2000 Best Practice Awards

2000-1804 Vistula Manor Resident Patrol
Toledo, Ohio
Contact: Libby Drose (419) 259-9432

At first glance, the Vistula Manor Resident Patrol, composed of about 20 public housing residents - ranging in age from 21 to 85 and some using wheelchairs and walkers, you would think this building would be a "push-over" for criminal activity. Yet this group working together, has taken back control of their neighborhood. The resident patrol program has worked with law enforcement and housing management to bring crime at Vistula Manor to a halt. Trained patrol members have rid the high rise of drug use and sales, prostitution, assaults and thefts. The crime fighting patrol recently won a national crime prevention award from the Department of HUD. Patrol teams monitor the entrances, hallways and common areas of the complex. Their high visibility has ended unauthorized and illegal activity in their community. Patrol members receive specialized training and are designated to patrol a certain area of their community. Team members are identified by highly visible red vests, i.d. badges and radios. By the residents organizing and showing interest, law enforcement, management and community likewise responded to make the 157-unit downtown high-rise apartment complex a desirable living quarters for all residents.

2000-1590 First Nighter's Club
Toledo, Ohio
Contact: Libby Drose (419) 259-9432

The First Nighter’s Club started almost by accident. Two years ago, Vistula Manor's Senior Service Representative began a letter writing campaign requesting help from the business community. In the letter, he introduced LMHA residents who would be benefiting from their support and expressed his intent to use all assistance to improve the quality of life for those less fortunate. Letters were sent to all types of businesses, and they were encouraged to give whatever support they considered appropriate. The community's quick response of offers ranging from financial to material support was overwhelming. When the Franciscan Center called and offered theatre tickets, the residents who wanted to attend the "Theatre" outing far exceeded the number of tickets. As the evening of the event drew near, attendees exhibited great excitement over the prospect of going to the theatre. Getting ready to go was an all day affair, and the outing gave them the opportunity to dress in their best outfits. The activity was such a success that other organizations offering live performances and other cultural and recreational activities were contacted for tickets. Tickets came from a diverse arena - from the Toledo Symphony to the Toledo Mud Hens baseball team. Now there are activities to satisfy just about every taste. Since the group responds so well to donations, the tickets keep coming. The reason this partnership works so well is that if producers are unable to fill the house through ticket sales, they prefer to donate free tickets than have empty seats at an event. Big productions will usually offer tickets for dress rehearsals. Oftentimes, tickets are not made available until the day of the event. But no matter when a ticket become available, there are always residents ready to go on a moment's notice. Thus, the name "First Nighters". In the past two years, residents have been on approximately 76 outings including live theatre, the circus, baseball, basketball, hockey games, museums, the ballet, and the symphony. There are no real costs associated with this program, as the donations are provided free to the residents. The Senior Service Representative initiating this project is paid through a ROSS grant and the "First Nighter's" group is an outcome of him simply doing an excellent job.

2000-695 FHA: New Programs and Procedures Continuing Education Course
Cleveland, Ohio
Contact: Bradley D. Payne (216) 522-4058

Development and presentation of a continuing education course specifically geared toward FHA mortgage products, appraisal practices and sale of HUD Real Estate Owned properties to Realtors in the Youngstown, Ohio and Columbiana, Ohio areas. This course was developed in partnership with The Youngstown Columbiana Association of Realtors, Inc. to provide basic FHA information to Realtors in a course that would be sanctioned by the State of Ohio, Division of Real Estate. This course provided three (3) hours of continuing education credit to each realtor that attended as an incentive for their attendance. Since the Youngstown, Ohio area has experienced a declining real estate market and there is a considerable number of underserved people in the area, it was felt that an expanded presence of FHA in the market place could expand home ownership and improve service to the underserved population. In order to accomplish this it was necessary to expand the basic knowledge of FHA programs in the area by getting real estate professionals trained in the programs. By coupling with the local Association of Realtors, we were able to infiltrate the market and provide continuing education to the members of the Board at essentially no cost to the participants. This expanded the knowledge of FHA Programs and will translate into increased usage of FHA insured mortgages in the Youngstown, Ohio area, thus expanding both affordable housing and home ownership.

