2000 Best Practice Awards

2000-289 Neighborhood Building Program
North Forth Myer, Florida
Contact: Karen B. Hawes (941) 656-7930

Utilizing a holistic, grassroots approach, residents of Lee County's Neighborhood Districts are empowered to work with staff in making decisions on how to allocate and leverage entitlement resources in their area to resolve unmet needs. Each of the five participating neighborhoods each have the chairperson from their Neighborhood District Committee (NDC) designated as a voting member of the Community Action Agency/Housing and Community Development Committee. This is a fifteen-member committee whose purpose is to advise how the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds should be expended, and to provide input into the HUD Consolidated Plan for unincorporated Lee County. This coordinated approach provides a Neighborhood District the ability to plan for and prioritize the social and infrastructure needs.

A survey was created and will be used to create the priorities established by the resident focus groups, to identify and coordinate available existing resources needed to rebuild and strengthen the neighborhood. This approach enables residents to use their own strengths to create a shared vision and to seek options and create solutions for positive change within their neighborhood.

 

2000-2173 5(H) Infill Single Family Home New Construction - Ft. Lauderdale Housing Authority

Utilizing the 5H Homeownership Program offered by the Department of Housing & Urban Development, constructed twenty-six (26) new single family homes as part of an "infill housing" by the development of vacant lots in the inner city. In addition, purchased twelve (12) HUD Real Estate Owned properties, located in HUD’s "revitalization area" and renovated them using the Housing Authority of the City of Fort Lauderdale’s "Step-Up Apprenticeship Job-Training Program". The Step-Up Apprenticeship Program completed a thorough renovation of these homes to include new roofs, flooring, plumbing, electric, kitchen and bathrooms. All new models consisted of over 1200 square feet of livings space, three and four bedroom, two bathrooms, central air, garage/car port. Targeted families were from Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) participants, Public Housing Residents, Section 8 participants and other low-income families involved in educational and employment programs.

2000-2638 Continuum of Care
West Palm Beach, Florida
Contact: Shirley Lanier (561) 835-7300

The City of West Palm Beach administers HOWPA funding to eight service providers to promote a long term comprehensive strategy as a means to meet the housing needs and provide supportative services to persons with HIV/AIDS and their families to prevent homelessness. One of the service providers is Hope House, Inc. The King’s Court Women and Children’s Facility is one of the four housing programs sponsored by Hope House, Inc., a minority run 501(C) non-profit organization. This facility was established in 1994 to provide housing and residential support to women and children affected with HIV/AIDS, who would otherwise be homeless. King’s Court is a housing community designated to house single women and single women with children living with HIV/AIDS in a 14 two bedroom, two bath apartments.

2000-2588 City of Ft. Lauderdale- Step-up Program
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Contact: Faye W. Outlaw (954) 468-1512

The City of Fort Lauderdale provides funds to the Housing Authority to hire one academic instructor to provide educational remediation services for participants, as well as counseling and case management. The Funds are also used to pay the salaries of five journey persons, who are skilled in the construction industry, to provide trade skills instruction to the participants. Funds are also utilized to transport Step-Up participants so they can travel to and from job sites, and also to purchase materials, supplies and equipment to support rehabilitation activities and the program’s education component.

2000-2567 University of Florida College of Dentistry Hialeah Center
Hialeah, Florida
Contact: Frederick H. Marinelli (305) 883-5839

The project is a joint cooperative effort among Federal, State, and local government, academia, and the private sector for the mutual benefit and the betterment of the community. The project is currently operational serving low-income and moderated income residents by providing low-cost dental care and treatment.

2000-2518 Huizenga Family Campus
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Contact: Steve Werthman (954) 357-6167

The center is part of a network of centers designed to link Broward County’s 6,000 homeless families, men and women to transitional and permanent affordable and supported housing. A new inter-agency computer link and bed reservations system allows client data and outcomes to be shared.

2000-2170 Partners in Self-Sufficiency of Lee County, Florida
Fort Myers, Florida
Contact: Harry Adams (941) 337-4111

Provide a vehicle to empower families to embrace the responsibility of economic self sufficiency, become self reliant, self supporting citizens contributing to the local tax base. A team approach in opening the door to self sufficiency. In partnership with the heads of house holds by providing counselors introducing he concept of developing self reliance through education and a major focus on home ownership. We have increased community awareness by becoming involved and pro-actively establishing partnerships with local agencies and businesses to help us in the quest for supportive services. Gathering existing resources to be used in providing self sufficiency in an effort to establish sustainability for the benefit of the entire community.

