05/24/2012 – CHA’s Lt. Jennifer Wright Receives Liberty Bell Award
Posted on 24. May, 2012 by cmarsh in News
Lt. Jennifer Wright, the Chattanooga Housing Authority’s fraud investigations supervisor, has received the 2012 Liberty Bell Award presented by the Chattanooga Bar Association. Lt. Wright is the only law enforcement officer in the bar association’s history to receive the award, which is given to individuals “whose service to the community strengthens the American system of freedom under the law.”
Lt. Wright, who has worked for CHA since 2003, was recently presented the Liberty Bell Award at the Chattanooga Bar Association’s annual Law Day luncheon. “The way and manner in which Lt. Wright carries out her duties is an example not only to the citizens of the Chattanooga Housing Authority community, but to the other officers functioning in that environment. She must balance every day the tension between constitutional individual rights and the responsibilities of individuals to whom those rights are available,” according to officials with the local bar association.
A member of the newly created Chattanooga Area Gang Exchange, Lt. Wright also volunteers with Metropolitan Ministries and serves on the Vestry of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church where she is the secretary of the corporation and clerk of the Vestry. She earned a master’s degree in public administration and public safety management from Walden University.
Bar association officials say Lt. Wright is the youngest recipient of the Liberty Bell Award, which her great-grandfather, Gordon P. Street Sr., also received in 1979. Lt. Wright is married and has two daughters.
###
05/22/2012 – CHA, Partners Offer Ready2WorkIt Job Readiness Program
Posted on 22. May, 2012 by cmarsh in News
The Chattanooga Housing Authority, Partnership for Families, Children and Adults and United Way of Greater Chattanooga are offering a job readiness program called “Ready2WorkIt.” The nine-session program will be held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1-3 p.m. on June 4-22. Sessions will take place at the East Lake Community Center located at 2600 4th Avenue.
“Ready2WorkIt” will feature winning resume writing techniques, mock job interviews, dressing for success, workplace etiquette and other valuable information to help individuals gain and maintain successful employment. The sessions are free and open to the public.
For more information, please call Takeyta Young at (423) 752-4851 or Jessi Scarborough at (423) 867-9784.
###
05/16/2012 – CHA has Second Lottery Drawing for Section 8 on May 23
Posted on 17. May, 2012 by cmarsh in News
The Chattanooga Housing Authority’s Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) will have a second lottery to draw 75 additional tickets from the pool of applicants that applied for Section 8 housing in October 2010. The drawing will take place on Wed., May 23, at 2 p.m. at CHA’s Central Office at 801 N. Holtzclaw Ave. Applicants do not have to be present at the drawing.
A list of the ticket numbers drawn will be posted online at www.chahousing.org. The list will also be available to view at all of CHA’s public housing communities and Central Office from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Section 8 is a federal housing program administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The program provides housing assistance to renters with low-to-moderate incomes in the form of rental subsidies. CHA administers the program locally and has a total 3,478 vouchers.
In October 2010, more than 5,600 individuals applied for 200 available vouchers. CHA officials created a lottery pool from those tickets that were not drawn in the original lottery. The Section 8 waiting list is currently closed.
###
05/11/2012 – DST, DeSTI, CHA Host Financial Seminar; RSVP By May 23
Posted on 16. May, 2012 by cmarsh in News
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., Chattanooga Alumnae Chapter, and the Sorority’s 501 (c) (3) entity, Deltas Serving Together Inc. (DeSTI), are partnering with the Chattanooga Housing Authority to present the Delta Challenge – DST’s Homeownership 2012 Initiative Seminar.
This free event will take place Saturday, June 2, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at CHA’s central office at 801 N. Holtzclaw Ave. A continental breakfast will be served at 10 a.m., and lunch will also be provided.
This is the seventh year the Deltas have hosted this seminar, which targets prospective first-time homebuyers. This year’s theme is “Building A Strong Financial Foundation.”
