safety initiatives p h a resident association/ planning ... · supportive services offered, or...
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SAFETY INITIATIVES Codding Court, Roger Williams, and Hartford Park participated in the fire
safety events that take place annually. Events included presentations in the
form of a slideshow and a smoke trailer presentation. Residents enjoyed
hot dogs, pizza, and drinks provided by Resident Associations, Planning
Committees, Councilmen, Representatives and the Providence Canteen.
Informational pamphlets were also distributed and gift cards were raffled.
In addition to the fire safety events, Chad Brown, Admiral Terrace, Sunset
Village, Manton Heights and Scattered Sites, in collaboration with the
Providence Community Opportunity Corporation, held a Seatbelt Safety &
Education initiative called the Protect Providence with One Click Campaign.
This initiative aimed to raise awareness and educate PHA residents about
the importance of wearing seatbelts, having an appropriate car seat for
children and it also promoted Rhode Island’s Primary Seatbelt Law. Events
offered residents the opportunity to witness a roll over demonstration and
allowed them to interact with professionals from the partnering organiza-
tions. More than 150 car/booster seats were given to residents with children
under 9 years and who owned a vehicle in order to ensure that children are
properly restrained.
A LOOK AHEAD... The Providence Housing Authority (PHA) will continue to make progress on its goal to have active Resident Associations at each of
the developments. Planning Committees will also continue their mission to meet monthly to hear residents’ needs and concerns,
plan activities, and to share available support services and ideas from other PHA developments. By participating, the residents are
being trained on Resident Association rules, regulations, and purposeful activity planning. By reaching the goal of having 100% func-
tioning resident representation, whether it is a Resident Association or a Planning Committee, the PHA aims to increase resident
participation. The Resident Associations and Planning Committees are instrumental in distributing information, announcements,
supportive services offered, or job/skill training programs to public housing residents through notice distribution and hosting
monthly meetings. This is an important aspect of the Resident Associations and Planning Committees since their efforts help the
PHA meet its program enrollment targets and connect residents with opportunities and services that can better their lives and their
community. Our task will continue to be to provide RAB members with detailed presentations outlining current Resident Services
Department programs and supportive services available to PHA youth, families/adults and elderly populations and received Budget
Management Training.
Fire Safety Event
Safety Meeting at Chad Brown
Resident Association/Resident Association/Resident Association/
Planning Committee Planning Committee Planning Committee
NewsletterNewsletterNewsletter
PPPROVIDENCEROVIDENCEROVIDENCE HHHOUSINGOUSINGOUSING AAAUTHORITYUTHORITYUTHORITY’’’SSS
Fiscal year 2015 was especially significant as it
was filled with many memorable events. An
important process that took place was the
nomination process of PHA Resident
Representatives. In this process, the PHA lead
an official nomination process to coordinate
an authority-wide resident representative
campaign. This campaign was used to inform
and assemble a list of interested residents to
represent their developments on the PHA’s
Board of Commissioners, the Resident
Advisory Board and/or other future
committees formed by the PHA.
During this process, residents were provided
bilingual informational packets highlighting
the process and purpose of each committee.
As a result, there were five new members
nominated.
Another achievement in FY2015 took place
with the completion of nine 75th Anniversary
Events. The 9 events reached a total of 685
attendees (337 of which were PHA residents).
The 75th Anniversary Events were an
opportunity for residents to have easier
access to the celebrations and all attendees
experienced a comprehensive showing of the
dynamic components that contribute to the
PHA’s longevity and success. The events
schedule promoted productivity and pride as
a team of PHA employees, residents and the
members of the 75th Planning Committee
worked tirelessly to produce perfection. The
PHA thanks each and every one of those who
made the events special, unique,
heartwarming and honorable. We also
understand that it was impossible-even with 9
events-to recognize each of the PHA’s long
list of employees, residents, partners and suc-
cess stories. It was our hope that we come
together to embrace the “feel good” senti-
ment that the PHA provides when we work
comprehensively toward our mission to serve
the affordable housing community.
Another important process that took place
during FY 2015 was the submission of the Five
Year Plan as part of the Annual Planning
process. The Five Year Plan consisted of the
PHA’s goals and objectives for the next five
years. An outline was created that
highlighted the past 5 year trends for
important measures such as occupancy, turn
overs and homeownership. PHA staff, RAB
members and the public were offered the
opportunity to provide comments and
feedback on this portion of the Plan.
There were three meetings in preparation of
the Five Year and Annual Plan processes in
which the RAB was informed about existing
housing authority policies, Departmental pro-
cedures, and any new or proposed policies
and program as well information regarding
the goals, objectives and the progress being
made in meeting the last five year’s goals and
objectives. Valuable comments and feedback
from residents were received during this
process.
FY 2015 at a Glance ................. ….….1
Holiday Celebrations ............... ….....2
Back to School Events ............. ….....2
Health & Wellness .................. ….....2
Community Socials ................. ...…..3
Resident Representation Status…...3
Safety Initiatives ...................... ….….4
A Look Ahead .......................... ……..4
INSIDE THIS ISSUE...
