Coram Rimes, Commissioner of the Housing Authority of the City of Orange, is appointed to MARC NAHRO’s Executive Board
Housing Authority of the City of Orange Chairman Ernest Williams Receives Volunteer Award
Housing Authority of the City of Orange Chairman Ernest Williams Receives Volunteer Award
ORANGE, NJ – October 31, 2019 – Ernest Williams, chairman and longtime commissioner of the Housing Authority of the City of Orange, was acknowledged for his selfless service to the community when the Family Assistance Resource Center honored him with their Trevor Stephen Community Service Award. The Fifth Annual Award Recognition Dinner took place recently at Libretti’s Restaurant in Orange.
“Ernest Williams has been an integral part of the success of the Housing Authority of the City of Orange,” said Dr. Walter McNeil, HACO’s executive director. “His commitment to his community is evident in the amount of time and effort he puts into volunteering. He is an inspiration to all of us.”
Williams received the Trevor Stephen Award in recognition of his volunteer activities serving the needs of families and fire and natural disaster victims. FARC, a 501c3 non-profit, was founded in 2010 in response to a devastating fire that left 100 families homeless. Since that time, the organization has created programs and services that meet the needs of families and individuals in crisis such as access to clothing, footwear, furniture, household goods, bed and bath linens, food, and housing resources assistance.
“I am honored and humbled to receive this award,” said Williams. “As a member of the community, I have always felt it was important to lend a helping hand to my neighbors in need, which is something the Family Assistance Resource Center does on a regular basis. It is my privilege to be part of their work.”
Ernest Williams
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Trevor Stephen was a licensed electrician and plumber who devoted long hours to FARC as a volunteer. He passed away suddenly in 2015. The award was established in his honor.
About the Orange Housing Authority
The City of Orange Housing Authority works to transform the City of Orange by providing safe, livable and affordable housing that promotes the development of communities. At the Orange Housing Authority, participants are not statistics, they are neighbors. The OHA knows the community and tailors programs to better serve the participant’s needs. Whether it is a search for housing, assistance with foreclosure or neighborhood development, the Orange Housing Authority stands ready to offer its services to all residents.
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HACO Executive Dr. Walter McNeil Joins Prominent Speakers at Two Major State Conferences
HACO Executive Dr. Walter McNeil Joins Prominent Speakers at Two Major State Conferences
ORANGE, NJ – August 20, 2019 — Dr. Walter McNeil, executive director of the Housing Authority of the City of Orange, was invited to be a participant at two, prestigious conferences this fall, the Governor’s Conference on Housing and Economic Development and the New Jersey
Association of Housing & Redevelopment Authorities Conference and Trade Show (NJAHRA).
Although Orange is one of the state’s smaller cities, it is leaving a big footprint in modeling the transformative effect of carefully planned and efficiently executed redevelopment. In recent years, HACO has embarked on several ambitious building projects resulting in the conversion of some of the city’s worst neighborhoods. Dr. Walter G. Alexander Village I, II, and III is a multi- million- dollar redevelopment that has revitalized the city’s central and east wards into safe, affordable housing for working families and senior citizens. Approximately 156 units of townhouses have replaced vacant, dilapidated properties that had been magnets for crime.
Today, those streets are filled with brightly colored town homes and single-family homes with decorative street lamps, and gardens, and crime is down by a reported 30 percent. Dr. Walter G. Alexander Village IV is under development and will add another 44 family units. So far, property values have increased, jobs have been created, the local economy has been stimulated, and additional revenue to the city has been produced.
At the conferences, Dr. McNeil will share his decades of experience in public housing administration and public service. He has served as executive director of the Housing Authority
of the City of Orange since 2005 and as president of the Orange Housing Development Corporation,
HACO Executive Director
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which created Dr. Walter G. Alexander Villages. Previously, Dr. McNeil was the executive director of the City of Plainfield Housing Authority. He has also served his community as a city administrator for Plainfield and as a Union County freeholder. Dr. McNeil holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bates College and a Master of Public Administration from Kean University. Dr. McNeil received his doctorate from Rutgers University.
At the Governor’s Conference on Housing and Economic Development, set for September 16 and 17, in Atlantic City, Dr. McNeil is among a group of distinguished speakers that includes Lt.Gov. Sheila Oliver and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. He will participate on a panel with Nana Duncan, founder of the Thatcher Duncan Group; Ricardo Fernandez, City of Passaic business administrator; Karim Hutson, founder, Genesis Companies; and Matthew Reilly, president and CEO, Moorestown Ecumenical Neighborhood Development.
The panel will be discussing New Uses for Old Spaces, a subject Dr. McNeil knows well. He has been instrumental in renovating dilapidated neighborhoods one ramshackle house and vacant lot at a time. The Governor’s Conference is hosted by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, New Jersey Economic Development Authority, and New Jersey Redevelopment Authority.
At the NJAHRA Conference, scheduled September 23 to 25, at Resorts Casino-Hotel also in Atlantic City, Dr. McNeil is the solo presenter at a session entitled Ethics for Public Housing Authorities. The conference brings together housing and redevelopment professionals to network and share experiences. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with HUD and other key
officials.