The seminar will feature a panel of experts discussing practical ways families can overcome financial barriers to homeownership. Guests will also have an opportunity to visit several booths where they will receive information on credit repair and counseling, homebuyer’s education and available homeownership assistance.
“This is actually the second year the Chattanooga Alumnae Chapter has worked with CHA to offer this seminar,” said Ruby Key, the East Tennessee State Coordinator for Delta Sigma Theta’s Homeownership Initiative. “On a national level, the sorority created the Delta Challenge to provide families with the tools and information they need to become successful homeowners and build wealth. By joining forces with CHA, we’re able to identify those families with the greatest need.”
DeSTI President Stephanie Orr encourages all prospective homebuyers to take advantage of the seminar. “This collaborative effort between DeSTI, Delta and CHA has tremendous benefits. Together, we’re promoting economic wealth and stability for the citizens of Chattanooga. Free financial seminars of this caliber allow individuals to gain practical knowledge about becoming a first-time homeowner,” she said.
June is designated as National Homeownership Month. CHA offers homeownership programs for both public housing residents and participants in the Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8). Since 2004, the agency has assisted 43 clients in becoming homeowners.
“CHA continues to promote family self-sufficiency and upward mobility among our residents,” said CHA Director of Resident Services Carol Johnson. “We sent a direct mailing to several hundred public housing and Section 8 households in an effort to encourage our clients to attend this event. Many of them have the desire to one day own their own home, but they are often discouraged by low credit scores and other financial roadblocks. We’re hopeful this seminar will show them how they can begin to overcome those barriers.”
Along with the Deltas, DeSTI and CHA, Key Bonding is a longtime co-sponsor of this event. Other partners include the Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area, Partnership for Families, Children & Adults-Consumer Credit Counseling Division, BB&T, Chattanooga Human Services, 28th Community Development Corporation, Church Koinonia Federal Credit Union and SunTrust Bank.
Those wishing to attend the financial seminar must RSVP by calling (423) 752-4828. The deadline is Wednesday, May 23.
###
05/11/2012 – CHA Has 2nd Lottery For Fairmount, Maple Hills May 18
Posted on 16. May, 2012 by cmarsh in News
The Chattanooga Housing Authority is having a second public random drawing to pull 100 tickets from a pool of eligible lottery applicants for its Fairmount Avenue Townhomes and Maple Hills Apartments. The lottery will take place on Friday, May 18, at 11 a.m. at CHA’s Central Office at 801 N. Holtzclaw Ave. Applicants do not have to be present at the drawing.
A list of the ticket numbers drawn will be posted online at www.chahousing.org. The list will also be available to view at all of CHA’s public housing communities and Central Office from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Fairmount, located in North Chattanooga, will feature nine three-bedroom units and nine two-bedroom units, as well as walking trails and solar panels on the roof that will supply about 10 percent of the site’s energy needs. Maple Hills is a 48-unit complex in East Chattanooga that will also feature two- and three-bedroom town home-style apartments. Both properties are expected to be LEED-certified.
Fairmount is scheduled to open later this month while Maple Hills is set to open this summer.
###
04/27/2012 – Delta Sigma Theta, Deltas Serving Together, CHA Host Financial Seminar
Posted on 27. Apr, 2012 by cmarsh in News
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., Chattanooga Alumnae Chapter, and the sorority’s 501 © 3 entity, Deltas Serving Together Inc., are partnering with the Chattanooga Housing Authority to present the Delta Challenge – DST’s Homeownership 2012 Initiative Seminar.
This free event will take place Saturday, June 2, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at CHA’s central office at 801 N. Holtzclaw Ave. A continental breakfast will be served at 10 a.m., and lunch will also be provided. This year’s theme is “Building A Strong Financial Foundation.”
The seminar will feature a panel of experts discussing practical ways individuals and families can overcome financial barriers to homeownership. Guests will also have an opportunity to visit several booths where they will receive information on credit repair and counseling, homebuyer’s education and homeownership assistance.
