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TRANSCRIPT
The
Informer
ISSUE 2 April, May and June 2013 VOLUME 7 INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
TRANSFORMING ANNISTON HOUSING TOGETHER!
AHA EDUCATIONAL STIPHEN RECIPIENT’S
COMPUTER CLASS
ANNISTON COMMUNITY EDUCATION FOUNDATION ACTIVITIES
RESIDENT COUNCIL MEETINGS
GED CLASSES
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Anniston Housing
Authority
Executive Board of Directors:
Kathy Dreyer Chairperson James L. Smith Vice Chairperson Curley Davis, Commissioner David Dethrage Commissioner Susan Ponder Commissioner
If you live in Public
Housing, you may be
eligible to receive an
educational stipend of a
$175-250 when you
receive an associate or a
bachelor degree.
In our efforts to seek community
involvement and obtain information
from Anniston Housing Authority
(AHA) residents, a series of
community meetings were held in
March and April of 2013. Each
meeting began with Mr. Willie
“Sonny” McMahand, AHA
Executive Director sharing his vision
of transforming AHA housing
developments which included:
The importance of Resident
Involvement and to inform
residents of AHA policies,
procedures, programs and
services.
Improving the public image of
public housing by transforming
AHA housing developments into
choice neighborhoods where
families want to live, work and
succeed.
Plans to implement programs
such as the Family Self
Sufficiency Program (FSS) and
Homeownership Programs.
Continuing on page 2
The Informer PAGE 2
Anniston Housing
Authority
3/18/20
Mr. McMahand asked residents to share their thoughts
and perceptions of their communities, as well as ideas
they have to address problems within their communi-
ties. The discussions of expectations from the staff and
residents were:
From staff:
Improving customer service and maintenance of
units along with providing residents programs and
addressing safety concerns.
From residents:
The importance of paying your rent on time or if
you are not able to pay your rent contact your
Manager before the rent is due. Remember to
report all changes in income or family composition
within ten days.
Also, discussed with residents how important it is
to follow all rules of the lease and not allow
undesirables in the housing communities.
In addition, surveys were distributed to all
residents that attended the community meetings. RESIDENT SURVEY RESULTS
Total AHA units: 831
# of residents attended: 476
Total surveys received: 420
OVERALL RESULTS:
Very Satisfied 27% Satisfied 19%
Neutral 22% Dissatisfied 13%
Very Dissatisfied 16%
Each survey was tallied, verbal comments and written
comments from residents were extracted from the
meetings and surveys. These comments were entered
into a management operation plan that was presented to
the Board of Commissioners. The comments were very
important and will assist us in developing action plans
to better serve the housing communities.
Continue on page 3
PAGE 3 Anniston Housing
Authority The Informer
3/20/2013 3/20/2013
Some of the comments received were:
Need to enforce severe action for lease termination
Excessive maintenance charges
Washer and dryer hook ups
Security issues: improvement of community policing
program and revising the criminal trespassing policy
Curfew Policy
Improve curb appeal
Issues with criminal activities: break-ins, gun control within community, domestic abuse and shooting
Strengthen resident relations
Parental control of youth
Management issues: Improve customer service by AHA management.
The implementation of the Action Plan will take place within the next few months. There will be updates in the
future newsletters and on the housing website annistonhousing.org. We thank all residents that attended the
meetings and completing the surveys over the past month. Please continue to attend community meetings and take
advantage of community programs. Remember your opinion matters to us and let it be known within our housing
communities and Housing Choice Voucher Program will play an important role in the revitalization efforts in the
City of Anniston.
3/13/2013
PAGE 4 Anniston Housing
Authority The Informer
EDUCATIONAL STIPHEN SECOND QUARTER RECIPIENT’S
Adrian Long
Parkwin Homes Community $175 Post-Secondary Stipend
Congratulation to Ms. Adrian Long of the
Parkwin Homes community. She graduated in
December 2012 from Gadsden State Community
College with an Associate in Applied Science
with a concentration in Early Childhood
Development with an outstanding 3.5 Grade Point
Average. She currently works at Cheaha Regional
Head Start with children between the ages of 3-5.
The staff of Anniston Housing Authority supports
you. Keep up the good work!
Jeffery Gaston
Cooper Homes Community $100 Post-Secondary Stipend
Congratulations to Mr. Jeffery Gaston of the
Cooper Homes community. He passed his test
in May 2012 at Gadsden State Community
College. The staff of Anniston Housing
Authority supports you. Keep up the good
work!
PAGE 5 Anniston Housing
Authority
We have three computer labs located at the following developments: Glen Addie Homes
Community Building, Norwood and Constantine Homes.
The computer labs are provided for the youth in public housing to assist in the
after-school program at Norwood and Constantine Boys and Girls Club. In addition, the
lab at Glen Addie is for the youth, adult education and computer classes.
Computer classes at Glen Addie Homes Community Center are available:
Monday—Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to noon.
Classes are taught by Ms. Faye Gregory. If you have any additional questions, please call
236-1575, ext. 35. We look forward to seeing you there. (Will count as community service hours)
If You Do Not
REPORT
All Income,
You Must
REPAY.
