Dear Friends of Mission First,
I’m so excited to say that I have just completed my third week as Mission First’s new CEO and I’m thrilled to be here. As you can imagine, it’s been a busy few weeks! Fortunately, I have a great team showing me the ropes.
Our Chief Operating Officer, Chip Darling, served in the role of Interim CEO for a year prior to me beginning my tenure. Chip did an incredible job maintaining operations during that period of transition. He and our entire Executive Leadership Team are bringing me up to speed, while staff members throughout the organization and across our footprint have been welcoming and informative.
In these first few weeks I’ve had occasion to visit several of our properties in Philadelphia and Washington, DC where I’ve met with staff and toured our developments. In my second week. I attended the HAND (Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers) Annual Conference where I met many of our partners and investors (and was reminded how hot a summer day in DC can get!). I’m looking forward to more site visits and meeting more partners and friends of Mission First.
As I immerse myself in all things affordable housing and Mission First, it’s clear to me that our work is needed now more than ever. The National Low Income Housing Coalition reminds us that “record-breaking numbers of families cannot afford a decent place to call home.” Moreover, the pandemic has left individuals and families that were already on the margins more vulnerable than ever.
We know that affordable, safe, stable housing is the foundation for a good life. It is linked to so many other determinants of stability – education, health, employment, community connection and more. I take my charge seriously because I know the impact our work has on real people.
With our strategic plan in hand and guidance from our Board of Directors I am focused on ensuring that Mission First is an equitable and inclusive workplace, that we excel in our four business lines and that we thrive financially. We will achieve all of this together so that our residents feel at home in Mission First housing and so we can assist more people in need.
I look forward to meeting and working with all of you. Thank you for your partnership and support.
Sincerely,
Thomas A.K. Queenan, Chief Executive Officer
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Two Great Events This Spring |
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On April 29th, Mission First celebrated the Groundbreaking of St. Anne's Senior Housing, a 76-unit four story senior housing apartment building located at 25104 Ridge Road in Damascus, MD. Guests at the Groundbreaking included The Honorable Marc Elrich, Montgomery County Executive; Brien O’Toole, Deputy Director, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development and Aseem Nigam, Director, Montgomery County Director of Housing and Community Affairs. St. Anne’s Senior Housing is slated to open in summer 2023. |
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On May 6th, Mission First was joined by The Honorable Ray Aument, Pennsylvania State Senator 36th District and state, county and community officials for the Grand Re-opening and Ribbon Cutting of Park Place Apartments, 155 East Park Street in Elizabethtown, PA. Mission First finished 18 months of rehabilitation work at Park Place Apartments, a 32-apartment affordable housing community.
Make sure to follow us on Twitter at @MissionFirstHG to keep up with project developments and see our work in progress.
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On Saturday, June 19th, our Resident Services team hosted our 2nd Annual Juneteenth celebration in Washington, DC with music, dancing, food, games and more! We created a space for the community to celebrate culture, and left a long lasting positive memory with our residents.
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Mission First’s Resident Services department in Washington, DC is setting out on an exciting new partnership with Mount Vernon Triangle Community Improvement District (MVT CID) to provide workforce training and preparation to residents.
Mission First has worked closely with MVT CID in the past, as we provide over 700 affordable apartments in the Mount Vernon Triangle area. MVT CID has long been a partner in connecting our residents to local resources and supporting our mission to provide affordable housing and services that strengthen communities. Recently with increases in businesses opening nearby, MVT CID’s Public Space Manager Talib Shakir saw an opportunity to deepen the partnership and work to ensure residents of affordable housing are incorporated into the community and benefitting from economic growth.
The Workforce Program is a pilot program with the goal of teaching skills and strategies that make residents more employable and improve job retention for residents of Golden Rule Apartments, The SeVerna and SeVerna on K. The program includes four 90-minute sessions and takes residents through resume building, a mock interview process and other related work to help them prepare for applying and interviewing for employment. Ultimately, Mission First and MVT CID hope to connect successful graduates of the program with local businesses looking for staff. Mission First and MVT CID are evaluating the pilot cohort and making any needed adjustments for future programming to reach more residents.
This program aligns with the Resident Services department’s goals of providing resources to improve residents’ educational attainment and work readiness skills which help them to be more productive successful members of their communities. Over the past few years, Resident Services has been highly focused on responding to COVID-19, from food drives, virtual community spaces and connecting residents to COVID-related rental subsidies to arranging vaccination and booster drives. In the next year, Interim Director of Resident Services Frederick Hawkins looks forward to refocusing, and hopes to enhance programming to connect residents to employment and economic empowerment.
Good luck to all the current participants and thanks MVT CID!
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View Our Property Portfolio
Mission First Housing Group provides safe, affordable, sustainable homes to over 5,500 people in more than 4,000 apartments throughout the Mid-Atlantic region--including families, veterans, seniors and individuals with disabilities.
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Mission First Housing Group | Website
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