To attend this financial seminar, please RSVP by calling (423) 752-4828. The deadline is Wednesday, May 23.
###
04/02/2012 – CHA Hosting Landlord Fair For Harriet Tubman, Emma Wheeler Residents
Posted on 02. Apr, 2012 by cmarsh in News
04/02/12 – The Chattanooga Housing Authority’s Housing Choice Voucher Program, also known as Section 8, is hosting its second Landlord Fair on Thursday, April 12, at 6 p.m. It will take place at CHA’s Central Office located at 801 N. Holtzclaw Ave.
This Landlord Fair is designed to connect public housing residents from Harriet Tubman Development and Emma Wheeler Homes with landlords who have properties available for rent. Landlords are invited to bring pictures of their properties, applications, brochures and other materials for residents to review.
CHA is continuing to assist Tubman residents with locating other affordable housing as they prepare to phase down and sell the 440-unit public housing complex. Officials are also reaching out to Emma Wheeler residents, who are being relocated in phases as the agency prepares to renovate 50 of its 340 units. Construction work is scheduled to start in June.
The Section 8 program is federally funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The program allows eligible families and individuals with low incomes to receive vouchers to find their own housing in the private market. CHA, which administers the program locally, pays a subsidy to the landlord on behalf of the participant. The family then pays the difference between the rent charged by the landlord and the amount subsidized by Section 8.
CHA’s Section 8 program administers 3,288 vouchers and has about 1,200 landlords. The waiting list is currently closed, and no new applications are being accepted for the program at this time.
CHA will not have its regularly scheduled landlord meeting on April 22. The Landlord Fair on April 12 will take the place of that meeting.
###
03/20/12 – CHA Reopens Waiting List For Boynton Terrace, East Lake
Posted on 20. Mar, 2012 by cmarsh in News
The Chattanooga Housing Authority will reopen the waiting list for two of its public housing communities – Boynton Terrace Apartments and East Lake Courts – on Monday, April 2. Boynton is considered an “elderly” site, for residents ages 50 and older, while East Lake is considered a “family” site.
Applicants may apply for housing at the management offices for each site from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Boynton Terrace is located at 955 Boynton Dr., and East Lake Courts is located at 2600 4th Avenue.
For more information, call Boynton at (423) 752-4865 or East Lake at (423) 752-4885.
###
03/01/2012 – CHA, Partners Offer Free ‘Self-Help’ Classes
Posted on 01. Mar, 2012 by cmarsh in News
March 1, 2012 – The Chattanooga Housing Authority is offering several free classes on financial literacy, workplace etiquette, volunteerism, parenting, communication skills and more all this month for public housing residents. The sessions will be held at 10 a.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays beginning on March 5.
All classes will take place in the Neighborhood Networks Computer Lab at Greenwood Terrace Apartments located at 3056 Dee Dr. Most of the sessions will end before noon.
CHA is partnering with Signature Employment Consulting Services, the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga, United Way of Greater Chattanooga and Vincent Phipps of Communication VIP to offer the classes in an effort to promote family self-sufficiency.
For more details about the classes, dates and times, please contact Resident Service Coordinator Brandee Johnson at (423) 752-4170 or (423) 495-0875.
###
02/07/2012 – Urban League Providing Free Tax Preparation For Residents
Posted on 07. Feb, 2012 by cmarsh in News
February 7, 2012 - The Urban League of Greater Chattanooga is offering free income tax preparation for all public housing residents living in communities owned and/or managed by the Chattanooga Housing Authority. The free service will be available at Greenwood Terrace Apartments, 3056 Dee Dr., on Fridays, Feb. 10 and 17, from 10 a.m. to noon.
Residents are asked to call (423) 495-0875 ahead of time to schedule an appointment so that everyone may be accommodated.
###