EDA Winter Newsletter

WINTER NEWSLETTER Page 7

Housing Authority Cont.

Ed Sherwood, US Army Ed received an Honorable Discharge after serving in the US Army from 1975 to 1976. He would also find himself homeless for the last two years. Ed has a history of chronic homelessness which made it a bit more challenging to build his trust. A Council Member from the City of Riverside learned about Ed and asked the City’s Outreach team to engage him for services. He was then connected to the VA Loma Linda and issued a HUD-VASH voucher in July 2015. Due to the challenge of finding an affordable housing unit (in addition to finding a landlord that would take his dog) and other significant barriers, his voucher expired before a housing placement was identified. None-the-

less, our local outreach teams did not give up and transportation was coordinated for him to the DMV for him to obtain his California ID and to the VA Loma Linda Medical Center for continued healthcare treatment. Ed reports hearing about the Veteran Housing Fair through the Housing Authority and a Secretary at Harvest Christian Fellowship. He attended and was issued a new HUD-VASH voucher and matched to a unit that would be ready for move-in December 30 th . He is now in his unit and expresses a sincere appreciation for everyone who, “…never gave up on him.”

2015 Customer Service Survey The Housing Authority continually surveys the customers that we serve and annually compiles the results. The survey participants are primarily Section 8 and Public Housing customers. This seven-question survey provides our agency with very good feedback on how the customers we serve rate our service. In 2015, we received 388 surveys total from the Riverside and Indio locations to include in the results. Our customers rate our service: 96% Favorable 2% Unfavorable 2% No Response (to one of the questions) Factoring out the 2% No Response, this result is actually 98% Favorable. This is a great accomplishment by all staff responsible for dealing with our customers and something that which all of us in the Housing Authority can be proud.

Perris Family Apartments In February, 2016, The Coachella Valley Housing Coalition will celebrate its grand opening for Perris Family Apartments located in the City of Perris. The County of Riverside contributed $1,000,000 in HOME funds for the construction of the multi-family apartment complex. As a result, units will be rented to eligible low-income households. The Complex consists of 75 units and is also equipped with a community room, swimming pool and tot-lots. Residents will also have the advantage of on-site services including tutoring, after school programs and GED preparation programs.