Nov. 6: Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA)
Covered by Documenter Antoinette Williams (notes)
CMHA budget update
The Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) kicked off its Nov. 6 board meeting with news about community projects, events and a budget overview.
CMHA launched in 1933 and remains one of the country’s oldest housing authorities. In 1937, Cleveland was one of the first cities to receive federal funding to build government-subsidized housing, or public housing. This began with CMHA’s Outhwaite Homes Estate in Cleveland’s Central neighborhood.
Decades later, the federal government launched the Housing Choice Voucher Program, also known as Section 8. Section 8 enables low-income renters to lease directly from a private landlord, offering alternatives to CMHA properties. CMHA is the largest provider of Section 8 vouchers in the county.
Below is a breakdown of CMHA’s budget and expenses for both types of government-funded housing.
CMHA employees get their flowers, community projects move forward
CMHA also gave staff acknowledgements. One employee recognized was Sheyana Bell, whom CMHA named employee of the month.
“Your efforts, the commitments you make and the lives you touch really do mean something,” said CEO Jeffery Patterson. Bell works in CMHA’s Family Self-Sufficiency program. It is designed to help clients become economically independent.
Patterson said a client “gave one of the most passionate descriptions” about her in a video celebrating the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 50th anniversary. Bell helped her graduate from Case Western Reserve University’s dentistry program, according to Patterson. “And that’s no joke.”
CMHA recognized two more people – Michelle Strazisar and Delores Gray – for their hard work and dedication.
Patterson also announced the status of a few community projects, including a completed mural at the RTA wall as part of a project in Woodhill. The mural is one of the largest in Ohio at more than 700 feet long.
CMHA is also part of a group that received nearly $11 million to make improvements to Irishtown Bend Park, Patterson said. The U.S. Department of the Interior announced the grant in September. It comes from the National Park Service.
Business as usual
The board also voted to approve several resolutions. Here are three examples:
- A one-year contract extension worth up to $150,520 to Avrem Technologies LLC for updates to the phone system for CMHA police.
- A five-year contract extension with CHN Housing Partners to provide 16 project-based vouchers for low-income households. Unlike tenant-based vouchers, project-based vouchers are tied to the rental unit.
- Two separate two-year contracts with Farrens Landscaping Company LLC and Robin’s Nest Property Management Landscape Services Company for snowplowing services. The total contact is not to exceed $315,100 and is dependent on available funding.
Read the notes from Documenter Antoinette Williams:
