01/29/2010 NeighborWorks and Enterprise Revise Manual on Resident Services

The Creating Opportunities for Families Through Resident Services: A Practitioner’s Manual has recently received a major revision and expansion. Spearheaded by NeighborWorks America and Enterprise Community Partners with funding support from the Freddie Mac Foundation, the manual provides strategies for implementing a basic resident services program.

First developed and published in 2006, the manual offers a recommended approach and resources for offering effective services to residents. Sometimes, affordable housing alone is not enough for low income people to move up and out of poverty. It may take extra help to access needed education, counseling and/or job skills training to grow and reach their potential.

The purpose for creating the manual is to share informative guides and model documents covering the full array of relevant topics both in operations – designing and budgeting for a program, evaluating existing services, developing and managing partnerships with service providers, working with property managers, fundraising – and in key program areas – employment, adult education, child care and after-school programs, community safety and financial literacy.

The original manual has been revised and expanded to two manuals with added information on government funding of resident services; eviction prevention through better communication and procedures between resident services and property management staffs; best practices in developing services partnerships; how to get the best workforce services for residents; free tax preparation services; and new sections on how to work with victims of domestic violence, helping residents be “green” and engaging residents in health and wellness programs.

AASC has a limited number of hard copies and CDs of the manuals and are making these available on a first-come, first-served basis for $20 to cover the cost of shipping and handling.  You can go online to the AASC website to order a hard-copy of the manuals or the CD.