FY 2015 at a GlanceFY 2015 at a GlanceFY 2015 at a Glance
Executive Director Paul J. Tavares at
Dexter Manor’s 75th Anniversary
Celebration
PHA MISSION STATEMENT:
The Providence Housing Authority exists to develop and maintain decent,
safe and sanitary housing and to address the economic and social needs of
residents. The Providence Housing Authority is committed to high
standards of public accountability and continuous improvement through
management excellence, professional development and customer satisfaction.
During FY 2015, many residents expressed interest in continuing to participate in the fresh
produce markets funded by the Brown University Institute for Community Health Promotion.
The PHA is also very interested in continuing the program and therefore efforts were made
to revive the initiative. Meetings and updates will be coordinated and provided in early FY
2016.
At Carroll Tower a health & wellness presentation took place to educate residents on health
matters such as asthma, hypertension, high blood pressure, and diabetes, among others.
Several organizations attended and did educational presentations for the participants. Some of
the contributing organizations included Walgreens Pharmacy, The University of Rhode Island’s
Pharmacy Department, and The University of Rhode Island’s SNAP Program which did a
presentation on how to purchase healthy food items.
HEALTH & WELLNESS
The holidays are a special time for
communities and families alike. For this
reason, Resident Associations and Planning
Committees in the PHA utilize these special
days to have residents and staff celebrate
together. In some instances, holiday
gatherings were used for awareness and
educational aims. Codding Court, Roger
Williams, Chad Brown, Admiral Terrace and
Sunset Village held events on Mother’s Day
to celebrate the mothers in these develop-
ments. For the events, gift cards and flowers
w e r e p u r c h a s e d a n d w e r e
distributed to 25 recipients. Similarly, Carroll
Tower and Kilmartin Plaza held Valentine’s
Day events and in these events the
opportunity was also taken to educate
attendees on how to adopt healthier habits
in order to improve their overall health. In
addition to the aforementioned events,
Kilmartin Plaza also held a St. Patrick's Day
event while the family developments held a
holiday toy drive for the children in their
developments. Another holiday that was
celebrated by the residents of Manton
Heights and Parenti Villa was Halloween.
During this celebration residents were given
a flyer informing them of who to contact in
the event of an emergency. Residents
enjoyed food and refreshments.
BACK TO SCHOOL
EVENTS
Back to School events took place
i n a l l o f t h e f a m i l y
developments. Participants
enjoyed refreshments, music,
bouncy houses and a raffled
prize. School supplies and
backpacks, donated by Cox
Communications and United
Health were supplemented by
other funds, and given to each
resident child between the ages
of 6-17.
These events were a huge
success thanks to the donations
from PHA sponsors and the
c o l l a b o r a t i o n a m o n g
community partners, Resident
Associations and Planning
Committees as well as PHA
staff. Resident Association and
Planning Committee members
distributed flyers, volunteered
to distribute backpacks, grilled
food and assisted with the
clean-up after the events.
HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS
COMMUNITY SOCIALS Across all of the developments numerous community social events took place. Dexter Manor
held coffee hours in the evenings with the purpose of boosting resident participation levels and
the development of resident socialization. The Coffee hours allowed residents to participate
in open discussions regarding their concerns and offered them the opportunity to share ideas
for building-wide improvements. In addition, high rises held cultural festivals for all participants
which are designed to bring all of the residents together. Those who attended enjoyed dishes
from around the globe. Additionally, Chad Brown, Admiral Terrace and Sunset Village had a
management/maintenance appreciation event which gave the PHA staff and the residents an
opportunity to show their gratitude to the staff that is a vital part of the developments.
Monthly Resident Association meetings were also held in Hartford Park and in Carroll Tower
to give Resident Association members the opportunity to plan community-wide events and to
educate residents on different topics that are relevant to their respective populations.
Furthermore, Dominica Manor offered crocheting classes and art classes to their residents
where the participation rates remained consistent during the year. At Hartford Park, in an
effort to keep staff and the Association connected, members hosted Staff Appreciation Events
to honor them for their hard work which benefits the development. In an effort to strengthen
resident relationships, Kilmartin Plaza held recurring, community-wide activities one of which
included monthly birthday celebrations. Another community event in Parenti Villa was the
Food Pantry Appreciation event which was held to thank the volunteers that assist in direct-
ing the program. In this event residents enjoyed a BBQ while they listened and danced to a
variety of music played by a DJ and they also participated in raffles. To commemorate this
event the Food Pantry volunteers received Appreciation Certificates.
Parenti Villa
Food Pantry
Appreciation
Event
Painting
class at
Dominica
Manor
Hartford Park Appreciation Event
Mayor Elorza visiting Parenti Villa
Resident Representation
Status by Development:
Resident Association (R.A.)
Development R.A. P.C.
Carroll Tower
Chad / Ad / Sun
Codding / Roger
Williams
Dexter Manor
Dominica Manor
Hartford Park
Kilmartin Plaza
Manton Heights
Parenti Villa