Freedom Riders and those who marched for Civil Rights.
The Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama has done exhaustive research on lynching in America and has documented more than 6000 lynchings in America. While the majority of these occurred before 1950, I am sadly aware that this horrific act is just as much a part of contemporary events as they are a part of a tortured history. The lynching of Michael Donald in Mobile, Alabama on March 21, 1981, was one of the last reported lynchings in the United States up until recently. Several Ku Klux Klan members beat and killed Michael Donald, a 19-year-old African American, and hung his body from a tree. Just recently, police found a 17-year-old African American boy hanging from a tree in an elementary school playground in Spring, Texas. On Monday, June 16, a Latino man was found hanged in Houston. Hangings have also been reported in New York City; and in the California cities of Victorville and Palmdale. Meanwhile, a hate crime probe has begun in Oakland, California, after five nooses were found hanging from trees in the city. There were 24 men and women that were lynched or killed in racially motivated attacks during the 1950s, including Emmett Till and voting rights activists Harry and Harriette Moore. Yet today, we still can’t get a national anti-lynching law.
Voter suppression continues to be a problem in Black and people of color communities. Just recently, the primaries in Georgia and Wisconsin were complicated by the reduction of available polling places for people to vote in person. Kentucky’s primary, held on June 23, reduced the number of in-person polling places to one polling place per county. Voting rights, particularly for people of color, have been steadily eroded by state boards of elections and in particular in states with Republican governors. We need stronger voting rights laws to ensure that everyone who wants to vote, can vote. The Voting Rights Act was reauthorized it in 2006 for 25 years, meaning that the Act expires in 2031. Why must we have to negotiate every 25-30 years on matters and rights that are conferred on us by being American citizens? The Voting Rights Act needs to be a Constitutional Amendment. Period. Jim Crow was abusive and cruel, but the new Jim Crow is much subtler but with the same disparate impact on people of color. Zoning, land use, school district boundaries, criminal justice policies, access to health care, and funding formulas help to systemically and systematically segregate people from better opportunities without the label of forced segregation.
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Unveiled April 26, 2018
Montgomery, AL
By Hank Willis Thomas
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This is the lens through which my life has been impacted. Seeing the video clip of George Floyd, while his life was being taken from him by a police officer with his hands in his pocket so nonchalantly, with his knee pressed on George Floyd’s throat for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, conjured up images of lynching, and freedom fighters brutalized by dogs and police and men in sheets, and crosses burning. While these images invoke horror and despair, these feelings have also been alternating with hope, gratitude, and amazement at the commitment that the protestors have exhibited as they march peacefully, collectively, white, yellow, and brown allies and black folks demonstrating together in solidarity. As I struggle to make sense of all of this, I am mindful that race and racism have plagued our country throughout its history. After 400 years, we have seen some progress in terms of rights granted and acknowledged, but we have still not eradicated those feelings of disregard and hatred that people feel about the lives, hopes, and dreams of black folk. We can point to our accomplishments as people, as artists, entrepreneurs, athletes, scholars, scientists, politicians, educators, and historians. We have achieved much, but not without a fight, not without controversy, not without pain, and certainly not without death. Today, I find myself struggling to contain my anger and frustration. Thus, I am moved to channel this anger and frustration into positive actions, starting with writing this article. As I try to order my thoughts, I am hoping to shine a light on a path forward. While I am unable to join the protests, I stand in solidarity with the protestors and the brave committed souls who are organizing all over the world to take a stand against police brutality and racial injustice.
I am heartened by the concrete actions that are taking place since the murder of George Floyd. Municipalities and states are examining their police practices and their paramilitary budgets. They are discussing social justice in terms of race and dismantling systemic and institutional racism while being persistent and peaceful. Yes, there have been some skirmishes, some looting, some fires, but for the most part, we are witnessing a beautiful phenomenon, white allies protesting together with their black brothers and sisters. Yes, there are people critical, and rightfully so, of the violence that has ensued and may still ensue as tensions around race and equity continue to rise. But the swift response of local, state, and national leaders to enact or attempt to enact legislation and sweeping reform gives me hope that we may see positive and progressive reforms put in place in 2020. COVID-19 has also shone glaring light on the inequities in our economy and the huge and growing income disparity between whites and people of color. The disproportionate impact on Blacks and other people of color is a wake-up call to us all. Issues around health status and access to healthcare are prominently figuring in who is susceptible to COVID-19. Our front-facing employees and essential workers are bearing the burden of this disease as well as people in institutional settings and food processing employees/farm workers. Too many of the people impacted have been rendered as disposable due to the lack of urgency by the national partisan political establishment. All this happening in an election year positions us at a critical point in our history as a nation and as America’s place in the global social order has been in upheaval throughout the first 6 months of 2020.
