Vol. 12, No. 16 | June 12, 2023 | News, events, & other updates for Avesta staff & board | |
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Avesta Housing has embarked on a strategic planning process, with a new plan to be approved by January 2024. What is a strategic plan, and why do we need one?
A strategic plan serves as a roadmap, guiding decision-making and ensuring long-term sustainability. It:
- Defines our vision, mission, and goals, providing direction;
- Fosters shared understanding, enhancing teamwork, communication, and efficiency;
- Enables us to assess the environment, identify risks and opportunities, and develop strategies to navigate uncertainties;
- Helps identify resource gaps, secure funding, form partnerships, and optimize resource allocation; and
- Establishes measurable goals and key performance indicators (KPIs), enabling us to track progress, evaluate outcomes, and have accountability.
We’ll begin with collecting input from our staff and boards. Consultant Valerie Landry and I will be coordinating several ways for your input to be included. Please watch for communications from Rebecca Hatfield and me in the coming months — everyone will have the opportunity to participate one way or another!
Once the plan is finished, we will:
- Translate it into actionable steps and develop operational plans.
- Share it with stakeholders, ensuring understanding and open communication channels.
- Establish mechanisms to track performance and make necessary adjustments.
- Recognize the need for adjustments over time and be responsive to changing circumstances.
Strategic planning will empower us to succeed. With a strategic plan, we can enhance our effectiveness and improve outcomes in our mission to improve lives and strengthen communities by promoting and providing quality affordable homes for people in need.
Kim Farrar
Vice President of Strategic Initiatives
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Tracy Epenge has joined 75 State Street as a personal support specialist. Welcome, Tracy! | |
Riley Campbell has been promoted to landscaper team lead. Congratulations, Riley! | |
Sonya Emery has been promoted to resident service coordinator in the Inland region. Congratulations, Sonya! | |
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We have several openings in our property management division, including senior property manager positions in the Metro and Gorham areas and maintenance technician positions. There are also a variety of other positions available with Avesta Housing, 75 State Street, and Inn at Village Square. If you would like to apply or know someone who may be interested, click below.
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Rebecca Hatfield panelist at Federal Reserve Bank forum | |
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On May 31, Avesta Housing President & CEO Rebecca Hatfield served as a panelist on “Transition to the Post-Pandemic Economy,” an event hosted by The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston that provided a forum for New Englanders to voice their top economic priorities and concerns to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and regional Fed officials. One topic that came up repeatedly, and with urgency, was housing.
“How has housing changed since the pandemic? I would say, how hasn’t it changed?” Rebecca said. “The landscape is completely different since the pandemic… between 2020 and 2022, we’ve seen an increase of 90% in applications for housing. That alone should tell you how much the housing market has changed.”
“The level of desperation is much higher than it used to be, and it’s affecting more people than we have ever seen in the past,” she said.
The event was part of “FedListens,” an ongoing series led by the Board of Governors to hear about the everyday impacts of monetary policy. Click below to view a video of the event. (Rebecca’s panel begins around the 45-minute mark.)
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Rebecca Hatfield quoted in press release by Sen. Angus King | |
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Avesta Housing President & CEO Rebecca Hatfield is quoted in a new press release by U.S. Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) on his co-sponsorship of federal legislation to create nearly 2 million new affordable homes across the country by expanding the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC).
“We are delighted that Senator King is supporting the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act. By expanding and improving the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, a proven and critical resource for the creation of affordable housing, this bill will help Avesta Housing and the State of Maine produce thousands of safe, quality affordable homes that could not otherwise be built,” Rebecca said. “During a time of unprecedented demand, we are hopeful that bipartisan support of this important bill will result in its speedy passage.”
Click below to read the press release.
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Gauvreau Place winner of MEREDA Notable Project Award | |
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Gauvreau Place in Lewiston, Maine, has been awarded the Notable Project Award for 2022 by the Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA). Construction Services Project Manager Steve Estes accepted the award on behalf of Avesta on May 25 at MEREDA’S annual conference. Avesta partnered with Community Concepts Inc. to make Gauvreau Place a reality, providing much-needed affordable housing in the heart of downtown Lewiston.
Each year, MEREDA recognizes some of the state’s most “noteworthy and significant” real estate projects completed in the previous year. According to MEREDA, “The exemplary projects from across the state, completed in 2022, not only embody MEREDA’s belief in responsible real estate development, but also exemplify best practices in the industry, contributing to Maine’s economic growth by significant investment of resources and job creation statewide.”
Each of the seven projects was selected in part based upon criteria, including noteworthy and significant project completed in 2022, environmental sustainability, economic impact, energy efficiency, social impact, uniqueness, difficulty of development, and job creation.
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Walk with Avesta in Portland Pride Parade | |
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Join Avesta in celebrating PRIDE MONTH!
