The Best Resource For Learning From Housers Just Like You!
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Greetings Housers,
I wanted to start off this message by saying- I recognize many of our communities are hurting.
We have gone through a nearly complete shutdown of our economic system, we have socially distanced ourselves to prevent the spread of a deadly virus, we have seen many of our colleagues, loved ones, family members and friends suffer immeasurable losses. We have also witnessed – with our own eyes- an inconvenient truth; our justice system has systemically failed our Black community, and this is not just a Black problem; this is an American problem.
And we’ve all seen the backlash- many Americans standing up for the safety, rights, and freedoms for all of us. Taking to the streets to have their voices heard and their message seen. Reminding us that our systems, must re-examine and re-imagine what service to the entire community looks like.
Fellow housers, as we move forward in the current state of our nation, and as we identify and execute on a new “normal” – I want to be sure I let you know how proud I am of the work each of you do, how you are committed to delivering high quality service to all of your neighbors, and how you continue to innovate in a time of change. May the month of June be fruitful, forward looking, and as pleasant at possible.
Cupid Alexander
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PNRC SERVICE OFFICE MAILING ADDRESS
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PNRC Service Office
c/o Shelli Scrogum
12246 FM 1769
Graham, TX 76450
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Have You Liked the PNRC NAHRO Facebook Page Yet?
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In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, NAHRO’s in-person Summer Conference in New York City has been cancelled. However, with this change, we are thrilled to announce a re-envisioned online experience that you can attend safely from anywhere!
NAHRO Online: 2020 Summer Conference will take place July 23-24 and will feature two full days of learning, teaching and networking, including plenary sessions featuring Charlie Cook, the NAHRO Washington Report, and a can’t-miss discussion of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We’ll also have concurrent sessions on executive leadership, repositioning and post-positioning, resident programs, housing is health, and moving forward from COVID-19. In addition, we’ll honor our Awards of Merit winners and even get together for some virtual networking!
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2020 Annual Conference Update
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That's right we are not going to let the Coronavirus keep us completely apart!
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We are excited to announce that the annual conference isn't just happening, it's going virtual! PNRC is going to provide you with the state of the art Virtual Conference and not just that we are lowering
Registration Costs to $99!
But that's not all due to the fact that we are offering a variety of COVID-19 and Event Management sessions you can use your CARES Act Funds to pay for Registration!
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Proud Sponsor of the
2020 PNRC Virtual Annual Conference
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Clackamas County Continues to Give Back Despite COVID-19
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Despite COVID-19, Housing Authority of Clackamas County has continued to operate its monthly free food market. A huge shout out to the staff volunteers who showed up for this essential activity. Thank you to Anne O’Reilly, Amy Brinkley, Jemila Hart, Emily Lilly, Tiffanie Kearney, Sonja Souder, Allison Coe, Cynthia Boettcher, Bucho Garzon, Thomas Williams, Toni Karter, Deyvin Molina, Michell Paresi, Jose Magallon, Spencer Bacon and myself (Elizabeth Miller).
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Here is a Summary of the events:
• 16 staff volunteers
• 3 community members volunteered
• The team boxed up, handed out and delivered food boxes to very vulnerable families in need
• Each box was complete with a bag of onions, bag of red potatoes, 2 bags of rice, 1 can of soup, 3 cans of tomatoes, 1 bottle of oil, 1 carton of milk, noodles, fig newton’s, 4 cans of tuna, bob’s red mill flour and some baked goods (muffins, bagels, bread, cupcakes)
• Of the 107 boxes, 40 of those were delivered to our Public Housing residents who aren't able to pick up.
We had a smooth and efficient operation while maintaining social distance and complying with the additional precautions like masks, gloves and lots of hand sanitizer.
We normally have between about 70 households, so clearly the community is in need of food, especially during this Public Health crisis.
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Virtual Activities at Nampa Housing Authority Go Viral
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We have partnered with the Pierce County Continuum of Care and DSHS to help people move on from supportive housing or rapid re-housing.
TACOMA, WA – May. 29, 2020 – The Tacoma Housing Authority has partnered with Pierce County Continuum of Care, through Pierce County Human Services, and the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) to provide voucher assistance to households with disabled adults, under the ages of 62. We have created this preference to serve a specific population in need of this aid and who are ready to move on from permanent supportive housing or rapid re-housing. This frees up supportive housing units for people who do need them, especially those in institutional and other segregated settings who want to move to community-based integrated settings but who still need supportive housing services.
The Tacoma Housing Authority will use its newly awarded 78 Mainstream Vouchers to serve this population.