As racial inequities, police brutality, and social justice take center stage in the American consciousness, let’s be inspired by the movement that has swept the world. Certainly, since George Floyd’s murder, we have seen several policy changes enacted that are meaningful and some that are a good start. I tried to capture many of these efforts as I prepared myself for this article. The list is inspiring in many aspects in that the public and private sectors are finally acknowledging that #BlackLivesMatter. While it isn’t a complete or exhaustive list, it is a reminder that people united are more powerful than people divided. George Floyd’s murder, and the protests that were ignited by the brutality of his murder have sparked conversations within NAHRO that seek to address inequities and social injustice in housing and in our communities. As the nation’s largest membership association of housing and community development professionals, NAHRO is in a pivotal position to make change. Many of our members are working every day to address housing injustice and create stronger more resilient communities. Housing has been one of the foremost areas where segregation and racism have been perpetuated, both legally through restrictive deed covenants and zoning patterns, and informally through real estate and lending practices that steer people in and out of select neighborhoods and school districts.
As NAHRO, MARC, and other housing associations across the country seek solutions that will reduce systemic racism and discriminatory practices in our communities, we are also seeking solutions within our industry. Housing professionals want to move past the talk and the analysis paralysis and identify specific actions that will bring about housing and racial justice. I am confident that NAHRO, NAHRO’s leadership, and NAHRO’s membership are up to the task of tackling the critical issues of social and racial justice. Conversations have already started among the leadership ranks and will soon expand to include the membership base. Through these conversations we can leverage our collective creative energy and passion to develop a formidable platform for housing justice and inclusive, sustainable communities. This platform could supplement NAHRO’s legislative agenda and seek to leverage Congressional support for measures that level the playing field for Black people and people of color. I look forward to working with you to change our industry, our community, our world.
Respectfully submitted,
Liz Glenn
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WHAT DOES LGBTQ+ PRIDE MONTH HAVE TO DO WITH THE WORK FOR RACIAL EQUITY AND ACCESS TO HOUSING?
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By Kim Y. Taylor
Member, MARC-NAHRO
Member, NAHRO Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Committee
Member: NAHRO International Research and Global Exchange Committee
Commissioner, Trenton Housing Authority
The month of June in the United States is observed as LGBTQ+ Pride Month. June is so designated in recognition of the significance of “Stonewall Riots” in June 1969 in Greenwich Village in New York City and at other sites such as bars in California which served as the ignition for the civil rights movement that followed.
The riots that took place at the Stonewall Inn which is now designated a national historic site, a national landmark, were led by a group of courageous transwomen of color who said “enough is too much” to the police brutality and abuses of power and violations of human dignity on the part of the New York City Police Department (NYPD). So egregious was the routine abuse by police that the NYPD Police Commissioner on the 50th anniversary of Stonewall acknowledged the wrong and on behalf of the department apologized for it. The history of Stonewall and the discussion of police violence and the resistance of women of color to systematic oppression and repression is obviously relevant to the present moment we are all witnessing, we are experiencing as we face the reality of racism and other –isms relating to identity.
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On May 25th, 2020 the world witnessed the public murder of a Black man at the hands of a White man. When now former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd by depriving his brain of oxygen with a knee pressed to his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds – a full three minutes longer than it took to kill him, we all witnessed the reality of race in America.
What is the relationship between the Stonewall Riots and the present reactions to brutality and violence against Black men? The video most us viewed reminds the world of the reality of racism with the in-progress depiction of one White man with three accomplices serving as judge, jury, and executioner as they decided the Black man beneath their knees did not matter. LGBTQ+ Pride Month 2020 provides a necessary opportunity to engage in meaningful efforts to dismantle the joint oppressions of racism and homophobia and the twin toxins of White supremacy and heterosexism in meaningful ways. Here are a few ways to get started:
We as housing advocates must represent all public housing residents equitably and in order to do that we must learn to stand up and speak out for those whose voices have been silenced and whose physical presence is not acknowledged or respected because of personal biases and even hatred.
