2000 Best Practice Awards
Program and Geographical Winners: Florida
Best Practice: Infill Single Family Home New Construction
Ft. Lauderdale Housing Authority Constructing
Inner City Homes
Ft. Lauderdale. The Ft. Lauderdale Housing Authority, in partnership with
the City of Ft. Lauderdale, utilized the 5H Homeownership Program to construct
26 new single family homes on vacant lots in the inner city. In addition,
the housing authority purchased and renovated 12 HUD-owned and abandoned
single family homes in residential areas using the Step-Up Apprenticeship
Job-Training Program. This job-training program allows low-income participants
to learn new skills in roofing, flooring, plumbing, and electricity. Targeted
families for these 38 units were Family Self-Sufficiency participants, public
housing residents, Section 8 participants and other low-income families
involved in educational and employment programs.
Contact: Philip O. Goombs, Phone: (954) 525-6444
Ext.106
Tracking Number: 2173
Winning Category: Program (Public and Indian Housing)
Best Practice: Creative Education Institute
(CEI) Remedial Reading Program
CEI Remedial Reading Program Overcomes
Learning Disabilities
Hialeah.
The CEI Remedial Reading Program uses technical devices to provide remedial
reading to youth that experience learning disabilities or low progress in
school. The program, an integrated partnership of schools, parents, and
private businesses, is based on a sensory integration format and was designed
to provide a systematic approach to ascertain any learning deficiencies
in adults and children. Each student uses an individual Essential Learning
System station with a personal computer, software, a speech device and headphones.
The students speech files are compressed and read by the new technology.
The program participants are evaluated using tests, supplied by CEI, that
determines students' strengths and weaknesses in visual and auditory memory,
reading, and spelling. The system suggests a specific course for each student,
including sequence patterns, parameter settings, and behavioral tendencies
for use with each exercise. Students remain in the program until they have
achieved their grade reading level. The program is based on a point system
that allows students to accumulate CEI dollars that they can use to purchase
prizes ranging from candies to school supplies. Since the inception of the
program in October 1998, the program has served 12 participants daily and
has tested 64 participants.
Contact: Veronica Lopez, Phone: (305) 888-9744
Ext. 1203
Tracking Number: 3005
Winning Category: Program (Public and Indian Housing)
Best Practice: Collaborative Partnerships
Lakeland Housing Authority Providing More
Services through Collaborative Partnerships
Lakeland.
Three years ago, the Lakeland Housing Authority (LHA) focused on ways to
maximize the use of resources to address family barriers to employment and
has been able to identify over $6 million worth of programs and services
for the residents of public housing. There are excellent working relationships
between the local agencies and programs in the city of Lakeland and in Polk
County as a whole. LHA funds, available from a variety of public and private
sources, are used to fill gaps in services and expand existing employment,
education, crime prevention, and counseling programs to serve more people.
Public housing managers are aware of alternatives for residents within their
communities and work with case managers to refer families to self-improvement
programs. A common goal shared by the programs is to provide economic independence,
transportation services, and neighborhood improvements for public housing
communities. As a result of the partnership, public housing managers have
become aware of residents alternatives in their communities. They
work hand-in-hand with case managers in resident services to refer families
to self-improvement programs instead of eviction.
Contact: Sandra J. Bauer, Phone: (863) 687-2911
Ext. 31
Tracking Number: 1909
Winning Category: Program (Public and Indian Housing)
Best Practice: Great Miami Neighborhoods, Inc.
Greater Miami Neighborhoods Implements
a Pilot Asset Control Area REO Program
Miami.
Greater Miami Neighborhoods, Inc. (GMN), a local nonprofit developer, is
acting as the Miami-Dade County agent for implementation of a Pilot Asset
Control Area Real Estate Owned (REO) Program for HUD-owned single family
foreclosed homes. GMN facilitates and streamlines the acquisition, rehabilitation
and disposition of foreclosed single-family properties to very low and low-income
buyers. To date, GMN has begun the acquisition process on 52 properties
and has taken title on 12. Once a property is acquired, it is matched with
a qualifying family and rehabilitation begins. GMN is working with community-based
organizations that are pre-qualifying the low-income buyers for mortgages
and processing the loans. Properties are sold at market value, and the new
homeowners use their own funds, conventional loans from Miami-Dade County,
Fannie Mae and private lenders, and second mortgages from Miami-Dade Countys
Surtax Program to finance the purchases. This pilot program restores abandoned
properties and ensures that eligible families occupy the homes.