2000-1730 LMHA Self Sufficiency Efforts
Toledo, Ohio
Contact: Libby Drose (419) 259-9432

The Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority provides a host of programs and services to allow both public housing residents and Section-8 clients achieve self-sufficiency. Efforts range from the Family Self-Sufficiency program to Homeownership opportunities to the Maurine Simmons Family Investment Center. These programs reach clients at different levels in the self-sufficiency process. The Maurine Simmons Family Investment Center houses a variety of programs to meet the most basic needs of clients. Over 1,000 clients each month participate in services at the FIC. Child Development is provided through HeadStart and the YMCA Child Care (infant, toddler, pre-school and school age care); Health Services are provided by the Daisy Smith Clinic; Adult Basic and Literacy Education classes are through Toledo Public Schools. Owens Community College and Penta Community College both provide courses - small business development and basic employment skills. The Bowling Green State University Education Talent Search program helps minority and 1st generation post-secondary education students gain entrance to a colleges and universities. Job development services are offered through the Greater Toledo Urban League, Inc. and Network. A computer lab allows residents to improve their computer literacy skills. A drug prevention organization will soon be moving into the building with their much needed service. The Family Self-Sufficieny program helps Section-8 clients develop a specific family goal related to education and/or employment. Case management and mentoring services assist families in accomplishing their goals. A strong faith based partner enhances this program greatly and provide clients with strong role models as they move through the process. As their income increases so does their LMHA escrow account. Over 400 families participate in the Family Self Sufficiency program. Some program recipients have received over $10,000 in escrow upon graduation. These funds are often used to purchase a first time home, which is where the LMHA Homeownership program comes into play. For many people the final step of self-sufficiency is just that -OWNING THEIR OWN HOME. The Authority has helped over 75+ clients realize their dream of owning a home. The combination of these three programs have been critical to the self-sufficiency efforts of residents.

2000-1388 Expansion of Daimler Chrysler's Jeep Assembly Plant
Toledo, Ohio
Contact: Carlton S. Finkbeiner (419) 245-1004

*The expansion of Daimler Chrysler's Jeep Assembly Plant into four or five buildings creating 1.1 million square feet. *Acquisition and relocation of eighteen commercial and industrial businesses resulting in the clearance of the sites for preparation of the new development. *The creation of one loan pool for community development corporations to support neighborhood commercial and industrial economic development projects creating jobs for low- and moderate income residents of Toledo. *The clearance and preparation of the Autolite site will be available for resale to a development entity. *These activities will benefit low- and moderate income persons, community development corporations, and neighborhoods located in and/or near the central city of Toledo.

2000-1137 Akron Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control Program
Akron, Ohio
Contact: Karen A. O'Connor (330) 375-2077

This best practice is the result of an evolution of relationships between agencies over the past 15 to 20 years. Essentially, this program partners with the Akron Childhood Lead Prevention Program to obtain referrals for lead hazard reductions in homes where lead-poisoned children live.

2000-1040 Eden, Inc.
Cleveland, Ohio
Contact: Kathryn Kazol (216) 961-9690

Eden, Inc. has purchased properties to provide housing choices for very low-income persons with mental disabilities. In order to enable residents to be nearer family and other needed social services, properties are chosen on a scattered sight basis throughout Cuyahoga County.

2000-2248 YouthBuild Of Cuyahoga County
Contact: Sara P. Jackson (216) 443-8160

• YouthBuild of Cuyahoga County is a collaborative partnership between Cuyahoga County, Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity, the United Labor Agency, and the Urban League of Greater Cleveland that is designed to provide construction, life skills, and leadership training to low-income, unemployed, young adult high school dropouts between the ages of 16 to 24.
  
  
• YouthBuild of Cuyahoga County is dedicated to providing the disadvantaged youth that it serves with the educational and training opportunities necessary to learn a construction skill; obtain a GED; and increase the availability of affordable housing throughout Cuyahoga County.
  
  
• The first Cuyahoga County YouthBuild class began with 30 participants in August 1999. On April 28, 2000, YouthBuild of Cuyahoga County celebrated the graduation of 20 participants. Of the 20 graduates, several have already secured full-time employment. As a requirement for program completion, all of the participants in the program completed 40 hours of "Working Lead Safe" training. In addition to their scheduled construction training, Cuyahoga CountyYouthBuild participants also volunteered their time and efforts to the Cleveland Food Bank by delivering hot meals to income eligible, homebound Cuyahoga County Seniors.

