• Secure grants and other funding sources for resident services, capital projects, building maintenance and repair. Examples of such funding include:
  • Affordable Homes Act – recent State legislation, Affordable Homes Act, dedicating $4 Billion for public housing issues over the next 10 years
  • EOHLC – state funding agency for public housing
  • HUD Awards – federal funding agency for public housing.
• Understand and communicate with the residents about the 13-acre parcel owned by the Housing Authority including how we can obtain funding for a feasibility study to build affordable senior housing
• Update policies and procedures, for example, that would safeguard against credit card theft that the Housing Authority experienced between 2009 and 2014 due to negligence by the board.
• Participate and be an active Housing Authority Board member which means more than just attending monthly meetings. Understanding and responding to the Executive Director’s challenges will strengthen that key personnel position. There have been four Executive Directors over the last seven years. A high turnover in this key position is a poor reflection of the Board and negatively effects the residents.
• Ensure all Board members keep current with the Local Housing Authority mandatory training, established in 2017 for all Housing Authority Board members. This training occurs at least every two years and includes oversight, funding, modernization, and resident responsibilities.
• Ensure seniors have quality of life – that means providing safe, decent, and sanitary conditions.

Additional areas of interest or concern are:

• Explore through various state funding programs how we can employ additional maintenance personnel to expedite readying vacant units as well as on-going repairs to aging buildings that are almost 60 years old
• Ensure fire drills are regularly occurring
• Confirm that we update the Fire Department with information on  apartment/residences with handicapped residents
• Confirm code and safety requirements are met
• Explore feasibility of elevator installation in the Birchcrest buildings
• Expedite installation of walk-in showers vs tubs as a safety issue