Contact: Claire F. Raley, Phone: (305) 324-5505
Ext. 102
Tracking Number: 2160
Winning Category: Geographical and Program (Housing - Single Family)
Best Practice: Miami-Dade Housing Agency Section
3 Business Certification, Marketing and Enforcement Initiative
Housing Agency Creates a Marketing and
Enforcement Initiative for Section 3
Miami.
The Miami-Dade Housing Agency (MDHA) engages in several activities to promote
and expand its Section 3 Business Certification Program, which targets businesses
substantially owned by or that employ low-income individuals, or subcontract
to these firms. Using its own resources and contract procedures, MDHA leverages
training, employment, and business opportunities for low-income residents.
MDHA educates contractors and vendors about the advantages of becoming a
Section 3 business, defines the certification criteria and provides contractor
and vendor application assistance. MDHA requires its contractors to solicit
and award at least 10 percent of the award amount to Section 3 businesses
when subcontracting is needed. Through MDHAs outreach efforts, it
encourages housing agency contractors to refer other contractors to the
program and provides a Section 3 business list to developers who bid on
public housing and community development activities. During 1999, MDHA successfully
certified 29 Section 3 businesses, and these businesses were awarded 18
contracts and received $1.3 million, generated from HUDs Comprehensive
Grant Program (CGP) or Community Development funding.
Contact: Rene Rodriguez, Phone: (305) 644-5112
Tracking Number: 1998
Winning Category: Program (Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity)
Best Practice: The PRIME Program
Private Rental Housing Initiative for Management
Efficiency
Miami.
The PRIME Program, implemented January 31, 2000, is designed to increase
efficiency in operations, productivity and staff morale at the Miami-Dade
Housing Agency (MDHA). Using the combined skills of Florida International
Universitys Institute of Government, private management efficiency
consultants and a steering committee of MDHA staff, an effective team was
formed. This team developed performance measures and created incentive plans
and training programs for the agency. Higher efficiency will lead to improved
customer service and speedier tenant annual recertification. It will also
enable owners to fill vacancies faster. In addition to reducing work backlog
and resident complaints, the program produces an annual saving of $1.2 million.
Contact: Rene Rodriguez, Phone: (305) 644-5112
Tracking Number: 2017
Winning Category: Program (Housing - Multifamily)
Best Practice: Private Rental Housing Customer
Service Center
Private Rental Housing Customer Service
Center Responds to Section 8 Participants
Miami.
The Miami-Dade Housing Agencys (MDHA) Private Rental Housing Customer
Service Center provides assistance to clients with housing-related problems,
provides information to the public regarding participation in housing programs
and investigates claims or inquiries submitted by the some 20,000 Section
8 participants and landlords. MDHA has a goal of becoming more responsive
to participating Section 8 tenants and landlords. The center has increased
customer satisfaction by providing the public with key program information,
addressing concerns of landlord and tenants, and investigating all claims
in a timely manner. Most importantly, it has been instrumental in improving
the publics perception of MDHA Section 8 operations. It has accomplished
this through improved telephone intake procedures, automated routing to
multilingual representatives, user-friendly customer service forms, staff
trained in the area of customer service, policies and procedures that addresses
client satisfaction standards, immediate data retrieval from the computer
system, and timely responses and follow-up to written inquiries and complaints.
Contact: Rene Rodriguez, Phone: (305) 644-5112
Tracking Number: 2028
Winning Category: Program (Housing - Multifamily)
Best Practice: Specialty Team
Miami-Dade Housing Agency Specialty Team
Reducing Costs
Miami.
The Miami-Dade Housing Agency (MDHA) Specialty Team is a competitive and
market-oriented program designed to reduce MDHAs reliance on outside
contract costs in a competitive environment for property managers. This
task is accomplished by utilizing a staff comprised of MDHA employees, public
housing residents, and Work-And-Gain through Economic Self-Sufficiency participants
deployed to provide lawn maintenance, vacant lot clearing, board-ups, and
initial vacant unit clearing. The Specialty Team is versatile and utilizes
heavy equipment to assist their trained staff. Property managers and the
county benefit from the cost savings that the Specialty Team provides since
the charges are equivalent to the capital and labor costs. Because the teams
qualitative and quantitative aspects are desirable, MDHA property managers
have significantly reduced the use of private contractors. The annual expense
of the Specialty Team was projected to be $481,260, through the first quarter
of FY 1999, and actual revenues are estimated at $117,000. The true measure
of success will be in the ability of the Specialty Team to cover its annual
cost. The financial success will be realized after a six to twelve-month
cost comparison.