We must learn to overcome our individual biases and prejudices in order to serve our LGBTQ+ constituents. There are many times that LGBTQ+ residents within public housing authorities (PHAs) find themselves excluded from obtaining support services that are afforded to others within the PHA community or facing a difficult time transacting administrative requests, e.g., endeavoring to change the name on one’s rental agreement as one example of challenges facing some transgender residents of PHAs.
We must learn the difference among the words “entitled,” “special,” and “equal” when speaking of access to services. Asking to be seen, heard or included does not mean that one is asking for “Special Treatment.”
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., promoted a vision of a nation where people will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. This same vision should become the reality sought for the LGBTQ+ community: to be judged, not based on sexual orientation and gender identity, but by the content of their character.
For people committed to equity and inclusion, we must be intersectional in our approaches to diversity. If we are sincere in our quest for authentic equality, diversity and inclusion, this work is essential.
Author’s Note: As a cisgender woman who is Black and a member of the LGBTQ+ community and a steward of public housing resources, I am personally and professionally mindful of the ways in multiple marginalization’s impact the ability of individuals to secure safe and affordable housing. This brief article is an effort to contribute to the necessary conversations on racial justice and LGBTQ+ equality under the law, and the collective work of removing barriers to housing that belong to all of us.
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Executive Board Member Spotlight
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Welcome and Congratulations!!
E
nrico Lepore
, Jr. - Commissioner
Dover Housing Authority
Dover, Delaware
Mr. LePore is the newest member of the MARC NAHRO Executive Board to fill a vacancy in a term that will end in October 2021. Mr. LePore has served on the Dover Housing Authority’s Board of Commissioners since 2011. He is employed by Children and Families First-Dover, DE, as a family support assistant.
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The MARC NAHRO Executive Board
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As we all know, this year’s NJNARO/MARC NAHRO conference was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Executive Board was unanimous in its support of partnering with New Jersey for the 2021 conference. We will announce the conference date/location on these pages when available.
Click
here for Executive Board roster and read minutes
here.
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MARC NAHRO is now on Twitter @MARCNAHRO1 Please follow us! If your agency has a separate Twitter account, please let us know so we can follow!
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In times like these, community matters more than ever. Let us know how you are making an impact in your community. Send your stories for the region’s monthly e-newsletter by the 10
th
of each month
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Post a Job on the
MARC NAHRO website - At no cost!
Put your open positions in front of candidates who have the skills and experience that your agency needs to excel.
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MARC NAHRO MEMBERS IN THE NEWS
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The COVID-19 pandemic is more than just a health crisis—it has had a ripple effect, impacting all of us and our work. As the world responds to this new threat, MARC NAHRO members are engaged in their communities, while also trying to endure the crisis themselves. Here’s a sampling of members’ engagement in their communities.
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Housing Commission of Anne Arundel County
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Housing Commission of Anne Arundel County
partners with medical, private, county and philanthropic organizations to help residents cope during the pandemic lockdown
CEO Clif Martin said, “our team wanted to do something that mattered.” We knew that
our residents were nervous, confused, vulnerable and worried about the virus and the dramatic changes taking place socially and logistically all around them. Many of our residents are elderly and disabled, and many of our children are susceptible to health issues due to asthma and other conditions. We had been so fortunate to apparently not have any cases reported to our agency within our communities but grew more concerned that time would run out.
We had blasted them with hand delivered fliers and notices; posted over and over on bulletin boards, in laundry rooms, and common areas. Sadly, we removed furniture in their social dens, community rooms and other locations to reduce social interaction and they gradually saw more and more staff disappear except those who were cleaning and disinfecting. Resident Services team members were assisting with food deliveries, prescription issues and helping as many residents as possible to lockdown and remain stocked and prepared, However, we began to hear about the inability to get masks to wear in public and fear about touching anything outside of their apartment or home.
Our Manager began to make calls and send emails with her staff, amassing a team of health professionals, HCAAC team members and other providers to acquire donations of nearly 100 masks, sanitizers and medical information that they could read and use to calm their fears. Nurses from our local Anne Arundel Medical Center joined the team to show residents how to wear the masks, clean their hands and answered any and all questions they had. During these visits, it became apparent that our residents appreciated the sincerity and effort put into place by these compassionate and amazing volunteers and staff members from HCAAC.
A letter from a resident made the entire process worthwhile! In it she states, "It’s people like you that are the true heroes with your extension of compassion and assistance. It truly takes a village. My gratitude cannot be expressed efficiently with the English language." If all of our residents remain healthy and safe...well....that is all that matters, said CEO Clif Martin.
