EAST GREENWICH HOUSING AUTHORITY RECEIVES NATIONAL AWARDS
Two initiatives of the East Greenwich Housing Authority have been selected to advance as National Award of Excellence competitors by the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials. The programs are the Classic Car Cruise Night fundraisers – currently underway every Friday night at the Crestar parking lot – and Greener Public Housing, the Authority’s recycling initiative.
A third program, the Family Self Sufficiency Seminars, was also recognized with an Award of Merit.
NAHRO is a Washington DC based housing and community development association with approximately 25,000 agency and individual members. 87% of the public housing programs in the country are represented through NAHRO. The EGHA received notification of the awards last week.
“These awards are especially gratifying because we are a small Authority,” commented Executive Director Marcia Sullivan. “We have been able to accomplish some things here that remain very challenging for our colleagues in larger towns and cities.”
Of particular note is the relative ease with which the local Authority implemented recycling in public housing, even though the agency contracts for private trash removal services. Through an agreement with the Town Department of Public Works and resident education, 100% of the public housing households are recycling. Larger public housing agencies have been hard pressed to reach even 50% recycling rates.
The Classic Car Cruise Nights initiative, now in its second year, is being recognized for the Authority’s outreach to numerous community partners to both sustain a public social event and raise funds for annual holiday giving efforts. The partners include Crestar Picture Framing, Centreville Bank, Flood Ford, Frenchtown Firewood, A. Correia and Sons Trucking, and Gammons/Prudential Realty. Local vendors, such as the Savory Grape, are also donating door prizes. The cruise nights are held every Friday at the Crestar and Centreville parking lots just off Main Street and will go on throughout the summer. Last year, the event began in the parking lot of Felicia’s Coffee but more classic car owners sought to participate than the lot could accommodate. Last Friday night, May 21, over 60 vehicles were on display.
Programs competing for the Award of Excellence from around the country will be on display at NAHRO’s summer conference in Boston July 22- July 24.