It’s The
Law!
Note: To complete community service
hours, residents can volunteer at your
local nursing homes, schools, social
service agencies, daycare center or
hospital. If you have any additional
questions, please contact local social
service agencies, housing manager or
resident services.
The Informer
Community Service Activities
Dates to Remember
May 12, Mother’s Day
May 27, Memorial Day
June 16, Father’s Day
The Housing Authority
will be closed on
May 24 and May 27.
PAGE 6 Anniston Housing
Authority
Anniston Community Education Foundation Community
Activities
The Informer
Anniston Community Education Foundation (ACEF) is off to another great start for the
year 2013. There has been a tremendous increase in community engagement with ACEF
sponsored events such as Parents As Leaders (PAL) and the ACEF Youth Coalition. We
would like to encourage you to continue to support these meetings not just for a greater
number of participants, but for the knowledge that you receive and are able to share with
your families.
We would like to remind you that PAL’s meetings are held once a month at your local
Cheaha Regional Head Starts. Those head starts are Ayers, Constantine, Hobson City,
and Norwood. These meetings are open to parents that have children attending one of
the head start centers and are in conjunction with the parent support meetings.
ACEF’s youth Coalition is open to children from grades 2nd - 12th. These meetings take
place on Wednesday at 4pm here in the ACEF office located at 818 Leighton Avenue
Suite A. Youth meeting this grade criterion are welcome to attend. There are no fees, just
a quick application to join.
Anniston Community Education Foundation is now preparing for the 3rd Annual “Let
Them Shine Family Summit. The summit will be held on Thursday, June 27, 2013. Last
year’s summit hosted more than 500 youth participants and expects that number to in-
crease tremendously.
This year’s summit speakers include Mr. Bobby Humphrey, former running back for the
University of Alabama and Denver Broncos, and Mr. Sam Dansby, father of NFL line-
backer Carlos Dansby. These two tremendous speakers will speak on topics such as rais-
ing a pro athlete and the use of alcohol and drugs. You do not want to miss out on this
momentous event.
For more information please call
(256) 741-1629 / (256) 741-1630
Or visit
Annistoncef.org
PAGE 7 Anniston Housing
Authority The Informer
The Resident Council is a group of
individuals living in public housing from
the nine developments located in
Anniston, Alabama. They meet monthly
to discuss issues that will improve the
quality of life for residents living in
public housing.
Resident Meetings are held at the
following location:
Glen Addie Homes Community Center
@ 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. every
second Tuesday of the month.
I encourage anyone who would like to
attend these meetings to please come.
Your voices and opinions matter. If we
don’t hear from you it makes it hard for
the housing authority to better serve you
and your family’s housing needs. For
additional questions, please contact
resident services at 256-236-1575, ext.35
or your community representative.
Kelli Sullivan– Glen Addie Homes
Janice Finley– Washington Homes
Vanessa Williams– Parkwin Homes
Nellie Sterling– Cooper Homes
Delphine Lockett– Norwood Homes
Aline Woods– Fairview Homes
Maxine Smith– Constantine Homes
Donna Roberson– Constantine Homes
Debra Young– Barber Terrace/Tinsley Manor
Mariah Denise Matthews
Cooper Homes Community
Congratulations to Ms. Mariah
Matthews of the Cooper Homes
community. She received her high
school diploma from the Cornerstone
Christian Correspondence School in
March 2013. The staff of Anniston
Housing Authority supports you.
Keep up the good work!
“Please remember rent is due on
the 1st of each month and late after
the 6th of each month. A late fee
of $25 will be applied to your
account after the 6th of each
month.”
The
Informer
Anniston Housing Authority
P.O. Box 2225
Presort STD US Postage
Paid Metro Mail
The Anniston Housing Basic Adult Education Courses (GED) incentive program is designed to prepare individuals
to successfully pass the GED exam using trained instructors. The classes are administered through Gadsden State
Community College/Ayers Campus.
The incentive for successfully passing the GED examination is a $100 stipend for public housing residents. Also,
the Housing Authority will pay the initial registration fee of $50 for all public housing residents to take the exam.
To qualify for the stipend:
Attend at least 80% in-class instructions.
Must be a resident of Public Housing.
Classes are:
Instructional Classes 10:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Tues/Thursday (mandatory)
Tutorial Session 10:00 a. m. - 1:30 p. m.
Monday/ English (Reading, Writing & Language)
Wednesday/ Math (Basics & Algebra)
( Must attend at least one session)
Instructors:
Ms. Faye Gregory, English/Reading Instructor
Mr. Paul Denson, Math Instructor
For additional information please call, 256-236-1575, ext. 35.
Seeking volunteers to help with
the "Let Them Shine" Family
Summit on Thursday, June 27,
2013. If you are interested in
volunteering please contact
Resident Services at
256-236-1575, ext. 35 or
Kerwin Allen of the
Anniston Community Education
Foundation at 256-741-1630 for
additional information.