2000 Best Practice Awards

Best Practice: Capital Corners

Nursing Students Provide Free Preventive Health Services to Low-Income Residents

Lincoln. Nursing students at the University of Nebraska’s 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 city’s 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 Village’s 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

Content Archived: April 20, 2011