The PHA currently recognizes two Resident Associations:  the Hartford Park Resident Association serving tenants of the Hartford Park Apartments (including Hartford Park Tower) and the Carroll Tower Resident Association serving tenants of Carroll Tower Apartments.

 

Hartford Park Resident Association President:  Vivian Medina, hpra205@aol.com

Carroll Tower Resident Association President:  Larry D’Alfonso, larrydalfonso@gmail.com

 

The role of a resident association or council is to improve the quality of life and resident satisfaction and participate in self-help initiatives to enable residents to create a positive living environment for individuals and families living in public housing. According to HUD regulations, a resident council shall consist of persons residing in public housing and must meet each of the following requirements in order to receive official recognition from the PHA/HUD, and be eligible to receive funds for resident council activities, and stipends for officers for their related costs for volunteer work in public housing:

a. It may represent residents residing: (1) in scattered site buildings;(2) in areas of contiguous row houses; or (3) in one or more contiguous buildings; (4) in a development; or(5) In a combination of these buildings or developments;

b. It must adopt written procedures such as by-laws, or a constitution which provides for the election of residents to the governing board by the voting membership of the residents residing in public housing on a regular basis but at least once every three (3) years. The written procedures must provide for the recall of the resident board by the voting membership. These provisions shall allow for a petition or other expression of the voting membership’s desire for a recall election and set the number of percentage of voting membership (“threshold”) who must agree in order to hold a recall election. This threshold shall not be less than 10 percent of the voting membership.

c. It must have a democratically elected governing board that is elected by the voting membership. At a minimum, the governing board should consist of five (5) elected board members. The voting membership must consist of heads of households (any age) and other residents at least 18 years of age or older and whose name appears on a lease for the unit in the public housing that the resident council represents.

If you would like more information about establishing a resident association or council in your development, contact Angie Osorio Miranda, Community Engagement Coordinator, at aosorio@provhousing.org.