October 2013 Grapevine

October 2013

THE GRAPEVINE Hopewell Redevelopment & Housing Authority

Bright Beginnings Program

Pictured above is Aretha Myrick and son, Deshaun.

Since 1992, the YMCA has been helping families prepare for back-toschool through its Bright Beginnings program. This year the organization set a goal to take 2,200 children school shopping. With the help of corporate and individual donors, the YMCA gives elementary age children in our communities the opportunity to begin each school year with much needed supplies and clothing. Eligible students are matched with a volunteer for a shopping trip at area Target stores where they receive new clothes, shoes and a backpack filled with supplies.

The Petersburg Family YMCA partnered with HRHA to reserve 50 spots to take children residing in HRHA communities school shopping. Aretha Myrick contacted Resident Services after receiving the community flyer and was able to register her son Deshaun for one of the shopping trips.

“I thought it was a really good experience because I know it is hard getting stuff for school, especially since I had just started my new job. I thought it was tremendous,” said Aretha when asked how she felt about the opportunity.

Deshaun is a first grader at Harry E. James Elementary school and was very excited to have the opportunity to go shopping with his YMCA volunteer and felt it was a good experience. His favorite subject is spelling and he enjoys playing basketball and video games.

Back to school shopping can be challenging for parents. The Bright Beginnings program provides much needed assistance to thousands of eligible families each year. Deshaun and his mother are very thankful for the supplies they received to help him have a successful start to the school year. HRHA would like to stress the importance of being involved with staff and your community activities. Resident Services has established many partnerships with local agencies that have services and programs that can benefit our families.

We hope that each child has a successful school year!

Volume 208, Issue 44

Monthly Reminders: 

Neighborhood Watch/Resident Council Meetings: Kippax Place— October 1, 2013 5:30 pm Davisville/Bland Court— October 9 2013 1:00 pm Piper Square—October18, 2013 1:00 pm Thomas Rolfe—October 17, 2013 1:00 pm Langston Park—October 23, 2013 1:00 pm

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Thomas Rolfe Good News Club, 1st & 3rd Saturday in the Community Center.

Laos Outreach Karate Program every Tuesday and Thursday.

Rental payments are due on the 1st of each month and must be paid at SunTrust Bank by 5:00 p.m. Any payment received after 5:00 p.m. is considered next day and a late fee will be assessed.

Inside this issue: HRHA Grievance Procedure

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HRHA Employee Spotlight

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Management Policy

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Hopewell Explorer’s

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Management Corner

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Employment Opportunities

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HARRI Award

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Community Center Rentals

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Goodwill Employment Center 5

HRHA Grievance Procedure HRHA has a Grievance Procedure that seeks to assure just and unbiased treatment of all residents and to provide procedures which are not unduly time consuming or complicated. The Authority will take required actions to ensure all grievants with special needs are accommodated to provide access to this Grievance Procedure.

Should it become necessary for you to file a grievance, present your grievance personally, either orally or in writing, to the Authority’s Central Management Office or the Management Office where you reside within seven days, after the occurrence giving rise to the grievance.

The oral or written presentation should state:

1. That the complaint is being pursued in accordance with the Grievance Procedure.

2. The actual basis of the grievance.

The action of relief.

A copy of the Grievance Procedure can be found at the Community’s Management Office and at the Authority’s Central Management Office. If you are not satisfied with the resolution of your complaint, you may contact your HRHA Chairmen of the Board of Commissioners at 804-720-2581.

HRHA Employee Spotlight

Terence Barber is graduate student at Virginia State University majoring in Media Management. He came to HRHA as an intern in January of 2012, assisting with Resident Services. He became the Resident Services Specialist in May and has been working diligently to enhance programs and activities.

His future goals include obtaining his Masters with a concentration in Public Relations, advancing as a publicist and event planner, and entrepreneurship.

Terence, a native of Charlotte, North Carolina currently resides in Petersburg. In his spare time, he enjoys doing community service, spending time with friends, family, fraternity and the marching band at VSU, in which he was a member.

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Management Policy HRHA does not discriminate on the basis of disability status in the admission or access to housing or employment in its federally assisted programs and activities. Mrs. Madelyn Madison-Hyde has been designated to coordinate compliance with nondiscrimination requirements contained in the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) regulations implementing (Section 504 CFR Part 8, dated June 2, 1988) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. You may contact her at: P.O. Box 1361 Hopewell, VA 23860 (804) 458-5160

Hopewell Explorers

The Hopewell Police Explorers and several Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA) members held a community event for the youth in Piper Square in August. Children enjoyed a kickball game and popsicles while learning about the Explorers program. Resident Services will be working with the Explorers to periodically schedule community events.

The Explorers is a career-oriented program that gives young adults between the ages of 14 and 21 the opportunity to explore a career in law enforcement by working with local law enforcement agencies. It also promotes character building and citizenship training. Members must be a U.S. citizen, be of good moral character, have current school enrollment with a 2.0 GPA and pass a background check. Explorers receive a wide range of training that includes traffic control, crime prevention, investigative techniques, court procedures and self-defense.

They participate in civic events and social activities such as picnics, parties and field trips. “I thoroughly enjoy working with the youth as their mentor, advisor, and friend. I cherish the trust these kids have in me as well as the relationships I have built and I know for a fact lives have been change,� said Detective Wade .

Often times police are responding to events in our communities and can be viewed in a negative light. This program provides an alternative outlook on persons who work in law enforcement and helps promote positive relationships between citizens and the police force. Training and registrations are conducted every Monday night. If interested in registering your child for the program please contact Detective Wade at 804-541-2284.

