THE GRAPEVINE

May 2014

Hopewell Redevelopment & Housing Authority Volume 210, Issue 5

Monthly Reminders:

Neighborhood Watch/Resident Council

Meetings:

Kippax Place— May 6, 2014 5:30 pm

Davisville/Bland Court— May 14, 2014

1:00 pm

Piper Square—May 21, 2014 1:00 pm

Thomas Rolfe– May 15, 2014 1:00 pm

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.

Laos Outreach Karate Program every Tues-

day at Laos Outreach Center.

FSS Program orientation in the Piper

Square community center May 17th at 1:00

p.m.

Job Corps Orientations at Hopewell VEC

May 8th, 15th, 29th at 9:00am

HRHA Grievance Procedure 2

HRHA Employee Spotlight 2

Management Policy 3

Easter Eggstravaganza 3

Mother’s Day Luncheon 3

Management Corner 4

Pathways 4

JOBS Program 4

JOBS Program 5

Inside this issue:

Hopewell Community Day

On May 17, 2014, from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., Attorney General Mark Her-ring will co-host a Community Day event at Mathis Field, located at 3200 River Road in Hopewell. The event is co-hosted by the City of Hopewell, Hopewell Police Department, Hopewell Redevelopment and Housing Authority, and the Hopewell Depart-ment of Parks and Recreation.

The event will give residents and busi-nesses an opportunity to celebrate their community, beautify their park

through service, receive valuable information about resources available to them, and enjoy a cookout and fun activities for the whole family. In addition, the Hopewell Community Day will bring attention to the efforts of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to combat gangs and violent crime throughout the Tri-Cities area. The Hopewell Police Department, Hopewell Public Schools, and the Attorney Gen-eral’s Office previously teamed up to host a Hopewell Gang Awareness and Prevention Community Forum last May and again in September, along with other members of the Tri-Cities Regional Strike Force, to talk with high school students about the dangers of gangs and the conse-quences of gang life.

On May 17th, the group will spend the morning planting garden beds and picking up trash, and the afternoon will be spent enjoying a com-munity celebration. At a ceremony to kick off the day of service and celebration, local public officials will talk to community members about the coordinated effort to reduce gang activity and violence in the area, as well as the importance of being involved in their neighborhoods and communities. Lunch will be provided for all volunteers and participants, as well a moon bounce and a petting zoo for kids.

Public-private partnerships are important to keeping the Common-wealth safe and prosperous for our future. The event organizers look forward to working with committed business sponsors, organizers, vol-unteers, elected officials, school leaders, and all the community activ-ists on this positive, community-building event.

2

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.

3. 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 Grievance Procedure

HRHA Employee Spotlight

David Raatz currently serves as a Maintenance Technician for Kippax Place and Piper Square. He has been employed with HRHA for 23 years and has had the opportunity to work within all communities at HRHA during his tenure. Prior to employment with HRHA, David served in the United States Army.

David, a native of North Dakota, made Virginia his home after being stationed at Fort Lee. David enjoys sharing his knowledge and skills with other maintenance personnel to ensure residents receive quality service. David is married and has four children and two grandchildren. In his spare time he enjoys reading, working in the yard and vacationing.

3

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

Management Policy

Easter Eggstravaganza

HRHA would like to invite the mothers living in our communities to a celebration luncheon. There will be a guest speaker, prizes and a catered lunch provided. Registration is required to attend.

Date: May 7, 2014

Place: John Randolph Foundation

112 N. Main Street, Hopewell, VA 23860

Time: 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

To register for this event please contact Terence Barber at 804-452-1880 ext. 4 by May 5th

Mother’s Day Luncheon

4

Management Corner

Pathways

JOBS Program

What is a REAC Inspection?

The Real Estate Assessment Center's (REAC) mission is to provide and promote the effective use of accurate, timely and reliable information assessing the condition of HUD's portfolio; to provide information to help en-sure safe, decent and affordable housing; and to restore the public trust by identifying fraud, abuse and waste of HUD resources.

Nearly 4 million American families live in rental housing that is owned, insured or subsidized by HUD. To ensure that these families have housing that is decent, safe, sanitary and in good repair, REAC conducts approximately 20,000 physical inspections on properties each year.

HRHA has been scheduled for REAC Inspection June 23rd through June 27th, 2014, between the hours of 9am and 5pm. Once the REAC Inspector arrives to the sites, 20% of units will be selected for inspection at random. Notices have been delivered explaining what you as a HRHA resident can do to help ensure our inspection re-ceives the highest score possible. We hope everyone will be prepared to show that HRHA is the best!

The Jobs Opportunity Basic Skills (JOBS) program is a program for students to begin to gain work experience prior to graduating. The JOBS program closely follows by its mission: A youth workforce development program that provides 8th and 9th grade students in the City of Hopewell and Prince George County with training in workforce readiness, life skills, character education, and wellness.

In this program, students learn the curriculum of the workplace, such as soft skills and get practice through internships, therefore earning job skills and experience. Students who attend Hopewell High School, Woodson Middle School in Hopewell, and Clements Junior High (Prince George) are eligible for the program, as long as they are eligible for work permits. Class attendance is required (only 3 absences are allowed), and students must have passing grades in all of their classes in order to participate in the internship.

To prepare the students for the world of work, students attend after school classes that are taught by volun-teer instructors/role models from the local community. Each week students receive a “Healthy Tips” handout provided by the YMCA.

Employers hire students at minimum wage, for at least 80 hours of work between mid-June and mid-August. Work schedules are negotiated between the student, their parents/guardians, and the employer. The program year ends in August with a graduation ceremony to which students and their families, employers, instructors, and donors are invited. Since the program was piloted in 2005, close to 300 students have participated.

Pathways is now able to offer a high school diploma as part of our YouthBuild program. Students, ages 17-24, can apply now and earn up to $3,000. We have 25 remaining slots. Please call us at (804) 862-1104 or

visit us at Pathways to apply.

Pathways

1200 West Washington Street

Petersburg, VA 23803

(804) 862-1104

5

Public Housing Staff

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

Lillian Quintana, Administrative Assistant to the Public Housing

Director – (804) 458-5160

Tina Raatz, Housing Manager – (804) 452-1880 ext. 3

Thomas Rolfe Court/Extension & Davisville/Bland Court

Julie Derr, Assistant Housing Manager – (804) 452-1880 ext. 2

Thomas Rolfe Court/Extension & Davisville/Bland Court

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) 855-7065

Emergency After Hours – (804) 640-9337

Hopewell Redevelopment & Housing Authority P.O. Box 1361 350 E. Poythress Street Hopewell, VA 23860 Phone (804) 458-5160 Fax (804) 458-3364 Website www.hopewellrha.org

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