2000 Best Practice Awards
Program and Geographical Winners: Nebraska
Best Practice: Capital Corners
Nursing Students Provide Free Preventive
Health Services to Low-Income Residents
Lincoln.
Nursing students at the University of Nebraskas Lincoln Campus have
begun a volunteer health screening program to provide preventative care
services to disadvantaged residents. Every Wednesday afternoon from 1:30
p.m. to 4:30 p.m., nursing students, using materials that are donated by
local hospitals and universities, provide health screenings for residents
of all ages. In addition, every other week, volunteer staff members sponsor
a family night to encourage participation in the program. After three weeks
of operation, an average of 20 persons are participating.
Contact: Cindy Burdette, Phone: (402) 393-2096
Tracking Number: 792
Winning Category: Program (Housing - Multifamily)
Best Practice: Chadron YouthBuild
Chadron YouthBuild Train Young People in
Building Homes for Low-Income Families
Chadron.
The High Plains Community Development Corporation has implemented a holistic
approach that provides direction in the lives of low-income young people
while supplying low-income housing opportunities and trained construction
workers to the rural area surrounding Chadron. The program accepts eight
participants at a time, many of which are Native Americans from the neighboring
Pine Ridge Reservation. Seventy-five percent of the participants, ages 16
to 24, must have very low incomes and 75 percent must be high-school dropouts.
There are many facets to the YouthBuild program, including: community service
by constructing housing for low- to moderate-income families, pursuit of
academic goals, including obtaining a GED, job training and apprenticeship
in the construction field, leadership development, and youth development.
With the assistance of Chadron YouthBuild, six students have received GEDs
and three affordable homes have been completed for low- to moderate-income
homebuyers.
Contact: Marguerite Vey-Miller, Phone: (308)
432-4346
Tracking Number: 11
Winning Category: Geographical
Best Practice: Family Housing Advisory Services
Homeownership Plan
Low- to Moderate-Income Residents Have
Become Homeowners Through Housing Counseling Program
Omaha.
In the last 16 months, the Family Housing Advisory Services Homeowner Program,
a HUD-certified counseling program, has provided homebuyer education and
counseling to more than 300 low- to moderate-income households in both Southeastern
Iowa and Greater Omaha Metropolitan area. Through the ongoing education
and support of the program, 112 families have achieved the goal of homeownership,
while 60 more families have become homeowners through a collaborative partnership
with nonprofit developers, the City of Omaha, and the nonprofit loan pool
organization, Omaha 100. Fewer than half of the 112 families participating
in the program received any public or private subsidy and those who did
received less than $3,000. The 60 families working with nonprofit developers
received larger subsidies and assistance, averaging $15,000 to $25,000 per
household. These funds were targeted to the most distressed neighborhoods
and were awarded to those in the most financial need.
Contact: Kevin Danler, Phone: (402) 934-1777
Tracking Number: 1708
Winning Category: Program (Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity)
Best Practice: Housing and Neighborhood Developers
(HANDS)
Housing and Neighborhood Developers Empowers
the Omaha Community to Make it a Better Place for All to Live
Omaha.
Housing and Neighborhood Developers (HANDS) has taken action to restore
northeast Omaha as an attractive and desirable place in which to live, work,
and raise a family. Northeast Omaha has the citys lowest student achievement
rates and housing values as well as the highest unemployment rates and percentages
of deteriorated rental housing. HANDS have united individuals, community
organizations, and state and federal government agencies to rebuild the
community by providing opportunities for homeownership and empowerment to
low-income families. HANDS provides training for semi-skilled construction
workers during the rehabilitation projects and helps in raising both test
scores and report card grades of area children. HANDS has renovated and
sold 109 homes since 1992 and they have significantly raised literacy rates
and academic achievement.
Contact: David Porter, Phone: (402) 457-5584
Tracking Number: 1597
Winning Category: Program (Housing - Single Family)
Best Practice: Homeownership Program
Homeownership Classes Encourage Low-Income
Residents to Purchase Homes
Omaha.
As the result of Crestview Villages homeownership education program,
25 residents have become homeowners. Residents in the subsidized housing
development attend classes that familiarize them with commonly-used financial
terms, help them understand how to use checking, credit and savings accounts
and educate them about the responsibilities inherent in maintaining an account.
A graduation ceremony follows successful completion of the workshops. The
success of the program has encouraged others to enroll.
Contact: Cindy Burdette, Phone: (402) 393-2096
Tracking Number: 1033
Winning Category: Program (Housing - Multifamily)
Best Practice Award: Identifying Design and
Construction Violations
Innovative Program Works to Insure Compliance
with Fair Housing Accessibility Rules
Omaha.
Family Housing Advisory Services, Inc., has developed a program to identify
design and construction violations that limit access to newly-constructed
buildings for people with physical disabilities. Employees of Family Housing
Advisory Services perform field testing of all new construction units before
work is completed to insure that problems with accessibility are resolved
at that stage. As a result of partnering with state and federal fair housing
agencies, the program has resulted in a number of citations for construction
and design violations, more than 1,000 newly constructed wheelchair-accessible
units, and numerous requests from other cities for program details.
Contact: Gary Fischer, Phone: (402) 444-6675
Tracking Number: 49
Winning Category: Geographical
Best Practice: New Creations Transitional Housing
Program
Program Provides Transitional Housing,
Substance Abuse Treatment and Other Support Services to Homeless
Omaha.
As the result of a Supportive Housing Program Grant and a sponsorship by
the Siena/Francis House, a pastor from the Mt. Sinai Baptist Church created
the New Creations Transitional Housing Program, a program that provides
housing and treats the chronically-addicted homeless. The funding and collaboration
has resulted in 33 families moving to permanent housing, 28 units of transitional
housing and reduced calls to police reporting criminal activity. In order
to be admitted to the program, clients must complete a short-term substance
abuse treatment regimen and demonstrate at least 90 days of sobriety in
addition to either being employed or actively seeking employment. To remain
in the program, the client must attend peer group meetings as well as individual
and group therapy sessions and remain employed. In conjunction with the
Siena/Francis House and the Omaha Area Continuum of Care for the Homeless,
a host of other services are provided for program participants. These include
extensive and multifaceted chemical dependency counseling, job preparation
and training, transportation and medical services, childcare services, dispute
resolution and domestic abuse counseling, and independent living opportunities.
Contact: Mike Saklar, Phone: (402) 444-5170
Tracking Number: 921
Winning Category: Geographical
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Content Archived: April 20, 2011 |