Carol Anne Costa: History, Housing, and Humans
Thursday, December 04, 2014
When income inequality, rising housing costs, and shrinking housing stock combine with huge unemployment numbers, a stagnant minimum wage scale, and an overall lack of understanding of the actual value of low income housing, the resulting impact on people and families often times is devastating and generational. But, it is those within the housing industry who are charged with bridging the gap to housing and bridging the gap of understanding, as to the direct benefit of low income, subsidized, and permanent housing to any community. This charge is Herculean in many ways and we in Rhode Island, luckily have a robust low income housing community which has voice, advocates, data, and anecdotal evidence of the transformational impact of housing for those in need.
The data driven research from The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), The National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO), The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), The Public Housing Association of RI (PHARI) and many low income and homeless knowledge centers is chock full of information which when taken either in part or in whole provides a startling insight into the immense need for stock, programs, funding, understanding, and compassion.
Housing...
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThanks to the vision of Anne Nolan and the direction she has taken Crossroads, as not only a shelter but a plethora of programs tailored to fit certain needs; she has created a knowledge base and an agency that collects and analyzes data based on real time and real people. She and her team have given the housing industry and those who work to end homelessness, some of the tools required for the journey. Housing agencies and nonprofits alike, since Draconian budget cuts on every level and with sequester have all had to do more with less.
All the while, they must continue to provide services so desperately needed and this is no small task. Delivering housing, building new housing, and funding more vouchers is vital to our state and the time is now to examine more and innovative ways to reduce homelessness, increase stock, and provide a hand up for families in need. These families include returning veterans, aging veterans, the elderly and disabled, the foreclosed, as well as the under and unemployed. The programs work and we must cast aside the notion that the people served are malingerers, as this is simply not true.
In a recent report released by Crossroads it is clear homelessness and temporary housing is costly. And, permanent solutions bear real tax savings, as the report reveals a cost saving of nearly $8000.00 is seen when a person enters subsidized, permanent housing. Funding these programs has a demonstrative return on investment (ROI). And, funding and attention are consequential, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, for their report chronicling veterans housing assistance uncovers the truth in numbers. “On November 10, 2014 the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) released a report showing that more than 340,000 veterans received rental assistance as of March 2014. Between 2010 and 2014, veteran homelessness fell by 33%, which CBPP says can be attributed in part to the steady increase in the number of housing vouchers dedicated to veterans since 2008.” The data is stubborn and we must pay close attention.
History and Humans...
It is in the rich history of Rhode Island's housing programs we find the stories of success and they reign supreme, as they chronicle the true human impact of a place to call home. A home is more than a roof and walls it provides a center of a universe, it provides a stability that has the power to erase fear, and mitigate anxiety. The stories of those whose lives were transformed through enabling housing opportunity remain powerful testimony.
So this year as we at the Warren Housing Authority celebrated the 50 years of service to the Town of Warren, I am humbled to say it inspired others in the public housing community to begin in earnest to examine the impact of their respective housing agencies on the people and communities they serve. In a particular, the Pawtucket Housing Authority is celebrating the 75th year of its incorporation, and they built the prospect Heights Housing Development. Prospect Heights was the first public housing development built in Pawtucket and the second in the state. It was originally built on 22 acres of land in the early 1940s for veterans returning from World War II - so many of those vets served by subsidized housing went on to be valuable members of the City of Pawtucket.
Pawtucket Housing Needs You…
I spoke with Stephen Vadnais, the Pawtucket Housing Authority’s Executive Director, and he is very excited to begin a new project that will help to further the understanding of what a home means to folks. He told me they are embarking on collecting history of those who lived in the development and in his words, "the goal is to collect memorabilia and oral history showing how the site played a positive role in their lives. Many people in Pawtucket have family stories that reflect their childhood growing up on Prospect Street. "
We want to encourage those people to share these stories, photos, and memories with us so that we can celebrate the unique place it holds as a ‘neighborhood’ within Pawtucket.” The Pawtucket Housing Authority needs your help as it seeks help from those who have lived at 560 Prospect St., a family housing development with 292 units.
In order to better grasp the purpose and results of the role of affordable and permanent homes why not start with the stories of hope, change, and transformation, as too often they are left out of the public discussion. So, to all those who work so very hard to deliver safe, affordable, and decent housing I say, “ kudos.” Keep up the good work and let us continue to tell our stories with passion for those we serve.
Heaven Medina...
In the words of Pawtucket Housing’s Heaven Medina, who was the Housing America Campaign's 2012 What a Home Means to Me Poster Contest national winner, “Home is about family, peace, bonds, and love. It is where the heart is.” We must never lose sight of Heaven’s message.
If you have any Prospect stories or photos to submit contact Maureen McNulty at [email protected].
Photos and stories can also be delivered in person to the Housing Authority’s office at 214 Roosevelt Ave., the first floor of Fogarty Manor.
For more information, call (401) 721-6011.
Carol Costa is a public relations and community outreach specialist; she has experience in both the public and private sectors. She is the Chairwoman of the Scituate Democratic Town Committee and has extensive community affairs and public relations experience. She previously served in the Rhode Island Judiciary for nearly 17 years. Carol also enjoyed a successful development stint at the Diocese of Providence as Associate Director for Catholic Education and is currently a public housing manager. Her work has been published in several local outlets including GoLocal, Valley Breeze, The Rhode Island Catholic, and Currents Magazine.
Related Slideshow: Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index Scorecard - Providence, RI
HRC's Municipal Equality Index (MEI) demonstrates the ways that many cities can—and do— support the LGBT people who live and work there, even where states and the federal government have failed to do so. GoLocal pulled the data from the 2012 and 2013 reports to show where progress has been made in Providence and Rhode Island.
This year's report rates a total of 291 cities from every state in the nation, representing a total population total of 77,851,822. To see how PVD compares to other cities, download the full 2013 MEI report here and the 2012 version here.
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