Contact: Rene Rodriguez, Phone: (305) 644-5112
Tracking Number: 2237
Winning Category: Program (Public and Indian Housing)
Best Practice: Women of Destiny, Inc.
From Welfare- to-WorkWomen of Destiny
Helps Break the Dependency Cycle
Panama City.
Women of Destiny is a non-profit organization dedicated to breaking the
cycle of dependency by empowering women with personal initiative, educational
direction, citizen leadership training and an increased awareness of all
community resources designed and available to assist and meet welfare-to-work
requirements. The organization offers several training programs covering
topics on first-time homebuying, how to create a small business, computer
training, GED-related courses, personal development, job development and
placement, and drug counseling. An auto donation program helps alleviate
transportation issues facing participant-members. Program partners include
Microsoft and Coca-Cola. All residents living in HUD-assisted housing are
automatically eligible for membership. Women of Destiny, Inc. is the non-profit
"umbrella" serving six HUD/FHA and two USDA Rural Development
properties. This arrangement benefits these properties in many ways, primarily
by facilitating receipts of financial and equipment donations and grants
from corporate partners.
Contact: Barbara S. Moore, Phone: (850) 873-8893
Tracking Number: 2281
Winning Category: Program (Housing - Multifamily)
Best Practice: Fair Housing Act New Design
and Construction Accessibility Requirements
Florida Fair Housing Act Making Homes Safe
Tallahassee.
In an effort to promote 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 in 1999. The goal of this
program was to ensure that covered multifamily dwelling units built for
occupancy since March 13, 1991, complied with the Florida Fair Housing Acts
new design and construction accessibility requirements. One element of the
accessibility project included trained investigators conducting on-site
measurements of these housing projects throughout Florida. Another component
was the education and outreach training workshops on the new building code
for building department officials, architects, and builders. This successful
outreach culminated in an accessibility workshop for the Building Officials
Association of Floridas 48th Annual Educational Conference, and has
drawn over 300 building officials and plan examiners to training programs
and discussions regarding accessibility requirements. Efforts of officials
such as Assistant Attorney General Kathleen Burgener and partnerships among
government agencies, nonprofit organizations, private businesses, HUD personnel,
state and local fair housing agencies, building officials, and architects
created a successful campaign to educate Florida building officials about
fair housing building compliance.
Contact: Robert Butterworth, Phone: (850)
487-1963
Tracking Number: 1776
Winning Category: Program (Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity)
Best Practice: The Salvation Army Center of
Hope
Center of Hope Providing Housing and Services
to the Homeless
West Palm Beach. The Salvation Army Center of Hope provides housing and onsite
services to homeless individuals and families, the majority of whom are
chronic substance abusers. At the core of the support services is comprehensive
substance abuse treatment, with assistance from The Drug Abuse Foundation,
provided at a licensed drug treatment facility. Other onsite services include
comprehensive case management, adult basic education and GED training, anger
management, conflict resolution, life skills and interview skills training,
and preschool and after school care. The primary goal of Center of Hope's
residential programs, Challenge to Change Bridges (transitional living)
and Home Sweet Home (emergency family shelter), is to assist individuals
and families so that they become self-sufficient and gain self-esteem through
fulltime employment and permanent housing. Emergency and transitional housing
assists 105 individuals, and Home Sweet Home provides shelter for 40 people
in families. Both programs are made possible through extensive collaboration
with organizations and foundations and the experience of staff who provide
counseling, medical treatment and skills.
Contact: Joni Baker, Phone: (561) 682-1118
Tracking Number: 1664
Winning Category: Program (Community Planning and Development)
Best Practice: Habijax Lot Preparation
Habijax Lot Preparation Providing Homeownership
to Families
Jacksonville.
