2000 Best Practice Awards

2000-1247 The Palms Enrichment Center

Provides academic tutoring, computer training w/ Internet access, prevention education, life skills, and recreation opportunities to 586 children living at the Palms Apts.

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2000-1591 The Metropolitan Orlando Urban League's Housing Program

The Housing Program addresses the need/problems through education. The counseling sessions are geared toward educating the clients on a variety of everyday issues. Education is a major component of the Housing Program. Each counselor conducts a one-on-one or group counseling in the areas of budgeting, pre-purchase, landlord/tenant relations, legal aspects of renting, energy conservation, rental delinquency and mortgage default, and consumer education.

2000-1559 Brevard County Home Consortium

The Brevard County HOME Consortium was established for the purpose of qualifying for HOME Investment Partnership Program funds. The Consortium members coordinate their activities for the delivery of affordable housing through the development and completion of the Consortium's work program. The consortium endeavors to broaden the scope and awareness of housing activities through increase involvement with local and private housing providers.

2000-1696 SMART Moves (BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF BREVARD, INC.)

The SMART Moves (Skills, Mastery and Resistance Training) prevention program helps young people avoid five of the most immediate threats to their well-being: alcohol, tobacco, other drugs, teen pregnancy and HIV/AIDS. SMART Moves program incorporates the latest research about problems confronting young people and providing viable solutions to help them handle challenging circumstances while avoiding risky and unhealthy behavior.

2000-2706 Forum 2000, Dialogue on Disabilities

Forum 2000, Dialogue on Disabilities was the second annual event sponsored by Handicapped Adults of Volusia County (HAVOC). Two years ago, HAVOC recognized a need existed in the community to help educated disabled individuals and their families about public and private services available to them in the Volusia and Flager county areas. It was decided that a forum should be created to help distribute valuable information out to the community. The form was modeled after a trade show in which public and private service organizations would each have a booth at which they could display information about the services they provided and to answer questions from the general public. The event was held at the local convention center and had over 40 participants set up information booths. Additionally, breakout seminars were held in a separate room in which agency representatives would make individual presentations about their organization to attendees.

2000-2120 Community Based Economic Development Plan

The City of Leesburg established a public/private partnership with the Leesburg Area Chamber of Commerce in order to create a strategic economic development plan for the area. An Economic Development Committee comprised of local education, economic development and business professionals was created to evaluate the local economy and quality of life issues. The Committee considered such factors as available infrastructure, tax rates, educational attainment, impact fees, utility rates, employment statistics, job growth projections and available economic development statistics. After 18-months of study by the Economic Development Committee and City Commission workshops, the economic development plan was adopted by the City Commission.

2000-2137 Mobile Home Safety Program

Orange County established a Mobile Home Safety Program in May 1998 to address the needs of the communities ravaged by tornadoes on February 23, 1998, with participants from different municipalities within Orange County. This Program was a partnership between the municipalities within Orange County and the private sector. The first and foremost priority was to assist citizens in distress without regard to jurisdiction or boundaries. To proactively address this crisis, the Orange County Building Division committed to conducting a free safety survey of manufactured homes, which were at least ten years old and owned by low income senior citizens. Orange County's building inspectors conducted the surveys on alternating weekends. Numerous deficiencies were detected in approximately 85% of the properties surveyed. This Program required several divisions within Orange County to coordinate staff resources to address this emergency situation. The Building Division conducted the initial and final inspections. The Housing and Community Development Division contacted and qualified applicants, prepared work contracts, and requested the contractors' payments. Purchasing and Contracts administered the bid process. The expertise of staff was utilized to efficiently implement this program.

