On May 27, 2009, Denver's Deputy Regional Director Deborah Griswold, along with Office of Public Housing (OPH) staff, attended an event to congratulate the twelve Local Resident Councils who together received $2,321,985 in ROSS Service Coordinator funding. This was the highest number of resident councils from a single housing authority to be funded throughout the nation. Speakers included Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, Deborah Griswold, OPH Director Ann Roman, Marian Lawrence, President of the DHA Resident Council Board, and the Executive Director of DHA, Mr. Ismael Guerrero.

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DHA's Local Resident Councils and Resident Councils Board have been integral in the partnership to provide additional services to public housing residents in Denver for the past 13 years. Each DHA public housing site has a Local Resident Council (LRC). LRCs are made up of residents who all live in the same building or site. These Councils meet monthly to discuss resident issues, communicate with DHA staff, and provide community and leadership activities for their site. Each LRC elects five officers who are responsible for coordinating their respective LRC. Each month, officers from all the LRCs across the city meet as a Resident Council's Board to discuss issues. The RCB also elects five officers, from among the LRCs, to coordinate their activities.

The funds will go towards funding a number of activities including:

• Case management
• Adult computer classes
• A computer lab
• Tutoring for school-aged children
• Life-skills classes
• Helping residents obtain and maintain employment
• Activities aimed at increasing the earned income of residents
• Assisting in opening of savings accounts and doing credit counseling
• Pre-purchase homeownership counseling

Congratulations to DHA and the Local Resident Councils for a job well done!