MHRA
Resident Services
Overview
MHRA is widely recognized for its array of supportive programming offered to residents. MHRA offers many family and elder/disabled services depending on what residents need in order to successfully maintain their housing and independence.
Services
MHRA offers an array of programs for families and youth designed to help children and young people prepare for successful futures while fostering overall family self-sufficiency. Currently, in cooperation with its program partners, MHRA offers educational and recreational programming for residents aged three to adult. Some of the programs MHRA currently offers are:
Manchester School District Developmental Preschool
An MHRA-Manchester School District partnership enables children ages 3-4 to participate in literacy-based educational opportunities in preparation for kindergarten. Morning and afternoon sessions of academic instruction are complemented by wrap-around preschool daycare for children whose parents work. The Authority’s Even Start partnership with the School District provides family centered literacy activities for parents and their preschoolers, including early childhood enrichment as well as English as a Second/Other Language and computer literacy programs for adult family members.
Youth Opportunities MHRA offers recreational and educational programs for youth. Programs such as a computer learning lab designed to provide positive activities for out-of-school hours, fostering academic success, various sports activities and cultural activities are offered.
Scholarship Opportunities Scholarship opportunities are available to MHRA residents (both public housing and Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher) each year from a variety of sources including the Manchester Housing and Redevelopment Foundation and various housing industry groups. To apply for the Public Housing Authorities Directors Association (PHADA) scholarship, visit www.phada.org or click the following link to access the application “PHADA Scholarship Application.“
HAI Group’s Resident Scholarship Program has been providing scholarships to Public Housing and Housing Choice Voucher residents since 2003. To date, we’ve awarded more than $1,200,000 to over 430 residents! This year, we’ll be awarding scholarships worth $6,000.00 each to 20 residents to continue their education. Students may enter—and win—scholarships for up to four consecutive years. To apply for the HAI Group’s Resident Scholarship Program, visit www.housingcenter.com or click the following link to access the application “ Resident Scholarship Program.“
Adult Economic Self-Sufficiency For adult residents, MHRA offers a wide range of opportunities designed to economically empower and culturally enrich residents. Through a variety of economic development and employment initiatives, with emphasis on educational programs, case management, individualized training and support, work-based learning opportunities, and overcoming cultural and socioeconomic barriers, residents are encouraged to attain self-sufficiency.
MHRA’s Resident Services programs continue to serve as model efforts in improving the quality of life for assisted housing households; providing supportive services to help avoid premature institutionalization of the elderly and persons with disabilities; providing health assessments and education; and empowering low income families through economic and educational opportunities.
MHRA’s Supportive Services Programs (SSP) provide a residential environment for elderly and persons with disabilities who need different levels of assistance with certain activities of daily living. Designed to allow participants to maintain an independent lifestyle, SSP provides services such as meals, housekeeping, health information, coordination of transportation, and service coordination to help avoid the need for nursing home or other institutional care.
MHRA’s Mary Gale, Brown School and Laurette Sweeney Apartments are the sites of MHRA’s SSP efforts to provide services to residents of a total of 132 units of Housing Choice Voucher-assisted housing.
A wide variety of Resident Enrichment, Health and Wellness, and Elderly Outreach programs round out MHRA’s services to elders. The Authority’s innovative Pocketbook Therapy initiative has resulted in an aggregate savings of over $1,500,000 on prescription drugs and other health care costs for a total of over 750 seniors since the program’s inception in 2003.
MHRA is proud to offer its Public Housing and Housing Choice Voucher participants the Family Self-Sufficiency Program (FSS). Participants of this 5- year program work with a certified coordinator to reach their personal goals and achieve their own definition of self-sufficiency. The program is flexible with its definition of self-sufficiency because the phrase may not mean the same thing to each participant. One participant may define self-sufficiency by having a job and opening a bank account, and the other participant may not consider themselves self-sufficient until they do not receive housing assistance. In addition to personal guidance, monthly workshops, newsletters, and budgeting instruction, there is also a financial component that is completely exclusive to FSS participants.
The FSS program offers its enrolled participants an escrow account managed by MHRA. What makes this program’s escrow account so special? When your PH or HCV rent increases due to earned income – meaning you obtain employment, earn a raise, or work more hours (and report the income) – the difference between your FSS program starting rent and current rent gets deposited monthly (exact amount dependent on income limits) plus interest. Participants receive the balance of the escrow account after successfully graduating from the program.
Interested? Want to learn more? Fill out the boxes below and our FSS Coordinator will get back to you.
Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS)
One Program with Two Major Goals
Who is eligible?
Families (a family may be one person!) who are housed with the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) and those who currently live in Public Housing (PH) can join the FSS Program. You must be motivated and willing to work towards achieving your goals!
Why join?
The FSS Program is designed to offer one-to-one support to families who may need assistance finding resources in the community that will allow them to become more financially stable while helping them achieve self-sufficiency and independence.
What are some areas of support and service my FSS Coordinator can help me with?
The FSS Program offers participants access to various types of services including, but not limited to, resume writing, interview preparation, job search, counseling, transportation assistance, childcare service information, homeownership, employment training, budgeting, and education.
Ask about the escrow savings account!
Qualifying participants in the FSS program may get money deposited into their escrow savings accounts each month at no cost to themselves. Ask the FSS Program Coordinator for more information about this!