Building Community Holyoke Unites

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1) Project Description and Final Product(s):

Our project goal is to investigate the community and Resident Council of the Toepfert Apartment Complex (The Flats) for the purpose of determining the desires of the community and how this can be acted upon in accordance with regulations set forward by Housing and Urban Development (HUD) protocol as well as by the budget available to the Council.  We hope to use this information to help organize and empower the Resident Council to become self-sufficient in their leadership and structure and to create an annual plan and budget to represent the needs of the community while also promoting Holyoke Unites’s greater mission of education and literacy.

2) Task Distribution:

Our aim is to work as a cohesive team throughout the project.  Initially, however, we will be dividing into two teams. Team 1 will be working on formalizing the Resident Council and helping them to determine the space and resources that they are entitled to by HUD and also require for their work.  These two will also work alongside the Resident Council as they go before the Housing Authority during February to seek approval of the bylaws which will formalize their authority.  Additionally, this group will work to re-energize the Resident Council’s pre-existing committees. Once the Resident Council is formalized, the members of the first group will join the second.

Team 2 will begin work on the annual plan and budget (currently funded by the $25 allotted for each unit in the complex) and incorporate the visions for programming expressed by community members as well Holyoke Unites’s goal of achieving a 100% graduation rate.  This will help to frame the overall purpose behind these plans. Team 2 will begin work on possible budgetary needs/ grand-writing procedures. Team 1 will join Team two and assist with these tasks.

All member of the group will meet on a regular basis to discuss tasks as well as with Betty Medina-Lichtenstein, director of Holyoke Unites, and will attend meetings of the Toepfert Resident Council whenever possible.

3) Timeline:

February:
23rd - Both teams attend Resident Council meeting in Holyoke . Resident Council should finalize bylaws for council approval. Team 1 learns more about pre-existing committees and begins to plan on how specifically to re-energize them. Team 2: discusses annual plan ideas and budgetary needs.

(NOTE: We will decide who within our group will be on Team 1 and Team 2 once we get more details as to what each task will entail).

27th - Resident Council meets with Housing Commissioner for bylaw approval for placement into Housing Commissioner’s agenda.

March:

First 2 weeks-

Team 1: Researches how to obtain space within local Community Center for Resident Council office (speaks with Headstart and Boys and Girls Club). Works on Re-energizing projects

Team 2: Continues to work with Resident Council on annual plan and budget formation

By 2nd week: Have obtained space within local Community Center for Resident Council office.

End of March: Team 1 should join Team 2.

April:

Mid-April -

Have nearly solidified an annual plan/budget with Resident Council.

End of April -

Finish annual plan and budget alongside Resident Council, which will also serve as a framework for them as they move into the future.