Pride Month (June) is an opportunity to celebrate LGBTQ+ community, culture, and resilience, and to affirm that everyone deserves a place to call home. Avesta will be participating by walking in the Portland Pride Parade on Saturday, June 17. All staff are invited to join the parade, no matter how you identify. Feel free to bring your family!
We’re designing a special pride T-shirt for staff who walk in the parade, and we will have some fun giveaways to hand out to parade attendees.
Interested? Please sign up below so we know how many people to expect!
More information about time and location will be shared closer to the date.
Amongst the celebrations, we must remember where it started by learning the history of the Stonewall Riots and the brave activists. The two at the forefront of these protests were Marsha P. Johnson, a black transgender woman, and Sylvia Rivera, a Latin-American drag queen. This Pride month, we continue to celebrate and remember who we are and how we got here.
A small but mighty way to celebrate and continue to nurture a safe and inclusive space for all is… pronouns! This link is a helpful resource for many regarding pronouns.
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Avesta Celebrates Juneteenth | |
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Several states have recognized June 19, also known as Juneteenth, for over 30 years, but it only became recognized as a federal holiday two years ago. In 2022, Avesta Housing added Juneteenth to its list of paid holidays.
The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture has created the Juneteenth Digital Toolkit to help us better understand the importance of this holiday that is still widely unknown to many. You can celebrate this special holiday by learning more!
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New Vonage phone system goes live on Wednesday | |
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The new Vonage phone system will go live at noon Wednesday (June 14). At that time, calls will stop coming in through Mitel and start coming in through Vonage. To help make the transition smooth, consider the following:
- Listen to all of your Mitel voicemails! They will no longer be available once we go live.
- Get registered for your account. Contact Project Implementation Coordinator Ashley Russo if your registration link has expired.
- Set up your voicemail before we go live! Remember that not having your voicemail greeting set up can cause confusion for the people trying to reach you.
- A live training on Vonage will be available at 1 p.m. Thursday (June 15). Contact Ashley if you need the invite.
- Training videos and written guides are also available; click below to access.
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Got some news? Share it in Avesta Matters! | |
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Avesta Matters' content is user-generated by readers like you. Send us your news about Avesta staff, properties, events, and more to: avestamatters@avestahousing.org.
The deadline for inclusion in the following week's Avesta Matters is noon Friday.
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Butler Payson & Carleton Street | |
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A cookout for residents was held on May 31 that featured a special Award of Appreciation presentation to Butler resident Sandi Shubert for her many years of volunteering and supporting the community. Since moving to Butler in 1998, Sandi has welcomed new residents and organized gatherings such as monthly birthday parties, potlucks, holiday gift exchanges, and Bingo games. She also checks in on her neighbors, whom she considers family. Mrs. Wu’s kindergarten class from Reiche Elementary School, where Sandi has volunteered with the foster grandparent program for 20 years, sang a “thank you” song to Sandi and gave her a bouquet of flowers.
Also in attendance were Zyanya Shorey, information and referral team lead of Southern Maine Agency on Aging, who provided information on the agency’s services and programs; Bonnie DeFiore (RDN, LDN), community health promotion specialist with the City of Portland Public Health Division's Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL), who provided homemade pico de gallo and a printed recipe for residents to take home; and Shawna Ohm and Carole Dunphe, community services coordinators with the Portland Police Department’s Community Policing Unit.
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Avesta staff at the cookout (left to right): Maintenance Technician II Vinny Dorazio; Senior Maintenance Technician Shannon McMahon; Resident Service Manager Nick Kjeldgaard; Applicant Services Coordinator Audrey Ramirez-Bardales; Maintenance Technician Warren Moorhead; Applicant Services Manager Emily Pelletier; Property Manager Taylor Williams; Maintenance Technician Shayne McDonald; Senior Property Manager Caitlin Holland; Maintenance Technician II Kosta Suli; Custodian Peter Cummings; Resident Service Coordinator Samuel Schwartz; Maintenance Technician II Matt Lorello; Resident Service Coordinator Meredith Holmes; Maintenance Technician Team Lead Jacob Bornstein; Property Manager Elizabeth Lange; and Resident Service Coordinator Andrea Jaquith. | |
Hyacinth Place and Steeple Square | |
During a recent spring clean-up day, children cleaned the community room and park/field area, and helped weed and clean out community gardens. The Intercultural Community Center joined in and did crafts and face painting with the children afterwards. | |
Tony, a resident at the Inn, has been waiting all spring to get outside to scrape and paint this fence! | |
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CALENDAR
June 17: Portland Pride Parade
June 19: Juneteenth - Avesta offices closed
July 1: Home Buyer Education Class - Click here to register
July 3-4: Independence Day - Avesta offices closed
July 15: Home Buyer Education Class - Click here to register
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Humanity: We care about people.
Stewardship: We manage our resources responsibly, efficiently, and sustainably.
Relationships: We seek meaningful interaction and effective collaboration.
Quality: We pursue excellence in all our work.
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