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Management Corner HRHA hopes that everyone had a safe and enjoyable summer. Now that summer has officially ended, and children are back to school, we will begin monitoring attendance and tracking grade performance of all HRHA students.

HRHA takes an active part to ensure all children attend school to receive the highest quality of education available.

HRHA will be starting a new program entitled Jumpstart for the 2013-2014 school year. The program will monitor grade performance of HRHA students. We are requesting parents submit a copy of their child’s report card to the Resident Services Team after every grading period. A quarterly honor roll party will be held for all students with qualifying grades. Tutoring services are available from HRHA community partners for students needing additional assistance.

We also encourage all parents to send notices to your child’s school for any absences and maintain a copy for your records. HRHA partners with Hopewell Public Schools to ensure that children residing in our communities attend school on a regular basis. Hopewell Public Schools provides weekly documentation of all unexcused absences.

Lease violations will be sent to all parents with children having an attendance problem with a confirmed administrative plan.

If you need any further information regarding the Jumpstart program or truancy policies please contact Resident Services.

Employment Opportunities

First Annual Tri-Cities Fall Job Fair Come out and meet exciting employers with permanent and seasonal openings! Some of the employers that will be attending are: 

Dollar General

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Home Depot

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Walmart Stores

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Walmart Distribution

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Macy’s

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Lowe’s

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Sam;’s Club

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Ace Hardware

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Old Navy

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John Randolph Medical Center

The fall job fair will be held on October 2nd from 10:00 am—2:00 pm at the American Legion , Post 284, 505 Springdale Avenue in Colonial Heights.

Please bring your resume and dress for success.

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HARRI Award The Resetting Our Communities initiative between the Hopewell Redevelopment and Housing Authority (HRHA) and Hopewell Police Department (HPD) was awarded the 2013 HARRI award by the HAI Group.

On September 28th, Tina Raatz, Housing Manager for HRHA, will travel to Maine to accept the 2013 HARRI award for the Resetting Our Communities initiative. Each year the HAI Group holds a national contest to recognize new and innovative approaches to risk control and promotion of safety for residents residing in public housing communities.

The initiative was in response to four shootings that occurred over the last year in HRHA communities, one resulting in an unsolved murder. All crimes were committed by persons not residing in HRHA communities and were non-resident related. HRHA management held community meetings to discuss safety and available counseling support from the HPD and Clearr Vission, its community mental health partner. At this meeting residents were reassured that HRHA and HPD were working hard to ensure a safe living environment for all.

The importance of participating in Neighborhood Watch associations and reporting the suspicious behavior was stressed to all who attended the meetings.

HRHA revised their internal parking policy to reduce trespassing and unwanted visitors on their properties.

Within three months of implementing the new policy, crime service calls were reduced by 50%. The joint initiative has improved relationships between residents, HRHA management staff and the HPD community police officers, provided an avenue for increased communications between the police and citizens and decreased the opportunity for unwanted crime on HRHA properties.

Community Center Rentals The HRHA’s community centers are now available for rent. Centers are available with a $75 fee, $50 deposit and signed contract. The security deposit will be refunded after HRHA has inspected the center after an event. For more information about the rental of community centers, please contact Kathryn Thompson at 804-541-0392 ext. 4

Goodwill Employment Services HRHA’s newest community partner is the Goodwill Petersburg Employment Center. Goodwill will assist HRHA residents with employment related services such as resume writing, job searches, career assessments and more. The Petersburg location has computers, internet access, telephone, fax and copier services for all registered participants. Employment specialists are also on staff to provide one-on-one career planning consultations.

Goodwill was awarded a grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation to assist unemployed or underemployed women in the area find jobs or advance in their current careers. They will be recruiting for the program over the next month until the maximum number of participants has been reached. Resident Services would like to recruit 5 to 10 participants to join the Beyond Jobs program.

Program participants attend weekly workshops and are given incentives for meeting certain benchmarks in their career searches. This is an excellent opportunity to have an advantage in moving towards selfsufficiency. If you are interested in receiving assistance through the Goodwill center please contact Kathryn Thompson at 541-0392 ext. 4 to register.

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Public Housing Staff Hopewell Redevelopment & Housing Authority

Madelyn Madison-Hyde, Public Housing Director – (804) 458-5160

P.O. Box 1361 350 E. Poythress Street Hopewell, VA 23860

Lillian Millán, Administrative Assistant to the Public Housing Director – (804) 458-5160

Phone (804) 458-5160 Fax (804) 458-3364

Tina Raatz, Housing Manager – (804) 452-1880 ext. 3 Thomas Rolfe Court/Extension & Davisville/Bland Court

Website www.hopewellrha.org

Julie Derr, Assistant Housing Manager – (804) 452-1880 ext. 2 Thomas Rolfe Court/Extension & Davisville/Bland Court

Like our Facebook page! http://www.facebook.com/ Hopewell Redevelopment & Housing Authority

Greg Pe’ay, Housing Manager – (804) 541-0392 ext. 3 Piper Square, Kippax Place & Langston Park Lafonia Thornton, Assistant Housing Manager – (804) 541-0392 ext. 2 Piper Square, Kippax Place & Langston Park Kathryn Thompson, Resident Services Manager – (804) 541-0392 ext. 4 Terence Barber, Resident Services Specialist – (804) 452-1880 ext. 4 Jennifer Campbell, FSS Program Intern — (804) 541-0392 ext. 4 Emergency After Hours – (804) 640-9337

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