2000 Best Practice Awards

2000-351 Kentucky State Housing Policy Advisory
Louisville, Kentucky
Contact: Sonja L. Redmon (502) 582-6163

The State Housing Policy Committee task force was established in 1996 as a board of housing professionals who meet quarterly to direct housing policy. The need for this board arose from the state housing finance agency's (Kentucky Housing Corporation, Inc.) overwhelming request for monetary subsidies in order to build affordable housing (both rental and single family) throughout the state for the low income citizens of Kentucky. Additionally, there seemed to be a common belief throughout the affordable housing industry that there was a direct correlation between dollars allocated towards housing and the number of representatives who had working knowledge of how important this industry is to all the citizens of Kentucky. Therefore, the committee was split into subcommittees of "Special Needs Housing Subcommittee" and "Legislative Subcommittee". To date, these committees are the only two, but they do discuss and represent many facets of affordable housing.

Before the implementation of this Best Practice, there was no body or agency that was specifically designed to affect housing policy. Therefore, this coordinated approach made economic and ideological sense and was implemented successfully in 1996. Additionally, dollars allocated by the legislature were dwindling in the affordable housing arena and there was no single body of advocacy.

2000-369 AVOL AIDS Housing Project
Lexington, Kentucky
Contact: Kathy Clark (879) 278-7494

AVOL project’s mission is to provide education, support, prevention and direct client services to those infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS to maximize independent living. Each year more than 3,000 people are educated through the outreach efforts in five areas:

1. speaker’s bureau, comprised of persons infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.
2. prevention and outreach activities with the high risk populations
3. statewide toll-free AIDS Hotline
4. client news bulletin and regional newsletter
5. direct client services including a care-giver team program, support groups, legal referrals, chemical dependency assessment, treatment linkage, housing placement and follow-up, individual case management, rental assistance, transitional housing for homeless persons, and an end-stage AIDS community residence.

AVOL program provides a continuum of housing assistance for the entire spectrum of low-income persons with HIV/AIDS, including short-term and long-term rental assistance. Rainbow Apartments provides transitional housing with a variety of services for stabilizing and support for persons living with HIV, and Solomon House which serves residents who are in the end-stage of AIDS, with no caregiver, and provides supportive services. AVOL’s Housing Project Manager brings knowledge and experience in working with persons with dual diagnosis including chemical dependency, mental illness and HIV/AIDS. He possesses competencies in the areas of case management, staff supervision, program planning, development, oversight and evaluation. Another member of the housing staff serving both facilities is a Client Services Coordinator. Along with Rainbow Apartment’s Resident Manager who resides on site, these individuals possess skill, education and expertise in HIV/AIDS case management, crisis management and intervention, program implementation, resource accessing, networking and housing placement to maximize independent living.

2000-374 Louisville/Jefferson Human Relations Commission
Louisville, Kentucky
Contact: Phyllis Atiba-Brow (502) 574-3631

The Race and Relations Conference is the signature event of the Louisville and Jefferson County Human Relations. The first Conference was co-hosted by the Commission and the Kentucky Department of Education on January 16, 1997 and featured Dr. Michael Dyson as the keynote speaker. The following three conferences have been hosted solely by the Commission. Although the Commission is the sole host of the Conference, it could not realize its success without the support of sponsors and individual contributors. Early in the history of the Conference it was determined that it needed to be shared with the rest of the community. The marketing of the Conference became a joint public and private sector effort. The Commission relies on the support of City and County government. One of the biggest Conference supporters is the Jefferson County Public School System. The Conference also receives wide spread support from Corporate Louisville. Some of our past sponsors include: Cox Radio, Philip Morris USA, LG &E Energy, Brown-Forman, BellSouth, Toyota, Kentucky Lottery, United Parcel Service, Star Bank, Ford Motor, DaleMark, Tricon, The Courier-Journal and the Humana Foundation. In addition to keynote speakers like Ray Suarez of NPR, Julie Williams, Acting Comptroller of the Currency, Patricia Russell-McCloud and this year’s speakers Reginald Jones, Commissioner of the EEOC and Morris Dees, co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, the conference has had hundreds of speakers and panelists for the accompanying workshops. The workshops cover human relation’s topics in areas such as Hate Crimes, Business, Media, Education, Hate Crimes, Immigration, Religion, Diversity, Healthcare, Fairness, and Housing. The HRC tries to make the workshops educational by providing practical information to the participants. This information comes from the local and national experts the Commission recruits for the Conference.

