2000 Best Practice Awards

2000-283 Dayton Community Outreach Partnership
Fairborn, Ohio
Contact: Dr. Jack L. Dustin (937) 775-2941

The CDTCP is a comprehensive nine-part program designed to help individuals obtain new skills and knowledge and develop their understanding of basic community needs and development. The program consists of eight modules and a capstone presentation that offers instruction on the organization and operation of community based development organizations.

2000-359 Buddy’s Place
Cincinnati, Ohio
Contact: Jennifer Summers (513) 381-1171

Buddy’s Place project is designed to assist homeless men and women in the Over-the-Rhine District in Cincinnati, Ohio. Twenty efficiency apartments are available. On the First Floor there is a controlled entry room, with 2,500 sq.ft. of retail space and two handicapped units. The Second and Third Floors are apartments while the Fourth Floor has a community room. In addition, there is a community outdoor deck, an AA meeting room and a basement with laundry facilities.

2000-370 Butler County
Hamilton, Ohio
Contact: Jenea Allen (513) 887-3402

Butler County, Ohio wanted to further the economic development of the County by promoting and assisting in the growth and development of businesses, (particularly small businesses), fostering increased employment opportunities for the citizens of Butler County and aiding in business expansion. The County established a certified development company (CDC) that was certified by the Small Business Administration (SBA) in 1983 under the Small Business Re-Investment Act of 1958 to provide long-term financing to eligible businesses through the SBA 504 Program. The CDC also administers the Butler County Revolving Loan Fund. The CDC is responsible for significant economic development within Butler County. In January, 1999, the CDC became one of seven certified development companies in Ohio to receive accredited lenders status from the U. S. Small Business Administration's Accredited Lenders Program. This accreditation allows the CDC to have unilateral authority in servicing its loan portfolio and enables it to close on new projects faster and quicker.

2000-402 Cincinnati Continuum of Care
Cincinnati, Ohio
Contact: Michelle Budzek (513) 891-4016

The Cincinnati COC is a comprehensive, year long process that culminates in the application for homeless funds being submitted to HUD. It is a democratic process, bringing in all parties, including homeless persons and formerly homeless persons. Cincinnati's COC and the Partnership Center are being nominated for a Best Practice Award due to the quality of the applications submitted, the satisfaction with the process shown by the participants, and the high level of leveraged funds obtained by the participants.

2000-447 Raminemi Brothers
Cincinnati, Ohio
Contact: Raminemi Brothers (513-891-8063

The Raminemi Brothers own and manage eight properties located in Avondale. They began purchasing the properties in 1994. The buildings are primarily large family buildings, one of the buildings has three six bedroom units. These buildings had been converted to Section 8 many years ago. The maintenance had been deferred by a series of owners. All buildings are in Avondale which is in the Cincinnati Empowerment Zone.

The Raminemi Brothers zeal in restoring these buildings to their former splendor has had a positive impact on the surrounding neighborhood. The North Avondale Housing Association, NAHA, has praise the Raminemi Brothers accomplishment in the area. Restoring the buildings and working to improve the tenant population has greatly improve the neighborhood.

They have greatly helped in the neighborhoods efforts to rid the area of drug dealers by removing overgrown weeds and bushes and have opened up the landscapes of their buildings. They have also improved lighting which has made the areas less inviting to drug dealers and it appears that the drug dealers have moved out of the area.

2000-874 Tenant Based Assistance
Cincinnati, Ohio
Contact: Susan Walsh (513) 946-4882

The TENANT BASED ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (TBA) provides ongoing monthly rental assistance and security deposit assistance to low income disabled individuals and families. The Program closely mimics the Section 8 Voucher Program, where an individual or family finds rental housing in the open market, with a landlord who is willing to participate in the Program. The rental unit must meet certain rent guidelines and pass a Housing Quality Standards inspection.