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Philadelphia Housing Authority
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PHA and PCA partner to expand senior meal service
The Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) in collaboration with the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging (PCA) has tripled the number of senior developments receiving meals. The number of developments served has temporarily gone from three to nine. “We thank PCA for partnering with us to serve people who are among the most vulnerable during the coronavirus pandemic,” said PHA President and CEO Kelvin A. Jeremiah.
Read more
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Mural Arts and City Health Develop “Space Pads” for Six PHA Sites
Mural Arts Philadelphia created an innovative program throughout Philadelphia to ensure that Six Philadelphia Housing Authority sites that serve as meal distribution centers in response to the COVID-19 coronavirus are getting new beautifully designed signs and decals to help promote social distancing, hand washing, and use of masks.
Read more
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The Ambridge Tower Apartments owned by Housing Authority of the County of Beaver is located in Ambridge, Pennsylvania. After forty years as a certified nursing assistant, Sharon has had eight years to settle into a new life at Ambridge Towers. Eight years to meet her neighbors. Eight years to build a life.
Then, Covid-19 came. It has become the overriding fact of life, throughout the United States and the world. Social distancing has become the watchword of our time. Keep your distance. Wash your hands. Don’t breathe on people – difficult when you can’t help but pass others in the hall, on the elevator, and in the aisle of the grocery store as you venture out into the world to get the necessities of daily life. Wear a mask.
Sharon has been sewing for over fifty of her sixty-nine years. Being who she is, someone who has devoted her life to helping others, she again wanted to help in this time of need. Like most of us, she heard the news about the shortages of personal protective equipment – too few masks, too few gowns, too few gloves. What was available of these items went to medical personnel. For the rest of us, authorities told to make do with what we had. Sharon decided she could put her love of sewing together with her desire to help and make masks.
By her estimate, she has made over a hundred masks so far. She has given them to family. She has given them to friends. She has given them to neighbors. She has given them to her daughters to give to nursing homes. She has put signs up in the building elevator letting people now she had masks available. She doesn’t try to profit off them, she gives them away. When neighbors did try to pay, she added the words to her signs ‘No Charge’. She doesn’t want money. She only wants us to help keep each other safe. As word spreads, she continues to make more masks. At an age when many of us think our time is done, she continues to make a difference in the lives of those around her, and in the life of her community.
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HUD Awards Philadelphia Housing Authority and the City of Philadelphia a $30 Million Grant to Revitalize Sharswood Neighborhood
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In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Philadelphia has received some good news. The Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) has won a $30 million Choice Neighborhoods Initiative implementation grant for the Sharswood Transformation Plan.
PHA President and CEO Kelvin A. Jeremiah said “the $30 million grant will leverage well over $200 million of investment. This essentially guarantees the work that started nearly 4 years ago will be completed, with the full support of our federal, state and local partners.”
PHA has already completed 151 units in the neighborhood with tax credit funding, its own money, and other sources. Construction of the 83 modular units is now complete under the Sharswood Transformation Plan, which calls for a total of 1,200 units, plus the redevelopment of the Ridge Avenue commercial corridor.
Mayor Jim Kenney said . “In light of the pandemic and the economic challenges we’re sure to face in the months ahead, providing more affordable housing will be more critical than ever. We must build and preserve homes, amenities, and services for those in need, and make certain that diverse communities and low-income residents benefit from neighborhood development. We are thrilled that we will be able to realize these goals through the Sharswood/Blumberg Transformation Plan.”
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Ready Responders, a New Orleans-based for-profit company is dispatching health care workers armed with tests, medical equipment and computer tablets to conduct tele-health visits in many NYCHA apartments.
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Wilmington Housing Authority
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Wilmington Housing Authority One-Stop-Shop EnVision Center
Resident Services Department
Over the years, the community has changed. The job market has become more competitive and society is more diverse. One has to be constantly informed of the changes that are affecting the society and become skilled in order to make it in the job market or remain healthy in order to live independently and age in place.
Read Article
“WHA & WHY FLY Collaborate on providing better service to the Residents of the City of Wilmington”
On February 24
th
2020, a contract between the Wilmington Housing Authority and WhyFly, LLC, was signed into place. This contract will allow WhyFly access to rooftop space at some of the WHA properties as the company looks to expand its signal capacity within the city of Wilmington. In return WhyFly has agreed to provide free internet service in the “common areas” at each site as well as WHA’s main offices located on 400 North Walnut Street.
