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Community Relations
Mission Statement
To encourage and enhance the quality of life for
the East St. Louis Housing Authority residents by offering self-governing
opportunities through involvement in public housing administration decisions,
coalition building, and more efficient safety and security activities within
their developments.
We have established a Community Relations Department
to fulfill this mission.
Nurturing
Community Relations
The Community Relations Department has specific goals and objectives. The
department faclitates our residents’ involvement in public housing
administration as also in decision making, and discharging of responsibilities
relating to public housing issues. Our Resident Councils and Resident Advisory Boards foster self-governance
by our residents. Members also actively participate in the Resident Patrols and
Neighborhood Watch Programs to ensure safety and security in the developments
where they reside. The Community Relations staff act as liaisons to resolve
disagreements between residents and the East St. Louis Housing Authority
(ESLHA) staff, as well as with other residents.
The Resident Council Programs are active in 13 out
of 16 development sites of ESLHA. Two more are in the offing. Currently we have
seven Resident Patrols Programs, one in each of our high-rise. Out of our ten
low-rise building sites, five currently have the Neighborhood Watch Programs.
We will extend this facility to two more
of our sites very shortly. We have established Boy Scouts and Youth Police
Academy Programs in East St. Louis.
We will continue to build resident coalitions that
help our members build a sense of community, establish power bases for dealing
with political pressures, increase their self-help skills, and to make social
programs within their developments more effective. We will continue to work
with the ESLHA departments, the City of East
St. Louis, community groups, and other
agencies to help our residents become more involved in the process of
self-government and to become less dependent on the East St. Louis Housing
Authority.
Community
Relations Department
This
department ensures close association of the residents relating to daily
decisions and responsibilities in the administration of public housing. We
established the Resident Advisory Board, Resident Council, Resident Patrol,
Neighborhood Watch, Boy Scouts, and Youth Police Academy Programs in our
developments. The Community Relations staff identifies and recruits
residents with leadership potential for our Resident Councils.
We setup informational meetings, nomination
meetings, and conducted Resident Council elections, as well as train
residents in how to conduct their own meetings, establish power bases for
dealing with community and political pressures in their developments, assist
our residents in making the social] programs at their individual developments
more effective, and assist our residents in developing the skills that will
allow them to become independent from the ESLHA. Staffing for the Community
Relations Department currently consist of the Community Relations Manager and
the Community Relations Specialist.
The Department has the following goals and objectives:
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To sustain our Resident Councils, Resident Advisory Board, Resident Patrols,
Neighborhood Watch, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Youth Police Academy Programs which
offer continued opportunities to our residents in decision making on matters
concerning their safety and security and on the types of services that are
offered to them.
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Increase Resident Council responsibility and accountability in daily,
weekly, and monthly financial/fiscal procedures as they maintain their Resident
Council bank accounts, increase fund-raising activities and accountability at
all developments; provide opportunities for residents to improve their computer
skills, and increase their knowledge in parliamentary procedures.
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Set up
and maintain a system that allows for
a more accurate and effective way of tracking, handling, and supporting Resident
Council issues/concerns such as: the installation and delivery of computer
equipment, stoves, refrigerators, television sets, etc. and to insure that resident
services such as cable television and/or direct TV are performed in a timely
manner.
The
Community Relations Manager reports to the Director of Housing
Operations. All staff reports to the
Executive Director, who implements policies and procedures for the agency that
are approved by the duly appointed Housing Representative (HAR) of the United
States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The Executive
Director overseer the daily operations of the ESLHA with the assistance of the
Deputy Executive Director as established by the Organizational Chart. The Community Relations Manager supervises
the Community Relations Department and is responsible for assessing the needs
of Residents. He develops, contracts,
coordinates, administers, monitors and evaluates the social and human services
programs that affect the Residents of the ESLHA. He works directly with the
Residents to establish and strengthen Resident groups, (i.e. Resident Councils
and the Resident Advisory Board) while securing resources to be used for
Resident initiatives, which conform to the goals and mission of the ESLHA.
The Community Relations Manager coordinates
meetings between designated ESHLA staff, designated police staff, fire
department staff, Resident Councils, Neighborhood Watch and Resident Patrol
groups, and other community representatives. The Community Relations Manager
organizes, coordinates and supports the ESLHA resident programs as they relate
to drug prevention programs and anti-crime strategies in and around public
housing developments. This Department is responsible for coordinating and
facilitating fundraising activities to support resident groups as well as
developing problem-solving strategies that promote cooperation with designated
ESLHA staff, police, and related community representatives. This Department
plans events, write press releases, takes photos of ESLHA events, responsible
for creating flyers, brochures, letters, surveys, and other correspondences to
gather information and promote Resident and ESLHA activities and events.
The Resident Councils were established to involve residents in the
day-to-day management of their own affairs so that they more self-sufficient by
solving their own problems; to assist management in the planning and
development of realistic resident policies and procedures; to give ideas for
the development of social programs that will attract and benefit residents; to
develop better self-help skills; to establish a power base for dealing with
political pressures; and to help residents develop a sense of community by
taking pride in the developments where they live.
Contact the Community Relations Manager for
step-by-step details in setting up a Resident Council in your area.
This
body is made up of presidents from 14
out of the 15 of our development sites. To be a member of the Resident Advisory Board, you must be a Resident Council President.
The Board helps foster better resident-management
relationships with the ESLHA. It also represents the total resident interest in
efforts to: improve the quality of life for all residents; provide advise to
and consult with ESLHA on policy issues that affect the residents; act as
advocates on behalf of the residents in their developments. The board advises
and supports the Resident Councils; and trains potential leaders within the
developments.
Contact the Community Relations Manager to set up a
Resident Advisory Board in your area.
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