2000-2216 H.A.S.H. Program–Housing Authority's Answer to Special Hours

The Orlando Housing Authority's (OHA) H.A.S.H. Program–Housing Authority's Answer to Special Hours–provides temporary staffing services to departments that have special projects with imminent deadlines or that need "relief" staffing for individuals who are out because of illness or vacation. In addition, it provides low income individuals, a majority of whom are public housing residents or Section 8 participants, with an opportunity to gain work experience and supplement their existing income. Implementation of the H.A.S.H. Program was aimed at attracting participants in OHA's housing programs as well as other low income individuals. Brochures and fliers were produced in-house and distributed to all of OHA's sites, local colleges, Florida Jobs and Benefits, and the local Goodwill Industries employment program. In addition, OHA's Family Services Department conducted outreach to residents and a newspaper ad was run for one day. H.A.S.H. employees are categorized in two levels based on their skills and the duties that they are expected to perform. Individuals in the Clerk I category do not need prior experience and perform minimal office duties including folding inserts, stuffing envelopes, answering telephones, taking messages, filing, alphabetizing, and boxing up files. Employees in the Clerk II category must have at least three months of prior office experience, and basic computer skills and good mathematical skills. Each department is charged for the H.A.S.H. employees that it utilizes based on the number of hours used. Administratively, the program requires very few resources. The Human Resources Director oversees the program by screening and hiring H.A.S.H. employees, making employee assignments, and tracking assignments. The department to which the employee is assigned is responsible for supervision during the course of the assignment.

2000-2273 Fair Housing Continuum, Inc.

As a result of HUD's efforts to double enforcement efforts to underserved communities that include persons with disabilities. In October 1998, the Fair Housing Continuum, Inc.(Continuum), modified it's testing program to include testing for the accessibility of newly constructed multi-family housing. The Continuum modified tester training materials, testing report forms, trained testers to look for accessibility violations, and began efforts to enforce the accessibility guidelines to the Fair Housing Act.

2000-2315 DUCT TESTING AND REPAIR PROGRAM

Inadequate ceiling insulation and leaking ductwork can cause increased heating and cooling cost for low-income households. By having those areas inspected and problems identified, effective repairs can be made to increase energy efficiency in homes. The local electrical utility company, Florida Power and Light Co., issues rebate certificates toward the cost of the repairs. The Brevard County Housing and Community Development program has been certified by the utility company as a participating contractor and can collect the rebate amount from the utility company after repairs have been made. This agency collects those rebates and deposits them into a contingency fund for handling problems with previous clients when other funding is not available. This agency also recommends to all their clients to enroll in Florida Power and Light Co. "On-Call Program". This program can provide a credit of up to $6.00 per month on an electric bill.

2000-2513 Consensus Based Core Curriculum for Housing Counseling Agencies

The Homebuyer Counseling Collaborative of Central Florida (HCCCF) was organized in January, 1997 and is an umbrella agency of the Non-Profit Housing Roundtable of Central Florida, Inc., a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt organization. HCCCF provides grants to local community based home buyer education and counseling 501(c) (3) organizations. HCCCF selects organizations that sufficiently demonstrate their effectiveness in recruiting and educating potential low income, first time home buyers. The mission of the HCCCF is to improve the home buyer education and counseling system in Central Florida. In an effort to standardize the curriculum used by the various housing counseling agencies, HCCCF did a survey of its members to determine what materials they were using to educate potential first time home buyers. The result of this survey established that there was a need for uniformity in the curriculum. This led to a series of meetings and discussion among the members of HCCCF to define and implement a standardized counseling process that would involve participation of community based organizations providing these services, non-profit, for-profit and governmental agencies. HCCCF’s hoped that the project would accomplish the following: Develop and implement a standardized counseling and education curriculum with minimum requirements for materials and counselor training; Identify different levels of needed counseling and develop a networking system to match providers who offer these services to the consumer; Provide post-purchase education and counseling to decrease defaults and delinquency rates among new and existing home buyers; Recruit a larger potential home buyer market to increase the pool of qualified home buyers and Plan services (supportive services) for ineligible applicants. Through the participation of HCCCF members, this project was able to establish acceptable recommendations of core components for their housing counseling curriculum for first time home buyers.

2000-2522 "Making Wages Work"

The Lake Mann Homes Resident Association of Orlando as a subcontractor to "Making Wages Work Program" will help accomplish the following goals established by the University of Florida’s Center for Governmental Responsibility in its work plan: help the low income community monitor the impact of WAGES on current and former AFDC/WAGES recipients and their families; assist low income people in having an effective voice in WAGES policy and other policies affecting their community, informed by the monitoring efforts; improve the services the WAGES program in target communities through individual and policy advocacy; create or strengthen connections between local legal services/legal aid providers and the low income community in the target areas; and create connections between grassroots groups in different communities for mutual support, sharing of information and ideas and mentoring.

