January 2020


What's Happening!
2/3     Marketing Mondays
2/11   Landlord Orientation
2 /15   Good Neighbor Program
2/17   CMHA Offices Closed
2/25   Board of Commissioners
          Meeting

Contact Us
Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority
1627 Western Avenue
Cincinnati, Ohio 45214
(513) 721-4580
 
CMHAConnect
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Hello from the CEO!
True Transformation
 
Welcome to the New Year! 2020 started off on a high note here at Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority.  In the first ten days of the year we celebrated the preservation work taking place at The Evanston with a Reno Day. Ohio State Representatives Brigid Kelly and Catherine Ingram along with Cincinnati Council Member Tamaya Dennard were among those who addressed the audience. Nan Cahall, District Director for Senator Portman, Rosalind Fultz, Constituent Liaison for Congressman Chabot and Victoria Parks, newly appointed Hamilton County Commissioner also joined us for the celebration.
 
Plus we hosted the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Midwest Regional Administrator Joseph Galvan as he made three announcements about awards CMHA earned to support Hamilton County families and promote self-sufficiency. The Resource Opportunities Centers (ROC) have been designated as EnVision Centers. Economic Empowerment, Educational Advancement, Health & Wellness, and Character & Leadership are the four pillars that are found at all HUD EnVision Centers. They are also provided by important partners of CMHA and the ROC.  Mr. Galvan also announced that the agency was awarded a Family Self-Sufficiency grant to continue the work of the FSS Coordinators who directly work with residents by connecting them with programs and services in our community. Finally it was announced that CMHA received the highest grant for 2019 in the state of Ohio to help house homeless Veterans. The HUD-VASH grant of nearly $144,000 will help provide permanent supportive housing for 30 homeless veterans in Hamilton County. Bringing the number of Vets CMHA can serve to 415. These announcements are national confirmation that Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority is An Asset to Hamilton County. 

We also welcomed Mayor John Cranley, Department of Veteran Affairs Director Mark Murdock, Veteran Earl Logan, Rosalind Fultz - Constituent Liaison for Congressman Chabot, Hamilton County Commissioner Victoria Parks and Alicia Reece at Findlater Gardens for the announcements. The progress we have made was acknowledged by everyone. Mayor Cranley said, "What CMHA is doing here is a best practice to help people move up the ladder of economic self-sufficiency."  CMHA employees and community partners including JFS, Buckeye Health and the Trauma Recovery Center were also present. Thank you to everyone! We truly appreciate all of the quality partnerships and dedicated CMHA staff who help fulfill the agency's Mission with these very important works.
 
TRUE TRANSFORMATION is the BOLD move we are making at CMHA. We don't just want to transform our buildings we want to TRANSFORM our communities, by providing positive economic opportunities for our residents, and our community over all.  We will continue this momentum throughout the year with more financial closings and preservation of CMHA owned properties. We are leveraging the preservation work to provide additional training and career opportunities for residents, resident-owned businesses and other businesses. I look forward to sharing more with you on what we are doing to enrich our community. 
 
Kind Regards, 


Gregory D. Johnson, MS, EDEP, PHM
Chief Executive Officer
EvanRenoDay    Preservation Celebration

CMHA CEO Gregory Johnson, Rep. Brigid Kelly, Council Member Tamaya Dennard and CMHA Board of Commissioners Chair William Myles. 

Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority officially kicked off the nearly $4M preservation work at The Evanston with a Reno Day Celebration on January 7, 2020. More than 50 people were in attendance for the celebration.
100 existing units will be renovated with funds leveraged through RAD. We are taking bold steps to ensure a brighter future for the families at The Evanston. Bill Hinga of Wallick Construction said, "CMHA is really on the cutting edge of what's going on in public housing."


 soulfood Soul Food Saturdays
The residents of Findlater Gardens and Winton Terrace held their first Leadership Soul Food Saturday at the Winton Hills Academy this month. The purpose of the event was to uplift the current leadership and inspire future leaders. Ms. Anese Milsap, President of Winton Terrace Resident Council served as the emcee and recognized the community leadership from both Winton Terrace and Findlater Gardens. Those in attendance heard inspirational comments and spoken word from local leaders including CMHA CEO Gregory Johnson, Judge Fanon Rucker, Community Historian Obalaye Macharia, Robert Dunston of Life Solutions, Rukiye Z. Abdul-Mutakallim of the Musketeer Association, Charmaine McGuffey and Alicia Reece. The children of Winton Hills played an important role at the event, the future leaders entertained the crowd through song and dance. The common theme was using your voice. Judge Rucker stated, "Everybody here has power. That's the power of voting. The power is in this room." Mr. Macharia was raised in Findlater and is the current Membership Chair of the Winton Hills Community Council. After inspiring the crowd through spoken word Macharia said, "One in a million will make it. You're the one!"
 
 
 AgencyspotlightAgency Spotlight:  Ending Veteran Homelessness 
The HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program is a collaborative effort among HUD, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and local public housing authorities. Under VASH, eligible low-income Veterans receive a Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) plus case management and supportive services from VA.
 
Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority and the Cincinnati Veterans Affairs Medical Center work together to break down barriers so Veterans and their families can quickly get housing. The collaboration has worked together to house over 1,050 Veterans and their families since 2008. CMHA has one of the largest VASH programs in the state of Ohio, with the ability to serve 415 Veterans. The VASH program offers a great opportunity for landlords to serve the men and women who served US. A Veteran and property manager share their story on the video found here. Details on how to partner with CMHA and the Cincinnati VA can be found on  CMHA's website.
 HUD2020Envision HUD Announcements Highlights
"Housing assistance should be more than just putting a roof over someone's head. These EnVision Centers offer a more holistic housing approach by connecting HUD-assisted families with the tools they need to become self-sufficient."    Joe Galvan HUD Midwest Regional Administrator  
  
"What CMHA is doing here is a best practice to help people move up the ladder of economic self-sufficiency."     Mayor John Cranley  
EnVision2020
"Today is evident we are not being silent about what we believe matters. All CMHA residents Matter!"   CEO Gregory Johnson