2000-971 "A Day in Washington in Cleveland" CDC Conference: Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones
Washington, DC
Contact: Stephanie Tubbs Jones (202) 225-7032

"A Day In Washington In Cleveland" was a Community Development Corporation Conference to introduce Community Development Corporations (their Officers, Board members and staff) to federal agencies, local banking and financial services organizations. The overall purpose of this one-day conference was to provide program and policy development ideas for area-wide CDCs. The goals included: 1) providing informational resources from Washington federal agencies to local CDCs; 2) enhancing networking opportunities between community groups and grant making agencies; 3) providing legislative information to CDCs from the Congresswoman's committees of jurisdiction (Banking and Small Business) and 4) creating a dialogue between CDCs and the Congresswoman. This conference consisted of information tracks with local, state, and national panelists on Housing, Business Development and Program & Policy.

2000-18 HUD 2020 GIS Training Blitz
Cleveland, Ohio
Contact: Thomas H. Leach (216) 522-4058

The HUD 2020 GIS (Geographic Information System) Training Blitz was designed to provide practical training to HUD staff, CDCs, PHAs, EZ/ECs and other users on real-world uses of HUD's computer mapping program. Since the objective was to reach as many potential users as possible within a relatively short period, HUD CBs (Tom Leach - Cleveland, John Hartung - Columbus, Elizabeth Brown - Cincinnati) coordinated 7 training classes. Using the Cleveland HUD office and computer lab facilities at Ohio State University, University of Cincinnati Medical Center and Shawnee State University, CB Tom Leach taught classes in Cleveland (3 classes - 2/28, 3/7 and 3/14), Columbus (2/16), Cincinnati (2 classes - 2/29 and 3/1) and Portsmouth (3/2).

2000-314 Volunteers of America Crossroads
Sandusky, Ohio
Contact: Sue Reamsnyder (419) 621-9060

The Volunteers of America (VOA) Crossroads project houses four different programs designed to assist homeless individuals and families in obtaining and maintaining appropriate permanent housing. The four components are: Emergency shelter for homeless individuals, veterans transitional housing program for homeless veterans, transitional housing for homeless individuals (each person resides in their own room), and transitional housing for homeless families (6 units with shared common space). Homeless individuals begin their stabilization phase in the emergency shelter portion of the project. This program is designed to provide shelter for up to 30 days. Supportive services are introduced to the program participant and the assessment period begins in order to assist the participant in developing a self-sufficiency plan that meets their individual goal. Participants may then elect to move on to transitional housing for up to 24 month. Participants move through a series of tiers designed to assist the participant in breaking the cycle of homelessness and developing skills necessary to obtain and maintain appropriate permanent housing. The facility is located at 1843 Superior Street, Sandusky, Ohio. This existing property once housed a large telemarketing organization. Some on-site services are case management, health care, drug/alcohol counseling, HIV/AIDS educational training, money management training , and mental health case management. The facility is staffed 24 hours a day 7 days a week for the well being of the participants. The 1500 sq. ft. building was renovated to include: 2 dormitory style rooms for 16 emergency homeless shelter beds separated for males and females, 31 individual rooms, 6 units for families, common space used as community rooms for both individuals and families, a fully operational kitchen, bathroom facilities for families and individuals, 2 laundry rooms, extensive outside play area for children, on-site medical assistance provided by the local health department, on-site case management, payphones, and accesses to computers. Participants take part in a comprehensive assessment for drug/alcohol abuse, depression screening, and a complete personal development inventory of needs. Participants are encouraged to write an autobiography of their life to provide a basis for areas for improvement. Staff provide assistance for participants who participate in writing the autobiography by using a pre-designed informational outline. Once these assessments are completed the participant and case management design an individual service plan with goals and action steps to accomplish the desired goal. Also monthly a budget sheet is incorporated into the service plan to further develop life management skills. In addition, another unique aspect of the VOA Crossroads program is that participants are required to enter into a volunteer agreement contract to provide assistance in the daily upkeep of the building and grounds area. Participants maintain a work log of tasks completed which is verified by staff. Firelands Hospital provides transportation to participants who attend the "Partial Hospitalization Programming Program". Also several local employers provide transportation for the Crossroads participants transporting them to job sites in the community. VOA provides alternative transportation by providing bus coupons for the Sandusky Transit System for participants to access employment, educational classes, and medical appointments. Crossroads has a fully functional "Resident Advisory Board" made up of participants who meet to develop community involvement missions and community service projects. Most recently program participants participated in the United Way Adopt-A-Highway program and adopted Superior Street for a community service clean-up project.