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Excerpted from the
Novogradac Journal of Tax Credits,
June 2020
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Click
here
to read full article!
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2021 What Home Means
to Me Calendar Contest
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National NAHRO has announced new entry rules for the annual What Home Means to Me Poster contest. This competition is open to all children in grades K-12 residing in affordable housing assisted directly, supported under community development, or participants in affordable housing programs administered by a NAHRO member authority.
Each state will hold its own contest and select one winner from each of these categories—elementary, middle, and high school.
The Region will select one (1) winner from each category from among the posters submitted by states for the national competition.
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Learn Where You Are with NAHRO Professional Development
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New Online Trainings Available!
Summer is the perfect time to learn new skills and sharpen old ones. Sit back, relax and enjoy learning with NAHRO PD on the upcoming training sessions. The best part? You can do this from the comfort of your own home, your office on your summer vacation spot!
Here are some upcoming opportunities:
Don’t miss our newly discounted e-learning – Housing Choice Voucher Occupancy, Eligibility, Income, and Rent Calculation! Now priced at $695 for members and $795 for non-members, but only for the first ten registrants!
Interested in a distance learning opportunity?
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Why NAHRO PD: Taught by Faculty With Industry Experience
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As the affordable housing and community development field grows and changes, it is important to pursue continuing education and training. NAHRO PD recognizes that we are in unprecedented times, and now more than ever it is vital to make sure you and your team are ready to best serve those in your housing communities.
One way that NAHRO Professional Development stands out is that classes are taught by current or former affordable housing and community development professionals. From commissioners to housing directors, our NAHRO faculty have been in your shoes, and can answer your questions and provide insight from a first-hand basis.
Darlene Kelly, a NAHRO faculty member, has experience as both a Housing Director and as a training director. And while she’s passionate about training and curriculum development, she knows that her background in the affordable housing field is invaluable when it comes to NAHRO trainings. “I love the training and designing and delivering,” Ms. Kelly said. “But the technical knowledge of being an industry professional allows me to have a good understanding of the challenges and opportunities that housing providers face.”
Ms. Kelly started as a property manager, and worked her way up from there. And knowing that all the faculty have worked in the field inspires confidence when she refers to her peers. “We’ve all lived it,” she says. “We have that understanding of the complexity of programs and the challenge the housing authorities face,” she continued. “And how things are changing, because they are changing so quickly.
Ms. Kelly said that joining the NAHRO Faculty team is the best of both worlds for her. “I have a passion for career development. It offers me the opportunity to give back to other housing authorities, and share my knowledge and experience in the housing industry,” Ms. Kelly said. “As rolls are changing, the complexity isn’t getting any easier. It’s more important than ever that people are getting ongoing professional development.”
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NAHRO Debuts New Job/RFP Website!
NAHRO is excited to announce our partnership with
YMCareers
, a leading resource for association job boards and resources. The online career and RFP/RFQ center they’ve built for us will provide a smoother and more seamless posting experience, as well as more features – including the ability to keep track of all your posted ads, a company profile, a searchable resume bank, resource centers, and more!
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Check Out the Latest Issue of the NAHRO Journal…!
A new issue of the
Journal of Housing and Community Development
is online! Articles include a piece by the Urban Institute on how PHAs are helping their residents, a quick interview with a young woman whose affordable housing question was asked on a national stage, and profiles of some award-winning agency projects. Questions? Interested in writing articles?
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Keep Your Staff Connected to NAHRO!
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During the COVID-19 pandemic, NAHRO is committed to keeping you and your staff connected to the knowledge, analysis and training that you need. We’re working with HUD to ensure that you have sufficient resources and regulatory flexibility, coordinating advocacy campaigns to keep your congressional leaders informed about your needs, and increasing our distance learning offerings to keep your skills sharp in an age of social distancing and remote work.
We’re also putting more information, analysis and training online. In order to get the most out of your NAHRO membership and spread its benefits to your maximum allotment of staff, you should ensure that you’re using all your eligible NAHRO associate membership slots. Giving an associate membership to one of your staff allows them to receive informational emails such as the Direct News and Monitor online, and to watch complimentary e-Briefings on vital topics.
Not sure if you have vacant slots?
NAHRO is here for you during this unprecedented time. Make sure we can be here for your agency as well.
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MARC NAHRO State Chapters
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Central Eastern Pennsylvania
(no website)
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