2000-2317 Helen Sawyer Assisted Living Facility

Miami-Dade County, through its Miami-Dade Housing Agency (MDHA), has been successful in the development of an assisted living facility for elderly public housing residents. MDHA is the sixth largest housing authority in the nation, with over 5,000 elderly residents (average age 79 years) living in public housing and about 7,000 elderly in the waiting list. These elderly residents are low income and have a myriad of health problems. Most of them do not have families and live alone. In 1996, MDHA took a bold and innovative decision to convert an old elderly public housing development, Helen Sawyer Plaza, into an assisted living facility, with all the required licenses, services, and funding. This is the first time that such a feat was attempted and proven successful. Additionally, Miami-Dade County was successful, for the first time ever, to receive a Medicaid waiver allocation of $1.3 million for all the residents of the Helen Sawyer Plaza Assisted Living Facility (ALF). Helen Sawyer Plaza ALF is fully occupied, and has the highest satisfaction rate among residents. This initiative has been featured in major newspapers as the answer to everyone prayers.

2000-2160 USHUD/ Miami-Dade County/ Greater Miami Neighborhood Pilot Asset Control Area REO Program
Miami, Florida
Contact: Claire F. Raley (305) 324-5505

Greater Miami Neighborhoods, Inc. (GMN), a local not-for-profit developer, is acting as the Miami-Dade County agent for the implementation of the Pilot ACA REO Program. GMN’s purpose under this program is to facilitate and streamline the acquisition, rehabilitation and disposition of FHA foreclosed single-family properties to very low and low-income buyers. On December 8, 1999, U.S. HUD and Miami-Dade County executed an agreement implementing the Pilot ACA REO Program in the asset control areas defined as zip code 33168. In a separate agreement between GMN and Miami Dade County, GMN was named the county’s agent in connection with the acquisition, rehabilitation and resale of the properties. The program sets forth an appraisal process which establishes the "as is" appraised value of the property. The purchase price of the property is established by a discount off of the appraised value. The discount is a sliding scale based upon the degree of rehabilitation necessary as determined by our in-house consultant and consistent with local building codes. The discount ranges from 10% to 50% with houses needing more than $15,000 in rehabilitation and transaction costs qualifying for the 50% discount. To date, all of the houses transferred qualified for the maximum discount. To date GMN has begun the acquisition process on 52 properties and has taken title to 12. Once acquired, the properties are matched with a qualifying family and rehabilitation begun. The family’s monthly PITI payments will not exceed 30% of their monthly income. GMN is working with community-based organizations that are pre-qualifying and processing the loans for the low-income buyers. The financing for this program comes from Miami-Dade County, Fannie Mae and private lenders. Properties are sold at market value with the buyer’s financing a mix of the buyer’s own funds, conventional lending and a second mortgage through Miami-Dade County’s Surtax Program.

2000-2870 Slice of the Springs, Neighborhood Partnership Program
Coral Springs, Florida
Contact: Rebecca A. Grohall (954) 344-1144

The City’s mission statement is "to be the premiere City in Florida in which to live, work and raise a family". Strong and vital neighborhoods are crucial to attaining this mission. The conditions of our neighborhoods reflect the overall financial and social well being of the City. The purpose of the Neighborhood Partnership Program (NPP) is to stimulate and enhance neighborhood vitality and customer satisfaction by addressing the concerns and special needs of neighborhoods. In 1996, the City formed a comprehensive, collaborative, proactive approach to resolving neighborhood and community issues. The City’s program promotes two-way communication with residents through town hall style meetings, neighborhood/homeowner associations and neighborhood partnership agreements to receive matching grant funding from the City. The grant provides up to $5,000 for neighborhood associations for landscape improvements, nuisance species removal, general upgrades, etc. To receive the funding, they must either be an incorporated homeowners association, or a voluntary civic association incorporated as a not-for-profit, under Florida State Statutes Chapter 617.301-312, and provide a match to the City funds. The City allows an association to match with sweat equity, in-kind services or actual cash. City staff provides free technical assistance to help associations develop a proposal and budget. Once a neighborhood has been selected for funding, the fun doesn’t stop there! The City actively encourages neighborhoods to continue working together, to plan for future projects, to hold block parties and organize clean-ups, and to assist other neighborhoods in getting started.

2000-1944 Miami-Dade Housing Agency’s - Helen Sawyer Plaza Assisted Living Facility (ALF).
Miami, Florida
Contact: Rene Rodriquez (305) 644-5117

In 1998, the Florida State Legislature passed an un-funded mandate securing for the elderly residents of the State, the right to "age in place." Rather than displacing citizens from homes, in perhaps the last couple of decades of their lives, agencies were instructed to create vehicles by which people could receive services in the least restrictive environments. The Miami-Dade Housing Agency (MDHA) has achieved the distinction of being the first public housing agency in the nation to create an assisted living facility which caters to residents who otherwise would have to live in an institutional environment. Also, seniors who are married can remain cohabiting in a private apartment even though they have different levels of assistance needs. The MDHA’s Helen Sawyer Plaza Assisted Living Facility (ALF) provides a unique concept within public housing: comfort, security, dignity and care to elderly residents to keep them independent, comfortable and most important, "at home" in their private apartments.

2000-3184 Source of Light & Hope House

Emergency, transitional shelter for homeless, abused and abandoned children.

