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Growing Partnerships & Increasing Self-Sufficiency
Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority joined with the Winton Terrace
Resident Council, Messer Construction plus a host of other organizations to present
A Day of Thanks for the hundreds of families living in Winton Terrace. CMHA and Messer partnered to provide 368 of the turkeys handed out to families.
Through this great community partnership, over 450 families had a Thanksgiving meal with all the fixings. Quality partnerships are critical as we continue to strive towards our GOLD STANDARD and build upon our foundation as set forth in our strategic plan. There's no other way to build great partnerships than to do it with the residents that we serve. We look forward to
A Day of Thanks turning into a long lasting partnership with Winton Terrace Resident Council, as well as all of our other resident councils, and community partners.
In partnership with HUD, Ohio Public Housing Authorities, and our local VA we are sponsoring a Home for the Holidays lease up. We want to show the men and women who served our country that we are here for them and their families. We are asking our landlords of the Housing Choice Voucher program to help house 40 Veteran families by the end of December. This event started in November and we will continue to focus on securing 40 homeless Veteran families a place to live by December 31, 2015. If you are a landlord and are willing to help, please call (513) 977-5830 and ask for Lisa Isham.
As you can see we are more than bricks and mortar, we are an asset to Hamilton County. In next month's edition I will talk more about our NEW M.O.V.E. program. This program is designed to help individuals obtain a job.And finally, a Gold Performance achievement was announced by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Housing Choice Voucher Department earned high performer status for FY2015 by the U.S. Department of HUD.
Regards,
Gregory D. Johnson, MS, PHM, EDEP
Chief Executive Officer
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A Day of Thanks
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On November 21, 2015 a collaboration of organizations joined together to provide A Day of Thanks for families in Winton Terrace, a CMHA property. More than 800 people were in attendance at Winton Hills Academy. Those there were entertained, fed and sent home with the makings for a fabulous Thanksgiving Day feast.
There were five bouncy houses for children to play as well as an arts and crafts station for budding artists. The entertainment did not stop there. A young performer donned in silver makeup took to the stage and danced his way into the hearts of on-lookers. A vendor's hall was created with companies offering information on healthy living and education.
In past years, several of the participating organizations held separate events but this year all agreed to work as a collective body to serve the community. The partnership paid off: 400 Thanksgiving dinners were provided to families, meals were delivered to 60 Winton Terrace seniors and the following day an additional 150 Thanksgiving meals were distributed. The event was successful thanks to the more than 100 volunteers from Winton Terrace, Messer, CMHA, House of Hope Church, St. Vincent de Paul, Project Truth and Citygate Church.
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Agency Spotlight: The CSO Department
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The Compliance and Safety Operations (CSO) department is small but it plays a huge role in the success of CMHA. The team is led by Asset Management Director Wylie Boddie and Assistant Director Marquita Flowers
and it is a vital part of the entire agency. Research Analyst Kelley Patmon, Security Assistant Matthew Roberts and Office Clerk Megan Cox work diligently to create a safe environment for CMHA residents, staff and the community at large. Some of the things CSO does to ensure safety include monitoring cameras on CMHA sites, enforcing parking rules, checking the accuracy of doors, locks and intercoms as well as working with police detail. Roberts stated,
"We are continuously updating safety plans with all the managers and sites to make sure everything is safe for all the residents and visitors that come through the doors."
The department is also charged with ensuring residents are complying with their lease, researching criminal activity and operating the
Talk 2 Us Hotline. The hotline serves as a connection to the whole community. Residents, neighbors and staff use it to express their concerns and appreciation. Many of the calls that come in to the hotline are valuable for the community and CMHA as well.
A part of the CMHA Mission is to promote neighborhood stability and the CSO Department supports that with community partnerships that benefit external and internal clients. In fact the partnership with law enforcement expands across all of Hamilton County. CMHA works with sheriff departments, police departments and security companies to create safe working and living environments. Patmon stated the following about the legal partnerships, "
Through collaboration with law enforcement throughout Hamilton County we work to ensure that our residents are good neighbors and have a safe environment in which to live. As an agency we have no tolerance for criminal behavior and it's our job in the CSO department to assist in that enforcement process. We would not be successful with that without partnering with law enforcement."
Talk 2 Us Hotline
(513) 721-CMHA (2642)
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Cary Crossing is being built in Mt. Healthy. When completed, in 2016, there will be 36 units of affordable housing for individuals with disabilities.
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