Habijax Lot Preparationa Habitat for Humanity projectprovides
homeownership for low- and moderate-income families who are unable to obtain
home financing through conventional means. Since 1997, the city of Jacksonville
provided $900,000 of Community Development Building Grant (CDBG) funding
to Habijax, one of the most active local chapters of National Habitat for
Humanity. Since October 1997, 50 of the 270 families assisted also received
down payment assistance from the CDBG funds. This project is being implemented
in specific neighborhoods designated Intensive Care Neighborhoods, which
assures that the city is implementing multifaceted revitalization projects
in each neighborhood. Habijaxs housing construction homeownership
activities are implemented and financed through diverse volunteers and corporate
sponsors are a major component of the revitalization efforts. The project
has utilized more than $8.8 million of non-CDBG and non-state assistance,
including $3.3 million in corporate contributions, on housing construction
activities.
Contact: Roslyn M. Phillips, Phone: (904)
630-7030
Tracking Number: 1299
Winning Category: Program (Community Planning and Development)
Best Practice: Cease Fire Tampa
Cease Fire Protecting Young Lives in Tampa
Tampa.
The goal of Cease Fire is to decrease the number of injuries and deaths
due to firearm violence, particularly among children. In 1998, representatives
from area hospitals, law enforcement, private corporate sponsors, the Hillsborough
County School System and local charitable foundations formed this broad-based
community effort in Tampa. Since then, the group has developed a gun buy-back
for unwanted guns, an innovative firearm safety education program for third
graders, and an evening community education program for the entire family.
Several department and grocery stores have awarded gift certificates to
participants. The second element of this program is a firearm safety curriculum,
developed by Tampa General Hospital's MORE HEALTH program and assisted by
the Tampa Police Department, for third graders. Representatives from the
organization gave a presentation to over 4,000 third graders in the 1999-2000
school year and are preparing to increase outreach for the next year. A
third component of the program, community education for parents and other
residents, rounds out the Cease Fire activities. Free gunlocks are offered
to participants.
Contact: William J. Kalbas, Phone: (813) 228-2026
Ext. 2112
Tracking Number: 484
Winning Category: Geographical and Program (Community Builder)
Best Practice: HOPE VI
HOPE VI - More Than Housing in Durkeeville
Jacksonville.
The Jacksonville Housing Authority was awarded a 1996 HOPE VI grant to restore
Florida's oldest public housing development, Durkeeville, built in 1936.
This had been a vibrant community and a stable neighborhood full of small
businesses, recreation, schools, and churches. Over the years, as homeowners
aged and died or left the community, businesses began to close, and the
dynamics of the neighborhood changed. The Jacksonville HOPE VI is intended
to revitalize the Durkeeville community and create economic development
by building the areas first new shopping complex full of minority
owned businesses, a Shands Medical Clinic, road infrastructure replacement
with off street parking, and the Durkeeville Historical Society. The HOPE
VI budget of $1.4 million of funding for sidewalks, landscaping and repaving
of Myrtle Avenue, the main thoroughfare, has leveraged $2.4 million dollars
from Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA) to expand the road and allow
for better traffic access. Economic redevelopment of the area has stimulated
development of a 5-plex shopping strip and created job opportunities for
area residents.
Contact: Elaine D. Spencer, Phone: (904) 232-2627
Tracking Number: 494
Winning Category: Program (Public and Indian Housing)
Best Practice: Forum 2000, Dialogue on Disabilities
Forum 2000, Dialogue on Disabilities: A
One-stop Shop for the Disabled
Ormond Beach.
The Forum 2000 Dialogue on Disabilities - modeled after a trade show- serves
as a one-stop shop for disabled people and facilitates the distribution
of valuable information to the community. It is the second annual event
sponsored by Handicapped Adults of Volusia County (HAVOC). Two years ago,
HAVOC recognized a need in the community to help educate disabled individuals
and their families about public and private services such as housing, education,
durable medical equipment and public assistance available to them in the
Volusia and Flagler county areas. As a result, public and private organizations
hold booths at the forum. They display information about the services they
provide and answer questions from the general public. More than 40 agencies
set up information booths at previous forums, and breakout seminars were
held in a separate room in which agency repre3sentatives made individual
presentations about their organization to attendees. More than 400 individuals
in the community came to the daylong event last year to obtain available
information.
Contact: Chris Calabucci, Phone: (904) 672-0754
Tracking Number: 2706
Winning Category: Program (Community Builder)
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