2000-407 St. James Place
Lexington, Kentucky
Contact: Bill Embry (606) 266-9785

St. James Place is a non-profit Single Room Occupancy apartment facility (SRO) located in Lexington, KY. It provides low rentals for the working homeless. Served by a central atrium lobby area with elevator and courtesy desk, St. James Place contains 100 apartment units. In addition to living quarters, St. James Place provides residents with ongoing counseling in financial planning, organizational skills, time management, and health. Space is also provided for case workers from social service agencies to meet with clients.

2000-421 Youth Programs of the Housing Authority of Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Contact: Tim Barry (502) 574-3423

The Y-PHAL strategy is to reach and serve youth most at-risk of failure and provide opportunities to develop positive lifestyles, socially and economically. Y-PHAL has developed an integrated resource network of opportunity through a coalition of local youth leaders and key service providers. The mission of Y-PHAL is to improve access to developmental opportunities for youth by targeting the areas of education, economic leadership and environmental development. The program was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development through a five-year grant program entitled "Youth Development Initiatives Under Family Investment Centers" (Youth FIC). HUD's objective for Youth FIC was to improve access to economic and educational opportunity for the youth who reside in public housing and Section 8 properties. The five-year Y-PHAL program surpassed this objective by providing programs to serve youth ages 8-25 who reside in public housing in five large family housing developments (Clarksdale, Beecher Terrace, Parkway Place, Sheppard Square, Iroquois Homes), and Section 8 Housing. The motto of the program is "Y-PHAL (Why fall?) when you can stand proud and tall!" The mission of Y-PHAL is to improve access to developmental opportunities for youth by targeting the areas of education, organization and economic leadership, and environmental development.

2000-440 Owensboro Area Shelter and Information System
Owensboro, Kentucky
Contact: Rebecca Hagan (270) 685-0260

This project evolved from an emergency shelter for victims and their children of domestic violence. It expanded to include more comprehensive domestic violence services, drug and alcohol treatment, mental health services, medical assessment and wellness components, vocational/academic/career development and child development services. The program focuses on safety, sobriety and self-sufficiency through a highly structured four phase process which provides appropriate sequence of intervention to achieve and for life-time maintenance of self-sufficiency.

• Phase I is Crisis Stabilization which includes domestic violence and substance abuse treatment.
• Phase II provides supportive services to get the women and/or children on track.
• Phase III is the Transitional phase which includes vocational, educational and housing services.
• The final phase, Phase IV is Aftercare which addresses issues of maintaining safety, sobriety and self-sufficiency.

2000-544 Sober Living Program at the Housing
Louisville, Kentucky
Contact: Tim Barry (502) 574-3423

The Sober Living Program consists of 66 public housing units within the Beecher Terrace housing development designed as a living area with no alcohol nor any illegal drugs allowed. These units are designated as a safe environment for residents in recovery from alcoholism or drug dependency, as well as for people who simply choose a life-style free of alcohol or other illegal drugs. Specifically, the Sober Living Program has:

1. provided rental assistance to families who request a drug and alcohol-free environment;
2. prohibit any and all drugs and alcohol on site;
3. work in collaboration with local agencies to assist individuals in maintaining sobriety; and
4. have support and coordination from Housing Authority of Louisville (HAL) staff.

2000-794 Gun Buy-Back Programs for the State of Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Contact: Diana J. Pack (502) 582-6163

In an effort to curtail the hazards of accidental shootings, suicides, the tragedies of domestic violence, the dangers of gun violence, and the devastating effects that often accompany such acts, police agencies and local community organizations in the state of Kentucky have created various types of gun buyback initiatives. Public Housing Authority Offices in Kentucky have assumed an important role in the reduction of the number of guns and incidents of gun-related violence in our communities, with intensive outreach and coordination by the Kentucky State HUD Office. Eight public housing authorities in Kentucky have either conducted gun buy-back initiatives in their communities, or are in the planning stages of conducting such an initiative. These housing authorities account for 35% of the public housing units in the state. Through intensive outreach from the Kentucky State HUD Office, partnerships were formed between housing authorities and local law enforcement agencies, federal agencies, non-profit organizations, and private for-profit entities to support this endeavor.

