April 2020 Edition
The New Community Service Newsletter
Atlantic Housing Foundation Awards
Through hard work and dedication, Atlantic Housing Foundation received the CORES certification, the gold-standard in resident services provision. The CORES Certification recognizes owners and third party providers that have developed a robust commitment, capacity, and competency in providing resident services coordination in affordable housing communities. Certified organizations are invested in using housing as a platform for opportunity and have a record of providing excellence in resident services coordination in affordable housing communities. Read more about Atlantic Housing Foundation's resident services coordination and impact it has on the lives of residents in this edition of the Community Services Newsletter.


The Atlantic Housing Foundation is committed to excellence in service and a focus on giving back to the community. We operate under a set of core values that drive our business goals and everyday operations. These are:

Excellence
Continuous Improvement
Accountability
Investing in Human Capital
Integrity
Teamwork
Passion for Service

This commitment shines through in all that we do. Atlantic Housing Foundation cares about our residents, staff and partners. Please reach out to us if you have a comment, question, or concern at [email protected] . We are here for you!
Partnership Spotlight
Healthy Housing Rewards™ Initiative
The CORES certification unlocks partnership opportunities with FannieMae through the Healthy Housing Rewards- Enhanced Resident Services™ initiative with financing incentives to help enhance resident services.

Atlantic Housing Foundation is committed to providing resident services programs with emphasis on health and wellness services, work and financial capability support, and academic support.
Research has shown that resident services have a measurable positive impact on the health and stability of low income renters. Incorporating resident services at the property level represents one of the best ways to influence positive change. Find out more about the Healthy Housing Rewards™ initiative here: Fannie Mae Healthy Housing Rewards ™
The mission of Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future is to advance the creation and preservation of healthy, sustainable rental homes that foster equity, opportunity, and wellness for people of limited economic resources. Atlantic Housing Foundation is proud to be in partnership with them through the CORES certification process and award.

To find out more about the Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future: Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future .
Thank you!
In addition to the above partners, we would like to thank everyone who helped with the CORES certification and whose hard work and efforts helped obtain this gold-standard in resident services provision. It is the goal of the Community Services team to leverage the CORES to unlock new opportunities for partnerships and funding. In addition, the CORES process will continue to be utilized to to set goals for improvement, deepen our impact for resident services, and drive a deeper understanding of our commitment to resident services across our organization.
Resident Services Coordinator of the Quarter
Congratulations and thank you for your hard work, Barbara!
Meet the RSC of the Quarter, Barbara Waller, Redbud Trail Apartments
Barbara Waller joined Atlantic Housing Foundation in December of 2019 as Resident Services Coordinator for Redbud Trail Apartments. Barbara is an active member of the Atlantic Housing Foundation Resident Services Coordinator Group, contributing great information for resident services and wonderful ideas for implementation.

In addition, Barbara has brought the following partnerships to Redbud Trail residents:

McKinney Police Department
ASCENT Dental
Palio's Pizza Cafe
SSW Business Solutions
Borrowed Vessel
JOSH Foundation
MCKinney Housing Authority
Salvation Army
Community Lifeline Center
Hope Housing Foundation

Barbara has done an excellent job adjusting to the "new normal" of online resident services provision and reaches her residents with updated information through Facebook Live and Google Meets events.
Spotlight on AHF Board Member
Atlantic Housing Foundation Board Member, RuthAnn McNiel
In 2018 Ms. McNiel was the winner (pictured above) of the Palm House Senior Apartments Chili Cook-off contest .
RuthAnn McNiel  of Palm House Senior Apartments, Fort Worth, Texas, joined Atlantic Housing Foundation as a board member in 2020. She is a graduate of North Texas State University with two years of graduate work towards a master's degree in Psychology at North Texas and one year of study toward a juris doctor degree in law at Southern Methodist University. She has 15 years of work experience with the Social Security Administration, where she specialized in Supplementary Security Income claims processing which deals with underprivileged senior and disabled adults and children. She then worked for 10 years in the legal field as a legal secretary and paralegal. As a retiree, she has devoted several years in support of independent senior housing and developing resources for the senior community. She is committed to bettering the conditions of senior housing in her community.
Ms. McNiel participates as a volunteer at Palm House Senior Apartments in a variety of events onsite including book club, and the library, among others.
Spotlight on Educational Culture
AHF Strengthens Its Commitment to Education and Employee Development

