Plan will focus on English Woods/Fairmount community
CINCINNATI, OH – Jan. 10, 2012 – Today the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) has been awarded one of 13 Choice Neighborhood Initiative (CNI) grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) totaling $200,000.
This two-year grant will be used to develop a comprehensive neighborhood transformation plan for the English Woods/Fairmount community within the city of Cincinnati. CMHA will partner with local organizations and entities in the development of this comprehensive revitalization plan, which will address such issues as affordable housing, neighborhood services, commercial development and quality of life needs.
“This is an exciting opportunity for the English Woods/Fairmount neighborhood to formulate a productive, comprehensive community plan for the future,” said Ted Bergh, CMHA Interim Executive Director. “We look forward to working with the community to further our mission to provide safe, affordable housing for those who need it most.”
As a result of this grant, planning for the redevelopment of the English Woods/Fairmount area will become one of CMHA’s top priorities in 2012. The area consists of 70 acres of land where the now-demolished English Woods community once stood. The neighborhood suffers from high poverty rates – approximately 50 percent of the population lives below the poverty line – and vacancy rates that are nearly three times the average in Hamilton County, according to the USPS. In addition, the neighborhood’s only public school, Ethel M. Taylor Elementary School, is listed under the Improvement status by the State of Ohio, having met only one state requirement during the 2009-2010 school year.
“These statistics underscore the immense need this area has for total redevelopment. We are committed to developing a plan that will address as many elements of the neighborhood’s concerns as possible,” said Bergh.
The CNI planning grants were designed by HUD to support the development of comprehensive neighborhood revitalization plans that have the potential to transform communities into viable, mixed-income neighborhoods by linking housing improvements with appropriate services, schools, public assets, transportation and access to jobs. The three goals of the CNI grant include:
During the CMHA Board of Commissioners Annual Meeting in December, Mr. Pete Witte was voted board chairperson for 2012. A vote for vice-chairperson will take place during the January meeting.
Also during the the meeting the board voted to change the time of the board meetings for 2012. Board meetings will take place the last Tuesday of each month beginning at 6:00pm in CMHA's Auditorium located at 1635 Western Ave.
CMHA has partnered with the Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency (CAA) to provide computer training to residents living in CMHA's Millvale community. The two-year pilot program seeks to address and improve the destabilizing elements - such as having no high school diploma or an unsteady home life - that interfere with education and vocational readiness. Under the program, CAA provides basic and intermediate computer training classes in keyboarding and Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. The free classes are designed to teach or enhance computer literacy so that participants may improve their career opportunities.
A Special Board Meeting will be held Monday, December 12, 2011 for the purpose of litigation and real estate (executive session). The meeting will take place at 5:00pm at 1627 Western Ave.
The Annual Meeting for the Board of Commissioners takes place in December and will be held this year on Monday, December 19, 2011. The meeting will take place at 6:00pm in CMHA's Auditorium located at 1635 Western Ave.
The CMHA Board of Commissioners has called a Special Board meeting for 4:00pm on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011, to be held at 1635 Western Ave. The meeting has been called for the purpose of working on the Executive Director Search process.
Doo-Wop Hall of Famer Daniel Jackson, base singer for The Emeralds has lived with CMHA for the past 11 years. The Emeralds started in 1952 when Daniel was only 15 years old. All the members were still in high school when the group formed.
"I heard the group needed a base singer, and when I got up to sing they told everyone else to leave" Daniel said as he described his invitation to the group. After numerous local gigs, the Emeralds performed at the State Theatre opening the door to some big-name acts.
The Emeralds wrote their own lyrics and had the opportunity to sign with a national record company, Savoy Records, but they recorded in Cincinnati. Daniel has performed at the Apollo, the Uptown Theatre and the Cotton Club and shared the stage with the Coasters, the Isley Brothers, Jimmy Reed, the Cruisers, Fay Simmons, and the Clickettes.
Daniel and The Emeralds reunited for a performance in 2006 and were honored by the Cincinnati Oldies Doo-Wop Association. Daniel enjoys his Riverview apartment and commented that CMHA has been a helpful resource to him. Without the help of CMHA Daniel does not believe he would be able to afford other housing.
The Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) Board Chairperson Lamont Taylor was recently named to the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) National Commissioners Committee. As a result Taylor announced he is stepping down as the chairperson of the CMHA Board. Taylor will continue to serve as a CMHA board member. His current term expires in December 2012.
“I am excited about the opportunity to represent Hamilton County on a national level, and am stepping down as the chairperson due to the time commitment of this new appointment,” said Taylor. “It is important that the Chairperson of CMHA’s board be able to fully devote his or her attention to the agency.”
“Mr. Taylor served as Board Chairperson during a trying time in CMHA’s history and has been crucial to moving the agency in a positive direction,” said Ted Bergh, Interim Executive Director. “We are grateful he will continue to be involved with CMHA and wish him the best as he advocates for affordable housing at the national level.”
Taylor was raised by a single mother who struggled to make ends meet. While he never lived in subsidized housing, he experienced the hurdles many CMHA residents face everyday. It is because of those life experiences that he is so passionate about providing opportunities to the youth and young adults associated with CMHA’s housing programs.
Taylor’s service to CMHA is one highlight in his devotion to the Greater Cincinnati community. In the past, Taylor has served as Chairman for the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority Board of Trustees, president of the Corryville Community Council, chairman of the Corryville Block Watch and as a board member for the Corryville Community Development Corporation, Cincinnati Works and the Cincinnati Empowerment Zone. He is also an active board member of the Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services
The CMHA Board of Commissioners holds its officer elections during its Annual Meeting in December. Vice-Chairperson Pete Witte will serve as Interim Chairperson until the annual elections are held.
***ATTENTION HCV OWNERS AND TENANTS***
CMHA’s 2012 Utility Allowance and Payment Standards information is now available on our website at http://www.cintimha.com/hcv-documents.aspx.
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Contract rent increase requests are not impacted by changes to the payment standards. They are accepted or denied based on whether or not the new contract rent is deemed reasonable rent.
Congratulations to CMHA Board Member Laura Brunner for being chosen for the Cincinnati Chapter of the NAACP President's Award. The award was presented during the Annual NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner on October 21, 2011.