[commdev-l] more info on CHA Housing 101 presentation

[Community Development]

Dear Community Agencies:

I know that many of your staff and volunteers are involved in helping
families become stable and work toward family self-sufficiency.

The Columbia Housing Authority is offering a new "Housing 101"
orientation session for social workers, case managers, referral
specialists, and anyone else helping those in need secure affordable
housing. 

The “Housing 101” session will be held on:

DATE: Wednesday, October 19, 2011
TIME: 11:30 a.m. -1:00 p.m.
PLACE: Oak Towers, 700 North Garth Avenue.

The CHA owns and manages 719 units of public housing and administers
1,132 Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers. CHA also administers housing
voucher programs for homeless Veterans, homeless persons with
disabilities, and other special populations. These programs are called
VASH - Veterans Administration Supportive Housing, Shelter Plus Care,
and TBRA - Tenant-Based Rental Assistance. Each of these housing
programs have their own admissions process and eligibility criteria. Our
Housing 101 session will explain them all.

This free orientation session is designed to give those in the helping
professions a good understanding of the various affordable housing
programs offered by CHA, the eligibility criteria for each program, and
the process for applying for housing.

CHA is offering this program because our experience is that some of the
individuals and families who need housing the most, have difficulty
understanding the application process or have difficulty following the
rules once they receive housing assistance. In many cases, these
individuals and families are already working with an agency like yours
and just need assistance from someone to help guide them through the
process.

CHA works with many agencies throughout the community and it is our
experience that the social workers and case managers who know how the
housing process works are much more successful in helping their clients
secure housing and more importantly, retain their housing and begin
working on a family self-sufficiency plan. We also know that there is a
lot of turnover in the helping professions and that often these new
staff persons are unfamiliar with the Columbia Housing Authority's
programs and services.

One of the goals of the Columbia Housing Authority is to connect people
receiving housing assistance with the network of health and human
services in our community that will enable people to break the cycle of
poverty and become self-sufficient or in the case of the elderly and
persons with disabilities, to live as independently as possible. CHA
also provides a variety of programs designed to help our public housing
residents and Section 8 participants work toward self-sufficiency.

Did you know that both our Public Housing and Section 8 Housing Choice
Voucher programs have a Family Self-Sufficiency component that includes
a Family Self-Sufficiency Coordinator dedicated to each program? Did you
know that families enrolled in this program can build an escrowed
savings account that provides matching funds when their rent increases
due to increased family income from work? Savings over a five-year
period can be significant. Did you know that we offer a free Money Smart
Program and a free Homeownership class. Have you heard about our free
after-school program called Moving Ahead? Or our transportation services
to medical appointments for the elderly and persons with disabilities?
CHA also employs two Resident Services Coordinators to help our
residents connect with the services they need to become self-sufficient
or to help them through a crisis. 

CHA has lots to offer but we often find that many people don't know
about our services or how to access them. You can help people connect
with housing by becoming a skilled Affordable Housing Ambassador!

Please share this information with other persons in your agency and
other partner agencies who might benefit from being a skilled Affordable
Housing Ambassador. CHA plans to offer our Housing 101 sessions on a
quarterly basis for new staff or those who want a refresher. Everyone is
welcome and there is no cost to attend.

Please encourage your staff to become an Affordable Housing Ambassador
today by attending our Housing 101 Program on Wednesday.

Thank you,

Phil

Phil Steinhaus, CEO
Columbia Housing Authority
201 Switzler Street
Columbia, MO 65203

Phone:(573) 443-2556 ext. 1100 ( tel:%28573%29%20443-2556%20ext.%201100
)
TTY: (573) 875-5161 ( tel:%28573%29%20875-5161 )
Fax: (573) 443-0051 ( tel:%28573%29%20443-0051 )
psteinhaus at columbiaha.com
www.columbiaha.com
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