We will accept applications from people referred by the Pierce County Continuum of Care or DSHS. Applicants must also meet at least one of the following criteria:
o transitioning out of institutional and other segregated settings
o at serious risk of institutionalization
o previously experienced homelessness and currently a client in a permanent supportive housing or rapid rehousing program
If you believe you qualify, and you are enrolled in a program with the partner agencies listed above, please contact your caseworker from that agency. We will select applications in the order our partner agencies receive them.
Later, the Tacoma Housing Authority may offer these vouchers to the following populations:
1. Current Tacoma Housing Authority residents
2. Current applicants on Tacoma Housing Authority’s Consolidated Waitlist
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“We are excited to expand our housing options for homeless and near-homeless households. These additional vouchers will help us and our partners increase the supply of accessible units and provide supportive services to make sure people have stable housing.” said Aley Thompson, Associate Director of Rental Assistance.
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Seventh & Eighth Graders Can Sign Up Now for Free College Tuition Later
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The College Bound Scholarship supports low-income youth in Washington State through an early commitment of financial aid for students whose families might not otherwise consider college because of the cost. The scholarship is a state-funded program administered by the
Washington Student Achievement Council
. The scholarship will cover tuition for up to four years at a Washington public or private university or a community, technical or private career college. It also covers some fees and a small book allowance.
Eligibility: Students in the 7th or 8th grade must meet one or more of the following requirements:
In order to receive the scholarship, the student must pledge to and achieve this:
How to apply:
Do you have questions or need help applying? You can call or email the following:
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“After starting our program and seeing the impact it had on kids, we began to see ourselves as change agents."
“We didn’t know what was possible.” “We were some very lost kids.”
“We needed a space that was safe.”
How did six teenage boys living in the Seattle Housing Authority’s NewHolly neighborhood start a movement that would prove transformational for youth in their community and beyond?
It began in 2017. A few dozen boys with little else to do were frequenting a community space at NewHolly to hang out with each other, play games and do homework. Sometimes they were rambunctious and loud, which some people coming and going near the space saw as threatening.
Instead of engaging with the youth directly, those who were concerned asked police to have a presence there. The boys were upset and felt misunderstood. Their families visited the building so when they wanted a safe place to get together, they felt comfortable using the community space there.
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Ty Edwards had just joined SHA as a full-time Youth Engagement Specialist when the situation at NewHolly led to an altercation. He approached some of the boys to discuss the problem and counseled them to join an upcoming community meeting. Following Edwards’ guidance, the youth explained at the meeting that they weren’t violent kids and if they were loud and laughing they were just enjoying themselves. They told the group that now they no longer felt safe or welcome but they didn’t know where else to go. Understanding the boys better, the community members worked out a plan with them, the first step of which was to end the extra police presence. With the door now open, positive relationships began to build between the youth and others using the building.
Edwards was pleased but saw much more potential than a community truce. With a little suggestion and coaching, six of the boys – Abbas, Eyoab, Faisal, Hashim, Ibrahim and Rudwan – founded a Youth Leadership Board with a mission to provide youth with opportunity and resources to aid their success in life. The YLB quickly grew to 32 middle and high school boys from NewHolly and Rainier Vista.
With newfound confidence, the members of the YLB unleashed their creativity. They conducted a youth survey to identify the top needs in their community and began focusing their efforts on helping youth gain employment, receive mentorship, complete community service hours, and apply for college and scholarships. Collaborations began with community centers, sports leagues and organizations near NewHolly and Rainier Vista to reduce financial barriers and increase access to services for young SHA residents.
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The teens received training in financial planning, budgeting, project management and event planning. Harnessing these skills, they planned a Youth Employment and Resource Fair, recruiting 55 vendors. After a successful event at NewHolly, they shared their expertise and resources with Rainier Vista youth, who hosted their own youth job fair. More than 100 youth in both communities secured employment as a result. They went on to establish Teen Chill, a dedicated room in the NewHolly Family Building for teens to connect with education and employment resources, and build community with peers and adults.
“After starting our program and seeing the impact it had on kids, we began to see ourselves as change agents,” said Rudwan.
The teens produced a Seattle Teen Summit to encourage high school students from across Seattle to serve their communities, develop strong leadership skills and challenge injustice.
With a goal to provide lifelong learning opportunities, they developed the Youth Station program, a one-stop resource shop where kids can receive help with their homework, find a job, start a club or participate in community programs.
