"MEMBERSHIP DOES HAVE PRIVILEGES"
Resident Leadership is a hard and tough road to travel for the chosen few who elect to serve.
Many people don't realize what it takes to lead successfully. The enormous commitment and time, training and development. This can be even tougher for leaders of color,especially when working in the Public Housing Sector.One of the sources of support, education and networking is participation in associations and groups that foster education, development and resource building.
15 years ago NOAAH was thought of and born out of concern regarding the assault on African American PHA Directors and the discriminatory treatment of persons who lived in public and assisted housing developments. NOAAH purposed itself to serve as an advocate for all people of color to ensure that both the PHA administrators and residents received fair and equal treatment free from illegal discrimination and the pursuit of excellence in the delivery of housing programs. Throughout these years NOAAH has aggressively stayed true to its charter and been an effective force in representing the needs and rights of its membership.
Participants, speakers and service providers included resident, homeowners and housing experts from across the country. Special guest speakers included the under secretary of HUD, Congressman Cleaver of Missouri, who grew up in Public Housing and remains a staunch supporter of public and assisted housing programs.
The choice to use a one room rally meeting format instead of a smaller more intimate breakout room format also contributed to the poor quality of the presentations. The prevailing perception is NOAAH did not have either the funding or event planning expertise to produce a higher quality event for the money charged. It was not an event that measured up to the reputation, value or expectations of the participants for the most part. When participants registered and paid the registration fee several events appeared on the agenda such as the opening reception and continental breakfast each day. Some will argue that these are not important issues but for persons who planned their budgets before going have a different opinion.
Last week NOOAH is hosted it's Annual Conference at The Gaylord Resort and Conference Center in National Mall, Maryland located just outside Washington, D.C..
The NYCHA delegation was more than 150 strong and by far the largest delegation at the conference. Lafayette Gardens was represented by Sharon Thomas, Financial Secretary and TYree Stanback, President.
Participants, speakers and service providers included resident, homeowners and housing experts from across the country. Special guest speakers included the under secretary of HUD, Congressman Cleaver of Missouri, who grew up in Public Housing and remains a staunch supporter of public and assisted housing programs.The conference addressed such issues as resident rights under the Federal Fair Housing Laws and Regulations.These govern the rights of all residents, be they in Public, Private or Assisted Housing.
Given the current economic and political climate, it is imperative renters and homeowners know and understand their abilities to exercise said rights.
Residents, particularly those residing in public, assisted or any form of federally subsidized housing should seek to understand the serious nature of the proposed cuts in funding now being discussed in the congress and senate. Dramatic cuts in funding will mean reductions in services at all levels. Cuts to operations will mean less staff, reduced cleanliness and increased fees and charges to residents.
Reductions to Capital Projects will mean the properties will continue to age and deteriorate. No new projects or repairs will move forward. This will increase dependency on private management and investors that can directly lead to PRIVATIZATION that none of us can afford.
Another strong presentation of the conference was the session on Section 3; its use and the need for leaders to be more diligent in exercising resident rights in of this vital program, particularly in public housing. Clearly, based upon the discussion, many leaders and administrators are not versed to know the impact and potential of the Sec 3 law.
The New York Citywide Council of Presidents won the prestigeous "Chapter of the Year Award" and CCOP Chairperson Reggie Bowman won the "Terry Devornay Award" for Excellence in Housing Leadership.
The overall quality of the conference had serious issues. There were no printed materials provided to assist and compliment the presentations. Only two of the numerous presentations had visual aids. This lack of supporting documentation and resources meant participants had to spend a considerable amount of time writing and taking notes instead of being able to really pay attention to the spoken word. Participants from NYCHA, Chicago Housing Authority and the DC Housing Authority strongly engaged in all discussions and provided critical life experiences to the conversations.
The choice to use a one room rally meeting format instead of a smaller more intimate breakout room format also contributed to the poor quality of the presentations. The prevailing perception is NOAAH did not have either the funding or event planning expertise to produce a higher quality event for the money charged. It was not an event that measured up to the reputation, value or expectations of the participants for the most part. When participants registered and paid the registration fee several events appeared on the agenda such as the opening reception and continental breakfast each day. Some will argue that these are not important issues but for persons who planned their budgets before going have a different opinion. One of the factors in deciding to attend a 4 day conference in another city is budget. Meals, transportation and miscellaneous expense come into play. If you budget on certain items based upon the promotional materials only to discover what you were promised is not what you received it is dishonest business practice.
The Gaylord Hotel and Convention Center was beautiful. Every bit the 5 star property it promised to be. The location in the new very upscale community of National Mall in Oxon Hill Maryland was not without challenge. All of the eateries and shops are high end and close early. The trip into Washington is possible but limited because of the transportation schedule for the hour and 15 minute trip from the hotel. It involves a combination of bus and train.
The rooms are tastefully done in muted tones with great views of the Potomac river and community. Personally, as a disabled person, I found the hotel to not be very accommodating or prepared for persons with vision challenges.
Special recognition and appreciation should be given to the Citywide Council of Presidents and NYCHA staff members who organized and hosted the trip. Buses were provided by a new vendor "Best Trails" and the motor coaches were superior in quality and comfort to the previous vendors.
Presidents representing Brooklyn West included:
Charlene Nimmons, President of Wyckoff Houses
Leora Keith, President of Tompkins Houses
Isabella Lee, President of Whitman Houses
Cassandra Hurrell, President of Bed-Sty Rehabs
Diane Jackson, Former President of Cooper Park Houses
TYree Stanback, President of Lafayette Gardens Houses
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