It has been very busy here at Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority. First we held a very successful grand opening for West Union Square. The grand opening celebration took place at the Colerain Township site with more than 150 people attending three special events that were held. Partners, residents, staff, community members, legislators and many others joined us as we officially opened the doors to the newest development serving seniors 55 and older. The Hamilton County Commissioners proclaimed September 7, 2018 to be West Union Square Day. Barry Roberts from the HUD Regional Office joined us and said, "West Union Square is a national model to show how housing authorities and public/private partnerships can make a difference in neighborhoods." This senior development also helped stabilize a troubled part of Colerain Township and created over $2 million in wages. More highlights from the West Union Square events are featured below.

 

Also, we have given away thousands of books to residents over the past two years. It is very important to encourage and promote self-sufficiency for our younger population, so recently we held a special book giveaway at a West End school. CMHA along with our partners Book Rich Environments and The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County distributed thousands of fun, adventurous and educational books for children ages 4 through 18. Inspiring children to read brings a smile to my face and reminds me that the many partnerships we form really make a difference for our families. Further information and photos are in the "CMHA Beyond Housing" story.

 

CMHA customers are not just the residents we serve, they also include business partners, the community-at-large and ourselves. The management and executive staff participated in special training geared towards improving customer service. Customer service goes beyond how we treat external people it also includes how we treat each other. The team providing the training was very knowledgeable and provided stimulating exercises to empower staff, to identify challenges and to help address the fear of change some may be experiencing. The ultimate goal is to improve customer service at CMHA and all of us received the tools needed to move forward. We are ever striving to be a leader in the housing industry and moments like these coupled with commitment to improving customer service ensure that we are moving in the right direction.   Thank you to all the staff, partners and residents who played a part in one or all of these events.