As many are already aware, AHF currently gives over $1 million in scholarships and programs to its residents and those living in surrounding communities across its entire 10,000+ unit portfolio. In that same spirit, AHF has made a commitment to begin to provide educational opportunities to all AHF employees as well. Earlier this month AHF partnered with Collin College and its corporate campus to extend on-line educational opportunities to their 300+ employees. It is called the AHF Curriculum and is a group of college courses customized for AHF employees and hand-picked by leadership based on internal learning metrics. The courses are Excel (basic, intermediate, advanced), Property Management Fundamentals, Business Acumen Basics, Cultural Sensitivity & Implicit Bias, Construction Management, Customer Service, New Supervisor Training, Accounting Principles. and Essential Computer Basics, and so on. Two courses will be offered across 16 week semesters and best of all it's at zero cost to employees. The first day of class is August 24th and we can not wait for the inaugural class to kick off their educational journey for themselves and the organization overall, now and on into the future.
Simultaneously, AHF Academy, the organization's internal learning and development platform, has developed new awards to encourage and promote knowledge & skills transfer, increased productivity, and teamwork. These awards are called the AHF Mastery Awards and there are three levels; Bronze, Silver, Gold. The saying goes, you know you have mastered a skill when you can teach it to someone else and they can successfully perform the skill time and time again without any assistance. Employees who are proficient at one skill and successfully teaches another employee/employees how to complete that one task may be eligible for the Bronze level AHF Mastery Award. Silver eligibility involves teaching two skills to other employee/employees and Gold eligibility requires that an employee successfully teach three or more skills to other employee/employees who can and has proven to successfully perform those new skills over and over again in their current role. We are excited to begin to create and recognize AHF Masters all across the organization.
Bronze Mastery Award: Adi Widjaja
Adi Widjaja, Payroll and Benefits Specialist for Atlantic Housing Foundation, was the first to receive a Mastery Award: Level Bronze. Adi said he is proud of his award, and emphasized the amount of time it took to create training materials and define the processes so he could train effectively. He stated there were many benefits to the training, it helped the trainee understand the entire process of the payroll system, it helped the whole Human Resources department have a more fluid system and improved the full-spectrum administration of Human Resources, and he also stated it helped him as well. Personally, he stated, "I feel like this is a great accomplishment, it allowed me to refine my expertise in the area." According to Adi, "Teaching helps you better master the tasks being taught."
Congratulations, Adi, on this well-deserved award!
Coming Up in August
In June 2020 students experienced an unprecedented event in history, schools everywhere were forced to close their doors and students finished the school year from home. Atlantic Housing Foundation responded with an opportunity for those students to participate in a "planting seeds of hope" campaign, and we have had over 90 students sign up! Unfortunately the celebration was pushed back from July to August due to gathering restrictions and we are continuing to collect donations for the students in what is now the back to school drive. Baskets will be compiled and distributed to students consisting of school supplies (much needed for homeschooling), hygiene items, and more. Please consider making a donation today to http://paypal.me/atlantichousing .
The Atlantic Housing Foundation Way


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Atlantic Housing Foundation
4770 Iberia Ave
Suite 100
Dallas, Texas 75207



Communities Transformed. Two words, endless possibilities.

We started on the shores of South Carolina 20 years ago, and over that time we’ve outgrown our Atlantic borders and transformed hundreds of thousands of lives in six states in 45 communities and 35 cities. With a mission to provide all people with a place to call home, regardless of their financial status, age, and mental or physical well-being, we’ve turned those two words into thousands of possibilities.

Our passion for real change, guided by our sometimes imaginative, often innovative and always trusted process, has helped our residents not only improve their own lives, but improve their communities through their transformation.

We are Atlantic Housing Foundation.

As an organization, we aspire to and believe in MAKING A DIFFERENCE. We strive to help and improve the communities where we work and live. We seek to assist our residents improve their lives through education, service, and community.
Connect
Sandie Fauss, Editor
Director of Community Services
Contact:
469-206-8904
To find out more about Atlantic Housing Foundation, click on the links below or visit our website.
Community Service questions related to our COVID-19 response? Email [email protected].