Carol's Message
Dear Friends,
In a move that is long overdue, a number of local affordable housing providers met in December 2003 to discuss ways to combine resources, share ideas and work together towards our common mission of providing affordable housing in our community.
After months of informal communication (phone calls and strings of e-mails) where we all seemed to be asking the same questions of each other -- about our "housing plans" in the community, and most specifically our plans in Mountain View -- it became obvious we would accomplish so much more if we all agreed to meet in person and ultimately work in concert with each other.
Along with its housing partners, Anchorage Housing Initiatives (AHI), Anchorage Neighborhood Housing Services (ANHS)/Anchorage Mutual Housing (AMH), and Habitat for Humanity - Anchorage, CIHA is party to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that expresses the intent and desires of these organizations to work collaboratively on future housing related issues, and to allow the organizations to coordinate the delivery of affordable housing and housing related services in the community.
The MOU "binds" us to honor each other as partners in our common passion -- affordable housing. There is synergy in working together. While we all work independently in providing affordable housing and work individually to meet the needs of our core clients, we also recognize the strength in working together and combining our collective knowledge, experience, general information and services to achieve effective results, cost efficiencies and a united voice on all aspects of affordable housing issues.
As a group, we've adopted a set of strategies that will be our guiding principles. We recognize that strategic planning -- and thus the identification and establishment of priorities in the community -- are essential. The group will meet at least quarterly to discuss affordable housing needs, community development activities and partnering opportunities and will ultimately develop a coordinated housing plan.
We will share information -- including that related to funding opportunities -- in order to increase organizational efficiencies, staff capacities, and success of funding requests and decrease duplication of effort by each agency. Additional goals include the coordination of activities that will stimulate or support economic growth and, in an effort to improve client self sufficiency, a commitment by each organization to hire affordable housing clients when applicable.
All of the partner organizations have independently been doing important work in the community for years. We will each continue to strive to find new and better ways to assist our core clients ... and now by working together we hope to be more effective not just in the assistance we provide those clients but in the impact we're able to make on the community as a whole.
Affordable Housing is about so much more than providing people a place to live ... It's about revitalizing neighborhoods, economic development and empowering individuals to move beyond the need for assistance to independence. I invite you to join with us as we move forward -- together -- in these efforts.
Carol Gore