2000-2787 Junior Olympics
Lorain, Ohio
Contact: William Neal (440) 288-1600

The Lorain Metropolitan Housing Authority partners with Lorain City Schools and the Lorain Police Department annually to conduct a Junior Olympics competition for youths 7 -18 yrs of age. Children citywide may participate. The LMHA buses in public housing children. Last year 750 public housing children participated. Private sponsors are solicited to provide t-shirts and water bottles, trophies and gift certificates for the children. Close to $10,000 in donations were obtained. Police donate their time to work with children at the event. The PHA and its residents plays the leadership role in convening the partners.

2000-371 Ohio Section 8 Tenant Based Program Survey
Cleveland, Ohio
Contact: Michael LaRiccia (216) 522-4058

The HUD Cleveland Public Housing HUB and The Ohio Housing Authority Conference (OHAC) co-sponsored a survey of PHAs in Ohio administering the Section 8 program in order to benchmark administrative practices, staffing levels, processing timeframes, workload measures and to identify good ideas. Approximately 75% of all PHAs in the State responded, and the HUD office analyzed and compiled a report of the results, provided them to the PHAs and made a presentation to the OHAC conference.

2000-3055 Center for Employment Training-Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Contact: Mary LaPorte (216) 851-1919

The Center for Employment Training (CET) is a non-profit skills training and human development organization. CET is an independent replication site and is one of 41 CET training sites in operation across the country. CET provides skills training and job placement in positions that have the potential for upward economic mobility.

2000-929 Mahoning County Lead Based Paint Hazard Control Program
Youngstown, Ohio
Contact: Gary Singer (330) 740-2124

This best practice is a detailed lead-based paint program that has brought the community together—notably the development of 48 partnerships—to more than match federal funds ($3 million in federal funds were received, and matching funds total a committed $4.1 million). The focus of the program is to reduce children’s health risks and include lead work in all rehabilitation efforts around the county.

2000-964 Section 3 Big 3 Partnership Collaboration
Cleveland, Ohio
Contact: Luis Martinez (216) 664-4048

During the past year a number of Section 3 Leadership Development Seminars were conducted by the Cleveland HUD Office. Community Builder Rayland Young led the charge to develop and implement strategies to encourage HUD partners/recipients to move forward on Section 3 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968, amended. In addition, Mr. Young provided technical assistance to the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority and Cuyahoga County. These three entities have since moved forward by developing and implementing comprehensive Section 3 programs that have and will continue to have a positive impact on economic opportunities for local businesses and residents. "The Section 3 Big 3" as they are called have developed Section 3 certification processes for businesses and residents. They have developed and award Section 3 Business Certificates to those qualifying businesses to use when they bid on Section 3 governed projects to obtain the preferential treatment outlined in 24 CFR 135. The Section 3 Big 3 meet regularly to discuss processes used independently. They share information regarding a Section 3 Registry, Contractor Capability and information on the list of Section 3 residents. This type of collaboration provides continuity to the federal regulations. In addition Community Builder Young has held special Section 3 seminar sessions for contractors, developers and nonprofit organizations. Mr. Luis Martinez has shared his Section 3 processes with the housing authority and the county. Mr. William Graham from CMHA has shared their approach with the city and county. Mr. Harry Connard has shared the county's approach with the city and housing authority.

2000-320 Cuyahoga MHA Section 8 Web Page
Cleveland, Ohio
Contact: Michael LaRiccia (216) 522-4058

The Cuyahoga MHA launched a web site to permit landlords to register detailed information about units they were willing to rent to voucher holders. Voucher holders can access the website and select the city or neighborhood they which to locate a unit, the bedroom size and type of unit, and the website will display all those listings meeting that criteria. The web site also provides background information on the Section 8 Program, the regular Section 8 Newsletter and has a series of links including: a mapping link so a voucher holder can type in the address of the unit and locate it on a map, a link to the local Fair Housing group to facilitate access for housing discrimination complaints, the Regional Transit Authority site so that public transportation access can be determined, and a link to access information on neighborhoods. The address is www.cmhasection8.org.

2000-3042 Vocational Guidance Services Job Match Program
Cleveland, Ohio
Contact: Robin Smalley (216) 431-7800

Job Match is a neighborhood-based training and placement program originally developed in 1992 through a partnership between MidTown Cleveland and Vocational Guidance Services to address the needs of employers and residents of the inner city. Since the fall of 1996, VGS has operated Job Match as Cleveland's Empowerment Zone program.

Content Archived: April 20, 2011