Housing IS

CLPHA Director of Cross-Sector Initiatives Abra Lyons-Warren was recently invited to serve on an expert advisory group (EAG) for the Youth Fields Workforce Study, funded by the Wallace Foundation and led by Deborah Moroney at the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and partners. In her role, Abra will represent the interests and needs of the youth fields workforce in housing authorities, advise on the study, and ensure the work can be a key driver to inform policy and practice.

From Bloomberg:

A public housing community in Jersey City received an unusual amenity earlier this month: an indoor farm that will produce 550 pounds of free leafy greens a year. It’s the first of 10 aeroponic farms that will be installed across the city in a novel pilot program called ​​Healthy Greens JC that aims to tackle food insecurity by merging technology, education and food access.

From Eminetra:

Access to food, or inaccessibility, has long been a problem in Sun Valley. It has been described as both a food desert and a food swamp. Similar ideas indicate that access to large grocery stores is not as easy as that of healthy food stores, and that the number of fast food and convenience stores is disproportionate.

From Spectrum News 1:

Grabbing their gloves and walking out onto the baseball field still takes some getting used to for 17-year-old Melissa Perez and 12-year-old Katherine Rios "because we never had anything like this and it’s all new to us," Perez said.

The field they walked out onto at the Boys & Girls club of William Meade — to them — is straight out of a dream.

From ABC 7 Chicago:

The Chicago Housing Authority and Operation Warm gave away more than 6,000 coats Saturday to people just before the city takes a turn toward winter weather.

"It just helps the community so much," said Angela Young, who received a coat at the drive.

That's the goal of Operation Warm, the non-profit that teamed up with CHA to support children and families in need before the cold sets in.

From NBC 4 Columbus:

 Residents and organizers celebrated the first anniversary of the Carol Stewart Village in Franklinton, a place designed to help at-risk youth find stable housing, healthcare, and prepare them for success.

“It kind of puts you on the right track once you have the stability of housing,” said Jay Kerr, a recently placed resident of the village.

Kerr says he was 19 when his foster parents kicked him out of the house.

From the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee's newsletter:

The PNC Foundation is awarding a $600,000 grant to support the launch of the Black Business Boost Fund, an ecosystem designed to increase opportunities for Black entrepreneurs and business owners in underinvested neighborhoods of Milwaukee. The program will include direct equity investments, technical assistance, credit recovery, incubation, access to co-working space, working capital and strategic, ongoing one-on-one mentoring.

From WKYC 3:

$18 million is now going to address disparities for the underprivileged in Cleveland. It's called the "ACHIEVE GreatER" initiative, spearheaded by Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals. 

The initiatve will help tackle complex issues that reside deeper than the surface of the skin. Medical issues that often get roadblocked by socio-economic challenges we face, especially for underdeveloped and struggling parts of Cleveland.