They created PUMP (Pop Up Market Program) where youth are paired with and mentored by local business owners and given entrepreneurial opportunities to develop business plans and bring their products to market. One successful venture, Wired Cafe, is an entirely youth-run business serving drinks such as smoothies, green juices, tea and espresso, using mobile equipment at community events. They are putting all profits into educational scholarships.The boys on the Youth Leadership Board and many other teens now see themselves as leaders. They have uncovered and embraced ambitions, skills and dreams they never knew they had.
“The people on the youth board are very respectful, we have manners, we have morals and we stick to those morals, we all know the lines that we should not cross,” said Faisel. “Any of the stereotypes or the things people say that are bad about us – we don’t let that hold us back. We know what we are doing, we know the path we are on, we know the trail we are leaving behind and hopefully people take that in a good way. Hopefully it encourages people – oh if these six kids can do this and these 32 members – we hope people can take that and go far in life.
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Current updates on association response to the global COVID-19 crisis, along with a roundup of conference, travel, and business news and information.
CDC GATHERING GUIDELINES
The principles set out in the document, released last week, are not intended to usurp existing state or local guidelines, but offer advice on what kinds of events carry risk. The least risky events are virtual, per the CDC guidelines; more risky are small outdoor, local gatherings; riskier still are medium-sized gatherings in which social distancing is followed; most risky are large gatherings in which social distancing isn’t followed and attendees are not local.
“Organizers should continue to assess, based on current conditions, whether to postpone, cancel, or significantly reduce the number of attendees for gatherings,”
the guidelines state
.
The guide also highlights healthy behaviors that events should encourage to reduce spread, suggestions to keep venues clean, strategies to limit visitors or attendees to maintain healthy operations, and what steps organizers should take if someone gets sick at an event.
“The guideline is really for any type of gathering, whether it’s the backyard barbecue or something larger, and it’s not intended to endorse any particular type of event,” said Dr. Jay Butler, the CDC’s deputy director for infectious diseases,
in comments to The New York Times
.
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How to Do Performance Reviews—Remotely
(Harvard Business Review, 06/15/20) “You may have conducted hundreds of performance reviews over the course of your career, but in the era of COVID-19 everything is different. You and your team have been working remotely for months now in an extremely difficult situation. How do you begin to evaluate your employees’ performance at such a challenging time? How much should you consider the impact of COVID-19 on your assessment? And how do you make sure you’re fair-minded given everyone’s different circumstances?”
3 Months in, How COVID-19 Has Permanently Changed Marketing
(Marketing Dive, 06/15/20) “Still, as things start to reopen, brands are returning to a world where almost all facets of business have been fundamentally reset, including how they engage consumers. ‘What COVID did is force a lot of marketers to step back and rethink relationships with consumers,’ Bob Liodice, CEO of the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), told Marketing Dive in a phone interview. ‘There was an amazing turnaround in marketing messaging that took place. Our analysis has shown that the relationship between consumers and brands has, in fact, strengthened.’”
There’s a Key Way to Curb the Spread of COVID-19. But No One Is Talking About It
(Fast Company, 06/15/20) “Scientists now concur that COVID-19 spreads primarily in droplets through the air—be it from coughing or just talking—so public health officials recommend that people wear masks and face shields, and maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet. But many researchers believe that these guidelines don’t go far enough. To truly help protect people from transmitting COVID-19, we need to fix the air we breathe. Over the past months, Fast Company has connected with many experts on the topic of air quality and circulation. They’ve offered a variety of best practices for everyone, from restaurant owners to CEOs to families, to consider. Here’s what we’ve learned so far.”
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Commerce to Provide Funding for Community Child Care Projects
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OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Washington State Department of Commerce is now accepting applications for the first round of a new competitive Child Care Partnership grant program. Funding will support grants up to $100,000 each for collaborative efforts that expand child care capacity in communities throughout the state.
More than 1,100 child care centers have temporarily closed since March due to the coronavirus pandemic, bringing an existing crisis of scarcity to a head. Disparities in access to child care are even more pronounced and damaging in economically disadvantaged communities and communities of color.
“We cannot allow a learning gap to persist in Washington state – the long-term costs in human potential for our kids, our communities and our economy are staggering,” said Commerce Director Lisa Brown.
Even before COVID-19 and the ensuing financial crisis, many working parents in Washington were either paying more than they could afford, or struggling to even find quality child care facilities and programs near where they live or work. State funds for the new Child Care Partnership grants will invest in local collaborations to develop community-driven action plans to increase capacity access to child care.
“This is a broad, complex societal challenge that demands strong partnerships among local government and tribal leaders, school systems, employers, philanthropies and others to develop and implement programs and projects that will strengthen communities and families,” Brown emphasized.