2000-940 Fair Housing Council of Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Contact: Galen Martin (502) 583-3247

The Fair Housing Council has received more than 1,600 legitimate inquiries into possible housing discrimination activity over the last nine years. Since 1993, the Council has been processing, investigating, and filing complaints with HUD, FHAPs and in court. We have received and processed well over 160 discrimination cases, which have resulted in over $100,000 in resolutions. In addition, we are working on several other cases which we feel have strong merit and may be filed as enforcement proposal with HUD and FHAPs.

The FHC has performed more than 879 test over the last seven years in Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee for mortgage, insurance, sales, rental, accessibility, advertising and disability discrimination. These tests have covered race, familiar status, disability, national origin and sex discrimination. The testing program is intertwined with compliant intake, enforcement proposal referrals to HUD and other agencies, and in court filing. All testing is conducted with the goal of ending discrimination in housing, reducing segregation, and increasing enforcement proposals.

The FHC testing program history is of testing complaints are 475 total for rental, 275 insurance, 52 mortgage, 7 sales, 55 accessibility, 10 reasonable accommodation/Modification and 5 for advertising. The overwhelming majority of our cases involve investigation through testing. to complement this testing, or when testing evidence cannot be gathered, the FHC uses other forms of investigation. A recent example is when a Louisville African-American woman was forced from her home because of her race. The FHC used the following investigative techniques:

• video tape surveillance,
• on-site photography,
• witness and police interviews,
• property ownership search, and
• telephone company records.

Our investigation directly supported the prosecution of the criminal case resulting in a conviction for harassment and grand jury hearings for a felony indictment. In accessibility surveying, the FHC uses investigative techniques such as on-site measuring, photography of the measurements, and reviewing the building plans, meeting with the local code enforcement officials to discuss the plans, permits and building inspector reports. We have also used skip-tracers to find respondents who we are unable to locate. The FHC uses all available records and information to assist its enforcement program. We use the Internet for nationwide people searches, reverse telephone searches, and database searches on the National Fair Housing Advocate Online home page at http://www.fairhousing.com. The FHC has searched the grantor-grantee index to establish ownership, tax records to determine ownership, the property valuation administration's records to establish property value and arrest records to detect past acts. The FHC uses HMDA and CRA data to investigate lenders, mapping software to map loans and spreadsheets to evaluate testing. All of these investigative tools are invaluable to the FHC's enforcement program.

2000-1030 The City of Covington Urban Reclamation
Covington, Kentucky
Contact: Howard B. Hodge (606) 292-2188

The City of Covington’s Urban Reclamation Program enables the City to acquire vacant, dilapidated buildings and sell them to new owners that rehabilitate the properties. The city may assist in the rehabilitation with partial financing, The rehabilitation of historic and abandon buildings has provided community centers, housing opportunities, assisted living units and business opportunities throughout Covington. Since the early 1980’s, 175 buildings in the City’s historic neighborhoods have been reclaimed; total cost to the City has been $967500; these properties are presently worth over $10 million dollars.

2000-2061 Sheriffs Jr. Mentoring Program
Martin, Kentucky
Rita C. Whicker (606) 589-6620

The "SHERIFF‘S JUNIOR MENTORING PROGRAM (SJMP)" is a program created as the result of collaboration and partnership between the Floyd County Sheriffs Department and the Housing Authority of Martin. Essentially, the proposed SJMP is an after school tutoring and mentoring program. The goals of the program are as follows: A. To educate youth living in public housing about drugs, and substance abuse, by providing basic anti-drug, anti-crime, anti-violence, prevention and intervention information. B. To create an After-School Tutoring Program designed to strengthen the academic skills and overall scholastic performance of school-age children and adolescents. C. To provide/create youth community development and entrepreneurial Skills D. To reduce the use and sale of drugs throughout the public housing community. E. To create a vehicle of enhancing the partnership relation with the Floyd County Sheriff’s Department and the Housing Authority of the City of Martin. F. To create a youth mentoring program designed to build leadership skills.

2000-1217 Cambellsville Apparel Company, LLC
Frankfort, Kentucky
Contact: Bill Wolejsza (502) 573-2382

The City of Campbellsville and Taylor County combined in a joint effort for the purpose of attracting a newly formed industry to their extremely depressed economy. Using a $1 million Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program Grant awarded the Kentucky Department for Local Government (DLG), the communities were able to acquire an existing 40,000 square foot building and equipment. Through a cooperative effort with the Campbellsville/Taylor County Industrial Development Authority, these assets were leased to Campbellsville Apparel Company (CAC), Limited Liability Corporation (LLC). The company was a startup operation that intended to produce tee shirts for sale to second tier retailers. Campbellsville Apparel capitalized on the recent closure of a Fruit-of-the-Loom (FOL) underwear manufacturing business that has been steadily downsizing its sewing operations in the state leaving 4,200 persons unemployed.