When certified as eligible, a Participant receives a Tenant Based Assistance Grant (like a Section 8 Voucher) and initially has 60 days to locate a unit to rent. The grant can be extended up to an additional 120 days, if the grant holder needs more time to locate housing. When the Grant Holder locates housing to rent, the staff at Hamilton County Community Development will review the rent of the unit, to make sure it meets the rent guidelines. Rent limits are higher than the Section 8 Certificate Program, and the subsidy used can also be higher, to accommodate higher rents of some units needed by disabled individuals. Once the rent is approved, the unit is inspected by the Hamilton County Community Development Department inspectors to insure it meets Housing Quality Standards (HQS).

When the unit passes inspection, the Grant Holder and the owner of the property sign a lease, and a contract is signed between Hamilton County Community Development and the owner.

2000-1557 Charlotte Schmidlapp Women Build 2000
Cincinnati, Ohio
Contact: Lawra J. Baumann (513) 744-7001

The Charlotte Schmidlapp Women Build 2000 involves the gut-rehab of a historic abandoned property in Avondale, a neighborhood in the Empowerment Zone of Cincinnati. The building will become two condominiums for resale to low income families. The project will serve as a prototype for the redevelopment of large older homes throughout the urban core of Cincinnati, which are currently in desperate need of renovation.

The project also involves a training program for women, a mentoring program girls in property renovation and repair and a tremendous volunteer effort. Without the combination of volunteer labor and the training program, the cost to renovate the property would be prohibitive.

2000-1815 Race and Reconciliation Collaboration
Cincinnati, Ohio
Contact: John E. Ingram (513) 684-3451

One of the Collaboration's primary goals is to provide platforms for "models of hope" that demonstrate effective urban/suburban, black/white partnerships. The Collaboration is charged with addressing all aspects of improving race relations in Dayton, OH and the Miami Valley, and is committed to work toward eradicating racial intolerance, increasing opportunities for interaction among persons from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, and creating a spirit of personal and community responsibility to abolish social injustices.

The Collaboration's model flushes out issues and concerns, then implements effective and on-going activities to achieve racial harmony and reconciliation. The Collaboration will also provide a Clearinghouse for individuals and organizations requesting information and/or services on race relations in the region. Finally, the Collaboration will sponsor a community event, a "Walk Through History," an inventory of barriers that have caused hurt and pain for the citizens of the greater Dayton area.

2000-1968 Better Housing League, Emergency
Cincinnati, Ohio
Contact: Dot Christenson (513) 721-6855

The Better Housing League, Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program was established as a pilot program in 1997 to provide grants and counseling homeownership for very low income households. The program was modeled after the former U.S. Dept. of HUD/Federal Housing Administration Loan Assignment Program and the Pennsylvania state-supported Homeowners Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program. Low income Greater Cincinnati Homeowners facing foreclosure due to job loss, illness, death of the primary wage earner or other circumstances beyond their control can receive special assistance to bring their loan current if they have reestablished an income stream to continue future mortgage payments. Since the BHL_EMA program began in April 1997, a total 144 low income households (less than 35% of the area median income) have avoided foreclosure. Of those families tracked twelve months after receiving a grant, 82% have been successful in maintaining regular mortgage payments.

2000-1984 Montgomery County Neighborhood
Dayton, Ohio
Contact: Judy L. Mott (937) 225-6318

The NEP was born out of a desire to create a new tool from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program to assist in revitalizing our low and moderate income neighborhoods. Its purpose is to go beyond the traditional physical infrastructure to address underlying social issues that affect the daily lives of residents. Significant CDBG funding is committed for a detailed planning effort within the community, guided by an experienced consultant who is selected by neighborhood representatives and CDBG staff and committee members. Large scale resident involvement is required, as well as input from local businesses and institutions. The planning focuses on the strengths and assets of the neighborhood rather than its needs. The plan which is developed is then adopted by the neighborhood group and approved by the jurisdiction and the County Commissioners. It is resident-driven, rather than another government program.