Who and how to apply
Organizations eligible to apply for grants up to $100,000 are: nonprofit organizations having a 501(c)(3) status; local government entities, educational service districts, and federally recognized tribes. Awards will be up to $100,000. This is the first of two application cycles and projects must be completed by June 30, 2021. A second application round is expected to open mid-August.
Only electronic submissions of the application form and required documents (details below) will be accepted and via a single email to the application coordinator at
mary.baldwin@commerce.wa.gov
by 5 p.m. PDT July 10, 2020. Application materials are available
here
. For questions and more information, contact Mary Baldwin, program coordinator, Community Engagement and Outreach Division, at 360-725-2815 or
mary.baldwin@commerce.wa.gov
.
Commerce’s work with the state
Child Care Collaborative Task Force
revealed the need to fund local planning processes to support increased capacity in child care and after-school programs, and to address disparities and unmet needs for children. A detailed child care industry assessment study commissioned by the task force, due out in July, will provide additional data and survey information for the state and prospective community-based partnerships.
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Convention Session Highlight
Facing the Storm: Prioritizing Funds in a Pandemic
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When the coronavirus hit in March of this year there was very little prep time. Business leaders found themselves faced with a multitude of decisions to make. Can I afford to keep my staff? Where can we eliminate expenses without eliminating services? and many more.
Then when the Cares Act Funds came in there was confusion on what can these funds be used for? What kind of documentation do I need?
This session will help discuss these items as well as share win & losses with one another so we can be better prepared in the future should something like this happens again.
This session is going to be led by Mr. Dennis Morgan of D L Morgan & Associates. Dennis is no stranger to NAHRO as he also serves as a trainer for NAHRO and has been a well-sought out speaker for multiple NAHRO conferences.
Dennis Morgan- has administered Affordable Housing Programs for over 40 years with large, medium and small housing agencies, providing technical assistance and training on multiple issues throughout the country for HUD, NAHRO, LISC, NeighborWorks America, PHAs, and State and Local Government including; NSP, MTW, Trouble Agency Recovery, Asset Management for Public Housing, Project-Based Management of Public Housing (PH), Strategic Planning, HCV Homeownership, Public Housing Executive Management, Occupancy, Eligibility, Income and Rent for PH and HCV Programs, PHAS, Housing Choice Voucher Administration and Supervision, Public Housing Administration, Public Housing Homeownership, UPCS, HQS, SEMAP, Board Training, and the PHA Plan.
Mr. Morgan co-authored the HUD Guidebooks on Required and Voluntary Conversion of Public Housing, HCV Homeownership, PH Occupancy, Consortia of Public Housing, and HUD, NAHRO, LISC and NeighborWorks America training manuals for HOME, CDBG, Asset Management, Property Management Essentials, Managing Maintenance, SEMAP, UPCS, PH and HCV Program Supervision, HCV and PH Occupancy, Eligibility, Income and Rent. Dennis Morgan is currently averaging over 50 trainings with approximately 2,000 participants representing over 800 agencies per year.
Be sure to register today for the 2020 Annual Conference and take advantage of great sessions like this one.
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Celebrating Diversity, Working to End Racism
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The Seattle Housing Authority is committed to promoting diversity, advancing race and social justice, and ending racism. As part of a larger community conversation, SHA is sharing an evolving selection of stories and resources compiled by our Race and Social Justice Initiative Committee, newsletter editors, community partners and others. We welcome contributions that deepen understanding, celebrate and give voice to black, indigenous and people of color, and help develop meaningful white alliance
.
Learning tools for understanding and helping to end racism
Black arts, literature and history
Black-led community organizers
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From Office Building to Home
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Get help buying groceries while schools are closed
If your child is in kindergarten through 12th grade and has been recieving free or reduced-priced meals, or if you are recieving SNAP benefits you will automatically get help through a new pandemic EBT program. If your child was eligible but did not recieve free meals or attended a school where meals were free for all students, you may be eligible but have to apply.
Families with children who recieve free or reduced-priced school meals, and do not get Basic Food benefits must apply at
washingtonconnection.org
before Aug. 31. Or call DSHS Customer Service Contact Center at 877.501.2233 between 8 a.m.- 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
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More Trainings Provided by NAHRO
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June 17: Labor Standards
June 18: Leading through Times of Change & Transition
June 22-29: RAD Project Based Vouchers (PBV)
June 23-25: Managing Difficult Communication
June 23: Crisis Media Response
July 1: Ethics for Specialists
July 8-9: RAD Basics
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Pacific Northwest Regional Chapter of NAHRO
pnrcnahro.org
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