2000-1239 Reach Higher & Women in Construction
Bowling Green, Kentucky
Contact: Judy Garratt (270) 843-6074

REACH HIGHER is a collaboration between the Housing Authority of Bowling Green, KY., the Kentucky State Department for Community Based Services, The Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce, Industrial Board, Western Kentucky University and private industry. Financed through grants from the Cabinet for Community Based Services (DCBS), REACH HIGHER trains approximately forty-two welfare recipients bi-annually who reside in public or subsidized housing to participate in a six-month work and training program which culminates in job placement.

Originally offered to housing authority residents of Bowling Green only, the program has been expanded to include residents from the Housing Authorities of Glasgow and Morgantown, with participants from Barren, Metcalf, Allen, Butler and Warren Counties. The program does not guarantee the participant a job, but works with them to help find employment. This is a "no-excuse" program in which the biggest obstacles for failure are minimized or removed. Through special arrangements with DCBS and through existing rental programs these trainees are able to maintain their safety net while they move from dependency to self-sufficiency.

The trainees work 32 hours per week at jobs such as: the housing authority cabinet shop, the housing authority upholstery shop, maintenance department, secretarial work, and at other non-profit agencies throughout the community. On Fridays, the trainees attend work readiness classes at the housing authority. These classes are taught by faculty from Western Kentucky University and other business leaders from the community. They focus on self-esteem and people skills, and what an employer expects from a good employee. The Lifeskill Training classes include: 1) Completing a job application; 2) Resume writing; 3) Job Interviewing; 4) Conflict resolution; 5) Team building; 6) Anger management; 7) Developing a good attitude; 8) Health issues; 9) Getting to work on time; 10) Childcare; 11) Adapting to change; and 12) Budgeting. Positive attitude, good work habits, self-esteem and expectations of success are all primary objectives of the program, with a psychologist conducting group sessions to discuss obstacles to success. At the conclusion of each six-month session, the trainees attend Camp Loucon for physical team building exercises.

In addition, the REACH HIGHER Program has grown to include a "Women in Construction" program as the centerpiece of all the housing authority efforts to help women become self-sufficient. Construction offers higher paying employment. Employment opportunities in construction trades are ever growing, and women who enter the construction trades have demonstrated their ability and success in a traditionally male-dominated industry. This program will provide training and job placement opportunities for women in the construction trades through a 6-month training program funded by the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services and Kentucky Housing Corporation. The program follows the Association of Builders and Contractors training program and will be accredited for 72 1/2 hours of Apprenticeship training. This certification will allow for the graduates to enter into continuing apprenticeship programs leading to journeyman classifications within the building trades. Courses include safety in carpentry, hand and power tool use, blueprint reading and basic math. Daily exercise workouts are held to build strength. The women are getting on-the-job experience renovating housing authority units, helping build three single dwelling units for the housing authority and helping with the construction of Habitat for Humanity homes. After four months of classroom and on-the-job training each participant will be placed in an internship with a local construction company for two months.

2000-1298 Purchase Area Housing Corporation
Mayfield, Kentucky
Contact: Jane McClanaha (270) 247-7171

Each year the Purchase Area Housing Corporation identifies two low-income homeowners needing extensive housing repairs. The families are usually located in the counties of the Vocational Schools that will be building the house, Fulton County or Hickman County and Calloway County. Each Vocational student will draw house plans for a 1100 square foot house. The families will choose from these plans the best design suited for their family needs. The owners work with the students in choosing the colors, cabinets, and interior designs for the house. The house is built on partial block foundation at the schools. A new house is started in August each year. It takes approximately nine months for the students to complete the house. At the end of May, the house is ready to move to the owner's property where it is placed on a new permanent foundation; the old structure is removed. The final construction, such as plumbing or septic tank connection, water connection, electrical connection, central heat and air unit installation, etc., are bid out to local contractors. Even though the houses are small the students have used many different ideas in the houses, such as cathedral and dropped-lighted ceilings; bay, octagon, round, sliding glass, and looped windows; and several different types of floor coverings. The houses have also had porches or decks. The total cost of the house is funded through the PAHC. Depending on the owner's ability to repay, the owners will make a low monthly payment on a portion of the funds and the remaining funds will be forgivable after a number of years as long as the family continues to use this as their permanent residence.

