$400,000 in HUD funds
Rhode Island housing authorities will be receiving funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under the Resident Opportunities and Self-Sufficiency Program (ROSS). Under the ROSS Resident Service Delivery Models Program, several housing authorities will receive funds to help provide support services for elderly residents and persons with disabilities. These services may include: meal services and personal care; housekeeping aid; assistance with daily activities and primary medical care, by a nurse practitioner; in addition to transportation services, adult day care, and emergency medical care.
The Providence Housing Authority will receive $100,000 to fund its “Housing Helps” programs which provides such services to residents n its seven elderly and disabled housing developments.
Rhode Island's Market Has Changed. Developers, Builders, Investors and Sellers Must Change With It.
By Emilio DiSpirito IV License Partner | Engel & Völkers Oceanside Leader | The DiSpirito…
Learn More
The Coventry Housing Authority, partnered with Coventry Human Services, West Bay Vocational High School, and the Doehla Foundation will use its $9,042 in funds to provide “assisted living” services to 44 elderly and/or disabled residents of Knotty Oak Village and North Road Terrace I and II.
The Cranston Housing Authority will receive $75,000 to assist 20 elderly residents at six senior housing developments.
In addition, certain housing authorities will receive ROSS funding in the form of Service Coordinator Renewal Grants. Service Coordinators work to link elderly or non-elderly people with disabilities, who reside in eligible housing to community-based support services they need to continue living independently.
The Cranston Housing Authority will receive $37,500 to provide such services to the elderly and disabled population in six developments.
The Woonsocket Housing Authority has also been awarded $73,011. These funds will assist approximately 749 residents in four elderly/disabled high rises across the city.
The Newport Housing Authority will receive $30,000 to provide services for the elderly and disabled in Newport and Jamestown. The activities will take place at Donavan Manor.
The Johnston Housing Authority will also receive a $75,000 grant to provide service to low income families to become economically self-sufficient. These services are designed to assist families with children where the head of the household is working, seeking work, or it participating in on-the-job-training or educational programs. The Housing Authority will work in conjunction with several Rhode Island organizations, including the Rhode Island Opportunity Center. Services provided include: employment training and counseling, employment linkage and job placement, vocational training, child care as needed, computer and skilled training, home ownership training and counseling and transportation.
Realtors discuss rental issues in Narragansett
A second meeting of the Kent Washington Board of Realtors Rental and Property Management Committee was held with individuals from the University of Rhode Island and the Narragansett Police Department. The meeting was a follow-up to one held in January.
A model lease designed to maximize accountability of both renters and property managers was reviewed with some corrections and additions. Important sections of the model lease address overnight guests, parties, and disturbing noise, delinquent checks, breach or and non-compliance with lease, sorority and fraternity activity, and parental signatures.
Attorney Lise Iwon explained the non-compliance and eviction procedures. Police notification of property owners or rental agencies after party-complaints was discussed as well as follow-up police action. There was discussion about the difficulties of applying University jurisdiction to off-campus violations. Other enforcement issues discussed included the designation of agent for a non-resident landlord and the use of equipment to measure decibel levels.
The meeting concluded with the announcement of a related campus meeting and a description of Internet resources. Joe Robenhymer made the observation that the majority of students are fine and do not cause problems, noting that students might work to influence their peers to be part of the solution.
NAR launches new ads emphasizing value
The National Association of Realtors is launching two new television ads this month as part of a $15 million television and radio campaign designed to promote its official Realtor.com Web site and further educate consumers about the value Realtors bring to real estate transactions. The 2000 campaign is an extension of the $33 million public awareness campaign NAR started in July 1998.
The Realtor.com spot is designed to increase traffic to the web site and communicate to consumers that the site is a convenient way to become empowered, educated and more confident to start the home buying process. The spot, entitled
Realtor.com features more than 1.3 million property listings, representing more than 90 percent of all homes listed for sale in the United States, and the site receives more than six million consumer visits monthly. In addition to searching for a home, visitors to Realtor.com can find a neighborhood or search for a Realtor or lender. Additional features include tips for buying, selling, moving and making or accepting an offer, as well as HomeSpeak Forums where consumers can share advice.
The second new spot in the campaign is designed to persuade the home sale “do-it-yourselfers,” otherwise known as “FSBOs” (For Sale By Owner), that it makes sense to use a Realtor. The FSBO spot illustrates the convenience and expertise Realtors bring to complex transactions. It makes side-by-side comparisons between selling a home with and without the expertise of a Realtor, and lets viewers draw their own conclusions about which method is preferable.
Recent research shows the success the first series of four ads had in raising consumers’ awareness of the convenience, expertise and value of Realtors. The latest study shows that when compared to benchmark research performed prior to the start of the campaign, consumers’ awareness of Realtor services has increased.
The research found a 34 percent increase in the number of consumers who believe practitioners help maximize a home’s selling price. Additionally, the number who believe practitioners simplify buying a home rose by 17 percent; and the number who believe practitioners save time in the home buying process rose by 20 percent.
As with the prior spots, the new campaign is a joint effort of Richardson, Myers & Donofrio (RM&D) of Baltimore and Townsend & O’Leary (T&O) of Irvine, California. The campaign – touting the theme “You’ve got a life. We let you live it. We’re Realtors. Real estate is our life.” – is targeted toward homebuyers and sellers between the ages of 25 and 54 with household incomes of $50,000 or greater.
“Realtor.com is the leading real estate site, and National Association of Realtor members are among the best the profession has to offer,” said T&O Executive Vice President & Partner John Most. “Our goal is help consumers to simplify their transaction by arming them with the information they need and the professional – a Realtor – who can help them make it all happen.”
The network television and national cable spots will air on morning news programs such as Good Morning America, The Today Show, CBS This Morning, Saturday Today and CBS Sunday Morning News; evening news shows including ABC World News Tonight, CBS Evening News and NBC Nightly News; and cable stations CNN, CNN Headline News, A&E, Discovery, Lifetime, The History Channel, and the Learning Channel. Radio ads are scheduled on more than 7,000 stations nationwide, including CBS, NBC, and top ABC networks such as Prime, Platinum and Genesis.
Extending the reach of the campaign is an innovative Web-based media planning service to support local and state Realtor associations who want to fund local programs to supplement the national effort.
Townsend & O’Leary, part of the T&O Group with offices in Irvine, Calif., and Denver, specializes in integrated media neutral branding solutions. T&O is focused in consumer, business-to-business, high technology, e-commerce and youth marketing-related, advertising, public relations, and interactive communications.
Baltimore-based Richardson, Myers & Donofrio, founded in 1964, is an independent marketing communications agency offering integrated advertising, public relations, interactive, brand consulting, and anthropological and traditional marketing research services. The collaboration between RM&D and T&O stems from their membership in the Worldwide Partners global network of marketing communications firms.