2000-2664 The Starting Place
Hollywood, Florida
Contact: Jeanette M. Smith (954) 921-3271

The Starting Place (TSP) is a non-profit, Department of Children and Families licensed facility providing therapeutic, prevention and intervention services, including rehabilitative and educational counseling to all persons (primarily adolescents) affected by substance abuse and mental illness in order for them to lead productive drug-free lives. TSP’s services are mainly focused on youth’s who are prone to become substance abusers or already are using drugs. The services include Assessment and Referral, Adolescent Residential Treatment, Adolescent Day Treatment, Outpatient treatment, Adolescent Substance Abuse Team, Beta Program (for at risk children), Police Referral Outreach/Intervention Program (PROP), Youth Motivation Program (YMP), Comprehensive Afterschool Education and Recreation (CARE), Team Effort to Reduce Suspensions (TERS), Night Intervention with Kids (NIK), and Recreational, Educational, Afterschool Program (REAP the Benefits).

2000-1847 Public Art Transforming Housing (PATH)
Miami, Florida
Contact: Irma C. Miranda (305) 536-5678

PATH (Public Art Transforming Housing) is an arts-based program that brings artists to work with youth at nine public housing sites to create permanent art installations and communicate anti-drug, pro-social messages. Initiated in June 1999, it was modeled after the highly successful school-based Master Peace program and served to bring this adaptable program directly into local communities. It is based on the belief in the power of art to challenge youth to work together, create life-affirming artworks, and communicate positive messages to their communities. PATH was made possible through the use of the Drug Elimination Grant and is a collaborative effort of the Miami-Dade Housing Agency, the Department of Resident Development, the Miami-Dade County Police, the Housing Agency Division, the Miami-Dade Art in Public Places and the Florida State HUD Office of Public Housing

2000-1776 Fair Housing Act New Design and Construction Accessibility Requirements
Tallahassee, Florida
Contact: Robert A. Butterworth (850) 487-1963

In an effort to further the goal of fair housing for persons with disabilities in the State of Florida, the Florida Attorney General's Office of Civil Rights initiated a statewide enforcement program this past year to ensure that covered multifamily dwelling units built for first occupancy since March 13, 1991 comply with the Florida Fair Housing Act new design and construction accessibility requirements in §760.23(10), F.S, Florida's Fair Housing Act, which is substantially equivalent to the Federal Fair Housing Act. One such element of the accessibility project includes having trained investigators to conduct on-site measurements of covered multifamily housing projects (apartments and condominiums with four or more units)throughout the entire State of Florida. Attorneys in the Office of Civil Rights will file and prosecute lawsuits seeking enforcement of the accessibility standards. Another component of the project is the education and outreach training workshops needed to apprise building department officials of their plans and specifications compliance review obligations and to inform architects and builders, in conjunction with the various licensing boards' continuing education programs, about their obligations to design and build accessible multifamily housing.

2000-1623 Ft. Lauderdale Housing Authority Asset Control Area
Atlanta, Georgia
Contact: Sharron J. Kelly (404) 331-5001

The Ft. Lauderdale Housing Authority will purchase single family properties in zip code 33311. This is a designated revitalization zone. The properties will be purchased at a discount of up to 50% off the "AS IS" appraised value. The housing authority will utilize their in-house program called "Step-Up" to renovate these properties for sale or rental to eligible buyers/renters . The 'Step-Up" program consist of a training program for residents of the Public Housing. These individuals are paid a salary while they are learning and becoming certified in areas of carpentry, plumbing, electrical and masonary. They will also be eligible to purchase one of the homes using their current voucher allowances.

2000-2168 Palm Beach County Summit
Miami, Florida
Contact: Hulbert H. James (305) 536-5678

The Summit was a one-day event that provided participants with case studies and "best practices" to real community problems. Participants had an opportunity to attend workshops on Community Security; Education; Economic Development; and Community Development. An expert from the Urban Institute keynoted the Summit and presented his findings on economic trends in Palm Beach County.

2000-2900 City of Delray Beach Community Development Block Grant
Delray Beach, Florida
Contact: Kenneth Thomas (561) 243-7282

The City's Neighborhood Association Program was created as a result of residents working together under an appointed group called "Neighborhood Task Team." The Neighborhood Task Team quickly identified that one of the major differences in neighborhoods that had been categorized as "stabilized" in the Comprehensive Plan and those categorized, as "revitalize" appeared to be an organized voice and representation. Thus, the group recommended that the City develop a program that would assist residents in organizing and forming partnerships with the City. They also wanted to create master plans that would focus on eliminating slum and blighted conditions, upgraded properties and enhancing community pride. The City formed a partnership with the grass roots organization of MAD DADS, Inc., which formed in response to African American men being angry and concerned about the presence and impact of illegal drug use and sales occurring within the CDBG target area. In the beginning, only one homeowners association existed in the target area. Since 1995, 28 new neighborhood/homeowners associations have been formed.

Content Archived: April 20, 2011