2000-1445 Lewis County Continuum of Care
Vanceburg, Kentucky
Contact: David Kreher (606) 796-0811

The City of Biloxi is an interesting mix of contrasts. The casino industry has brought wealth to the area. There are, however, significant areas of low and moderate-income residents in need of services on site. The key phrase in that comment is "on site". In the lower income areas of a community, it is sometimes difficult to stimulate agencies to invest in large-scale construction projects. In Biloxi, a significant need for child care and enrichment activities was identified in east Biloxi, the "older part" of town as well as a pocket of the city’s lowest income residents. There were virtually no activities for children in the area. The City initiated discussions with the Gulf Coast Community Action Agency (GCCAA), the Head Start provider in the area, to construct a facility in this area. The City and GCCAA entered into an interagency agreement for the purpose of combining public assets to provide for the civic, social, educational, and cultural welfare of its residents by constructing a facility to house the GCCAA Headstart Program and related educational facilities. Both agencies contributed financial and technical resources to the project. The building’s construction is complete and now serves over 80 children daily, with service expanding to provide more comprehensive services to the neighborhood. Because of the success of this partnership effort, the City is in the process of developing specifications, once again in partnership with GCCAA, for the expansion of the facility and, consequently, the expansion of services to the area.

2000-1530 Brighton Housing
Newport, Kentucky
Contact: Brewster Robert (859) 431-5649

Brighton Housing has dedicated their efforts to the development of affordable housing and the expansion of homeownership opportunities in Newport, KY. Within the past six years, Brighton Housing has developed 198 units, with 48 units currently under construction. Three of these units were specifically designated for homeownership. In 1999 Brighton Center worked to develop the Newport Housing Development Corporation, Inc. (NHDCI). This partnership is between government agencies, non-profit organizations and private businesses. It is projected that 25 units will be developed for homeownership each year. Staff has submitted an application to the Department of the Treasury for development of a CDFI of which one of the products will be loans for homeownership.

2000-1728 Mainstream Housing Opportunities for Non-Elderly Persons with Disabilities
Louisville, Kentucky
Contact: Amy E. Craabtree (502) 589-6620

The focus of the Mainstream program is to provide rental assistance vouchers and supportive services to non-elderly persons with disabilities. The rental assistance allows this focus population, who has been identified by HUD as having one of the worst case housing needs of any group in the United States, the opportunity to rent affordable private housing of their choice. In addition to the rental assistance, supportive services are provided and coordinated through a non-profit disability organization. This program is administered through a collaborative effort between the Center for Accessible Living (CAL)and the Housing Authority of Jefferson County (HAJC). CAL's primary responsibility consists of initial assessment and referral to HAJC. They also educate the consumers about the services their agency provides, outside supportive services and general information about Fair Housing practices and the Americans with Disabilities Act. HAJC's primary role is to determine eligibility for participation in the Section 8 rental assistance voucher program. HAJC also provides housing availability information and has staff designated to work with landlord recruitment and education.

2000-2257 Car Leasing Program of the Housing Authority of Bowling Green, KY
Bowling Green, Kentucky
Contact: Judy Garratt (270) 843-6074

With no public transportation and a limited taxi service, the participants and graduates of the Housing Authority of Bowling Green's Welfare to Work programs were often limited in their job choices because of the lack of affordable/reliable transportation. This CAR LEASING PROGRAM provides a new or late model car, car insurance and routine maintenance at an affordable fee of $40/month for participants and $60/month for graduates. Prior to this program the recipients were paying approximately $200 per month for insurance and repairs and/or maintenance. Shortly after the program began a Daewoo dealership opened in Bowling Green. Vehicles were purchased at Daewoos because routine maintenance and roadside service for 3 years is included in the sale price, thus reducing program costs. Proceeds from the lease payments are used to purchase 1 car a year. During the lease, counseling is provided on car maintenance, savings, establishment and/or use of credit, car purchase preparedness, job retention and other issues. All recipients must either be actively participating in one of the Housing Authority's Welfare to Work programs or be employed a minimum of 30 hours per week.

Content Archived: April 20, 2011