2000-1986 Social Services Online Personal Helper
Cincinnati, Ohio
Contact: Rina Saperstein (513) 761-1480

Sophia is:

• A digital "yellow pages" of information encompassing the continuum of health and human services in the Greater Cincinnati area.
• An electronically-distributed software system of 584 agencies and 1,350 cross-referenced services that is updated every night
• A rapidly growing network of area agencies ( currently 18) cooperatively maintaining a shared data system that grows and changes with the needs of the network members
• A way for both smaller and larger non-profits to contribute to an innovative model for human services information systems

2000-2015 Supports to Encourage Low-income (SELF)
Hamilton, Ohio
Contact: Jeffery A. Diver (513) 868-9300

SELF is Butler County's community action agency. SELF's mission is "to enhance the quality of life for residents by impacting the cause of poverty and empowering individuals to achieve and self-sufficiency." SELF is active in many efforts to organize and empower low-income families.

SELF is actively building community councils around the principles of Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) as espoused by John L. McKnight and John P. Kretzmann. South Middletown has Butler County's first community council. More than 200 residents of the Second Ward are now actively organized, conducting positive community improvements and planning a community wide asset survey.

2000-2026 Montgomery County Lead Hazard
Dayton, Ohio
Contact: Judy L. Mott (937) 225-6318

Program represents a multi-jurisdictional effort to reduce lead hazards in housing units, provide appropriate educational and outreach services, and train low and moderate-income and Section 3 persons as workers and contractors. Principal objective of the program is the execution of cost-effective methods for controlling lead hazards while maintaining affordable housing for low and moderate-income families.

2000-2147 Pathways to Homeownership
Cincinnati, Ohio
Contact: Lisa Bouldin-Carter (513) 948-8820

Pathways to Homeownership is a housing counseling program specifically designed for public housing residents. The program works with each client to design a Path they can take that will result in achieving the American Dream of homeownership. Pathway creates an environment where services are delivered directly to the residents in their public housing communities. The residents have no concerns with transportation or childcare issues and can gain support from peers in the community also seeking Homeownership.

2000-2179 First Step Home-Fulton Street Expansion
Cincinnati, Ohio
Contact: Annie Bennet (513) 961-4663

First Step Home was started to serve primarily low-income/homeless women with a primary diagnosis of chemical dependency and their children aged 12 and under. Since First Step Home opened in 1993 they have maintained a 4-6 month waiting list of women seeking treatment in their program. In 1998 FSH chose to expand their services and purchased a former Nursing Home. The building had been abandoned and was in need of total renovation. Once again their volunteer board went to work to raise the over a million dollars to renovate the facility.

First Step Home has completed the project and is currently serving over twice the clients it serve in 1998.

2000-2551 Dayton Rehabarama
Dayton, Ohio
Contact: Michael Turner (937) 333-3652

Rehabarama is a public/private partnership that targets a neighborhood for home renovation and rehabilitation. The homes featured in Rehabarama are either abandoned or dilapidated homes that are restored for the purposes of display and subsequent sale before, during and after the home show. It also features new construction residences in close proximity to the renovated homes to project a festival-type atmosphere. The goals of Rehabarama are to market Dayton's neighborhoods, attract capital, expedite rehabilitation in the neighborhood, focus resources for maximum impact and market private remodeling contractors and the Home Builders Association (HBA).

2000-2654 Crime Reductions Through Physical
Cincinnati, Ohio
Contact: Donald Troendle (513) 977-5660

Crime was reduced significantly on and around Lincoln and Laurel Courts through a program strategy of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), housing management innovations, and problem-oriented policing. The foundation for project success was laid through the careful creation of a crime opportunity survey and surveillance of the target location which provided housing management, law enforcement, and security with information needed to change the basic environment in ways that reduce crime opportunity, fear-of-crime, and create more livable and sustainable communities.

2000-2714 Building Services, One-Stop Center
Dayton, Ohio
Contact: Valerie A. Lemmie (937) 333-3609

The City of Dayton’s One-Stop Center streamlines the permitting process and co-locates staff from various departments and divisions that are involved in the planning, review and approval and permit issuance.

Content Archived: April 20, 2011