Live, Work, Play: A Program Model
Live, work, play. It’s a simple yet divided concept when we consider how separate our home work and play environments can be. For the most part however, these environments form into one another more than we think, emphasizing the importance of our environment overall. It’s important to have safe spaces to work live and play. For low income families across the nation many do not have the option to ensure that their children have safe living and play environments. This week we visited the organization that ensures low-income families right to safe and affordable housing. At the Plattsburgh Housing Authority we had an afternoon of learning and a tour from Mark Hamilton, Executive Director of Plattsburgh Housing Authority, Glenn the Maintenance Supervisor for Housing Authority units and Officer Rotella of the Plattsburgh City Police Department who is the head of police oversight and interaction in the housing authority developments. Together these men along with a team of other dedicated professionals work to assign, maintain and oversee the housing units and form a safe live work and play environment for their residents.
Mark started off our tour by first giving a briefing of two perspectives within the Housing authority. The perspective of those who run it and the perspective of the residents. Mark has an extensive knowledge and expertise both perspectives, which speaks to his success as a leader of these programs. He understands and works to improve relationships and trends within the housing authority and has built relationships with many of the residents within the community. Mark briefed us on how a family or individual applies for the program, how they qualify, what standards they have to meet upon acceptance and what consequences come with violating a lease. In addition, Mark also educated the group on what type of resources and community outreach programs Mark provides or recommends for his residents. Mark works with the most vulnerable residents in Plattsburgh. In the city of Plattsburgh in order to support a family and individual, workers would have to make $30 an hour to support their family and for many that’s just not feasible, especially in part time minimum wage positions. Mark and the Housing authority charge $338 (+/-) per month for residents depending on family size. Renters pay what they can and the government subsidizes the rest. They have 601 housing units and 792 households under their jurisdiction some of which includes their senior high-rise units.
Mark puts an emphasis on the importance of a sense of community within these developments and believes safe housing is a leverage point for self-sufficiency for these residents beyond the Housing Authority. PHA (Plattsburgh Housing Authority) has social programs for residents, a community garden to encourage healthy living and eating, a youth center called the Ted K. Center where students can spend constructive time learning new skills, studying, exercising and interacting with other children, and has access to numerous community partners for activities and resources for kids and adults through their tenant relations coordinator. Programs like free flu-shot clinics, their non-smoking campaign and events like their health insurance information fair all contribute to the well-being of residents and set them up for success beyond the Housing Authority, while promoting a healthy living environment. Green spaces, playgrounds and community gardens get residents outside and active. The youth center provides academic, social and emotional support for kids living in difficult environments. This mentorship can be vital to a child’s development and success and can change the intergenerational inequity poverty can create. When we visited the Ted K. Center it was flooded with action as we saw ten or more children cycling through the doors and playing and working in a hundred different directions. The children adored the adults who volunteer their time to teach and watch over them and the volunteers emitted their generosity through their interactions and care for the children. The center acts as an escape for children who some need from their home lives. When I asked some of the kids at the center what their favorite things about the center were, they answered, “using the computers, playing with friends, and Tom” (Ted K. Center director). When I asked them what they’ve learned at the center they all answered, “how to be kind and look out for each other”. Tom fondly reminisced on the time he’s spent there and the friendships he’s formed with resident children through the years. They have done countless events within the area including Toys-4-Tots with the NYS Troopers, wildlife center, Adirondack Extreme and basketball game field trips, and each summer does a daily lunch program to ensure kids get fed, all free of charge. The selflessness of Tom and the rest of the Ted K. Center volunteers often goes unseen. But seeing the look in the children’s eyes as they looked up to Tom moved me. He is a selfless advocate for community involvement and personal growth and has dedicated a commendable amount of time into giving these kids equal opportunity to succeed in their lives and communities. The work of Mark and Tom support and the live, work, play ideologies in the resident’s environments empowering healthy lifestyle changes and choices.
After Mark explained some of technicalities with acceptance into the housing program and told us about the resources they offer we heard from the Maintenance Supervisor Glenn. Glenn works with Mark on prioritizing federal funds for improvements to units. Each year the PHA has about a ¼ turnover rate which means each year ¼ of their units are vacated and ready for new tenants. When residents leave units often that transition period is used for upgrades, repairs and improvements. Since the buildings were build decades ago they face two large environmental issues: lead paint and asbestos. Glenn and his team ensure the safe encapsulating of lead paint and asbestos in the units. In over twenty years they have never had a child test positive or test with elevated lead levels or lead poisoning. One disadvantage for residents is that when it comes to housing options those with a higher income can avoid health risks posed with these units but low-income families have no choice but to take the risk of exposure. They place a huge amount of trust in Glenn and the PHA to properly handle these hazards and as seen in the government housing in major cities across the U.S. sometimes these threats are not maintained to code causing detrimental health risk and diseases. Glenn does a great job in determining highest priority needs for their residents and ensuring a safe living and playing environment for families.
The last member of the PHA team we got to meet was Plattsburgh City Police Officer Rotella. Officer Rotella is the main police point of contact that works for the PHA on a daily basis. He works to engage positively with the residents to form healthy citizen-police relationships and expectations within their community. Low-income residents are more likely to have encounters with the police and in times of social or economic distress in the lives, interactions are not always positive. Officer Rotella spoke highly of his job and the relationships he’s formed. Just as the Ted K. Center did, officer Rotella provides a crucial exposure to resources and individuals of trust outside the home for children. Officer Rotella goes further than patrol and does fraud protection classes for seniors in the high-rise building and focuses on ridding the community of welfare fraud, and drug abuse and selling: the most frequent crimes that face low-income communities. Officer Rotella is a passionate advocate for residents and uses his platform to encourage healthy expectations between citizens and police.
Visiting the Plattsburgh Housing Authority was an important and educational trip to learn more about those directly assisting the most vulnerable in our community. PHA’s mission is to go beyond ensuring quality, safe and affordable housing by forming strategic community partnerships that will create an environment to promote opportunities for residents’ self-sufficiency. Criss Jami once said, “Good work is giving to the poor and helpless, but divine work is showing them their worth to the one who matters”. The opportunities Plattsburgh Housing Authority has created for residents under their management is life-changing and perfectly defines the interrelatedness and importance of healthy live, work and play in our environments.
Attached is an article on the Columbia Police Department’s Outreach program. This is an example of another police department leveraging their relationship with citizens. Additionally, I have attached an article about the importance of childhood mentoring in kid’s lives.
Thanks for reading!