2000-2655 Healthy Home:

A guide to successful household management for Section 8 recipients
Orange County's Housing Division has partnered with Orange County/University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service to provide a two-hour household maintenance workshop for our tenants. The class is taught by Orange County/University of Florida's Cooperative Extension using a workbook/manual that they developed. It's designed to help Section 8 recipients secure housing satisfaction, decrease delinquent payments, and understand the importance of maintaining rental units free of damage. The curriculum covers tenant responsibilities, financial management, development of a household cleaning plan, and home maintenance. Seminars are scheduled on a rotation basis to meet the needs of the clients (i.e., mornings, evenings and Saturdays) and are available on a monthly basis. The Housing Division refers an average of fifty clients each month. Buckets filled with cleaning supplies are given to a limited number of attendees as incentives to participate in the class.

2000-2741 The Harbor

The Harbor provides a safe place for k-12 students, residents in Castle Brewer Court, a public housing complex and surrounding areas to receive assistance with homework, tutorial, parenting or GED classes, and a balanced evening meal. The project also fosters positive relations between law enforcement departments and the community by allowing the sheriff and police officers to tutor students in a non-threatening situation.

2000-2845 Family Restoration Program: PARENTING 2000 - GENERATION "Z"

Multi-systemic and bilingual educational seminars that empower minorities with parenting skills, children develop self-esteem and improve behavior.

2000-2857 Orange County Housing Finance Authority's Affordable Housing Bond Program

The Orange County Housing Finance Authority is a Special District under the Laws of the State of Florida, a quasi-governmental entity that’s organized to issue tax-exempt bonds to provide below market rate financing for affordable housings (single family mortgages and multi-family development financing). The Authority is a self-sustaining entity that does not receive any funding for operations from local, state or federal sources. In partnership with Orange, Osceola, Lake and Seminole Counties, the Authority developed the affordable housing bond program and structured the financing and issued Single Family Mortgage Revenue Bonds to provide below market rate financing for low, moderate and middle income families in Central Florida. This is accomplished by offering various mortgage products through the tax-exempt Bond Program. The Bond Program allows first time homebuyers to choose between a Low Rate Loan (homebuyers pay down payment and closing cost) and an Assisted Rate Loan option (provides 4% down payment and closing cost assistance). In order to reach the Counties very low income families and target neighborhoods, the Authority designed a third loan product called the SHIP Assisted Loan. The SHIP loan product blends tax-exempt bond financing with County SHIP funds to achieve a 75% basis point lower mortgage rate than the Assisted Rate Loan. The Authority invests monies to fund 4% down payment and closing cost, thereby, providing first time homebuyers with 30-year fixed rate mortgage loans between 1.50% - 2.00% below market rate mortgages.

2000-2860 Harry T Moore Center Restoration Project

Restoration of the Harry T. Moore Center, a seventy-seven year old Historic Building for use as a Day Care/Head Start facility. The project effectively used multiple HUD programs and resources, as well as private funds to significantly improve the quality of life in Brevard County, Florida. The Brevard Family of Housing Authorities assisted in the abatement of lead-based paint and asbestos in the building and arranged for the transfer of the property to its current owner, the Child Care Association of Brevard County, Inc. After decades of serving the community, the building sat empty. With closure of the building, there were no sites to provide Day Care/Head Start programs in the neighborhood. The facility was necessary and very much needed in the community. The building was originally going to be torn down because of its condition and structural problems. However, the community petitioned the Agency to restore the facility as opposed to taking it down. The Agency began a capital fund drive and raised funds to completely restore the facility using Federal, State, County, City, private donations, and volunteers. The Harry T. Moore Center is not only a beautiful historic structure, but in its beauty lies a resource that is available to the entire community. The site offers a multitude of valuable resources including: daycare/head start programs, a parent resource room, a community meeting room, a playground that is open to the neighborhood for use after the center is closed, a teen room, a Museum area, and a parent connection program/room to help teen mothers acquire knowledge and parenting skills. The center serves at least 1,500 people per year.

2000-3184 Source of Light and Hope House

The Source of Light and Hope House serves as an emergency, transitional shelter for homeless, abused and abandoned children.

Content Archived: April 20, 2011