About the Orange Housing Authority
The City of Orange Housing Authority works to transform the City of Orange by providing safe, livable and affordable housing that promotes the development of communities. At the Orange Housing Authority, participants are not statistics, they are neighbors. HACO knows the community and tailors programs to better serve the participant’s needs. Whether it is a search for
housing, assistance with foreclosure or neighborhood development, the Orange Housing Authority stands ready to offer its services to all residents.
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Golfers Rallied to Launch Gifted Students on Path to Medical Careers
Housing Authority of the City of Orange Welcomes Dawn Edmond
Housing Authority of the City of Orange and City of Orange Say Farewell to Long-Term Public Servant
ORANGE, NJ – July 11, 2019 – Joanne Kureshepi, long-term administrative secretary at the Housing Authority of the City or Orange (HACO), got a heartfelt send-off into retirement with a resolution from the city and a day, May 31, designated in her honor.
The resolution praised Kureshepi, stating, “Throughout her 20-year career with the Housing Authority, Joanne earned the respect of her peers, her constituents and that of the population she served. She will be sorely missed by her co-workers, the commissioners, residents, vendors, and many friends she met along the way.”
Joanne joined HACO in May 1999 as the administrative secretary, eventually serving six executive directors. Among her many duties, she maintained the personnel records, prepared the monthly board meetings, and kept the records for the Orange Housing Development Corporation. Joanne took a lead role in organizing and directing the authority’s annual golf tournament that raises funds for college scholarships for deserving high school seniors in Orange.
“I know I speak for the staff as well as myself when I say how grateful we are for the many years of service Joanne has given to the Housing Authority,” said Dr. Walter McNeil, HACO’s Executive Director. “Joanne has been a familiar and welcoming presence that we all have relied upon for her exceptional skills. She has kept this office organized and running smoothly. We wish her health and happiness in her well deserved retirement.”
About the Housing Authority of the City of Orange
The Housing Authority of the City of Orange works to transform the City of Orange by providing safe, livable and affordable housing that promotes the development of communities. At HACO, participants are not statistics, they are neighbors. The HACO knows the community and tailors programs to better serve the participant’s needs. Whether it is a search for housing, assistance with foreclosure or neighborhood development, the Housing Authority of the City of Orange stands ready to offer its services to all residents.
CAPTION: (Left to right) Joanna Kureshepi posed with HACO colleagues and Orange Mayor at her retirement dinner: HACO Commissioner Clifford Ross,HACO Commissioner Ernest Williams, HACO Commissioner Dr. Joseph Juliano, Joanne Kureshepi, HACO Executive Director Dr. Walter McNeil, HACO Commissioner Betty McLeod, Orange Mayor Dwayne Warren, Orange Housing Development Corporation board members Dennis Motley and Avram White.
Continuing His Commitment to Provide Safe, Decent Homes Orange Housing Commissioner Joins National Housing Association
ORANGE, NJ – July 1, 2019 – Having grown up with what he calls “meager means,” Coram Rimes, a commissioner for the Housing Authority of the City of Orange, has had a lifelong dedication to providing safe and affordable housing for low income families. This commitment culminated in his recent election to the Middle Atlantic Regional Council of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials as an at-large member.
“It was a motivating factor for me,” Rimes explained. “I knew I didn’t want to ever be in that situation again. I did not want to see other people in a similar situation, provided they wanted to help themselves and work harder and smarter to change their environment. Let’s face it, the community plays a large part in who you are as an individual.”
MARC NAHRO is a membership organization representing housing and community development agencies in Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Council’s goal is to provide adequate housing and to create stable communities. Rimes was one of five elected out of a field of nine to the at-large position.
For Rimes, this is an opportunity to do what he loves best – learn. “I’m looking forward to working more closely with the seven-member body and to see how similar housing programs compare to HACO. I want to see what I can learn from them and to be a better commissioner.
“I want to learn more and to contribute, to have a higher sense of direction, and to provide a greater value. If you want to do something, you should develop some type of knowledge and expertise to enhance your ability so you can do the job well.”
Rimes brings extensive experience to his new position on the MARC NAHRO Council. He was appointed as a HACO commissioner in 2008 after serving on the Orange City Council for eight years. As a commissioner, Rimes took on the duties of board treasurer, parliamentarian, and board chair. In addition, he was a member of several committees: personnel, finance, ad hoc and housing development. He earned his NAHRO commissioner certification and teaches HUD-mandated courses to new commissioners at Rutgers University School of Government.
So much time and effort are proof of a driving sense of responsibility and duty and speaks to Rimes’s core beliefs. Commenting on his volunteer work, he said, “It’s important because people are important. The way they live, the community, that’s important. So much of that shapes a person and the family and how they develop and grow. The fact that people care. They’re your neighbors. They know you, and they watch out for you. Those are the type of neighborhoods where I grew up. Those are the types of communities I would like to see continue.”
About the Orange Housing Authority
The City of Orange Housing Authority works to transform the City of Orange by providing safe, livable and affordable housing that promotes the development of communities. At the Orange Housing Authority, participants are not statistics, they are neighbors. The OHA knows the community and tailors programs to better serve the participant’s needs. Whether it is a search for housing, assistance with foreclosure or neighborhood development, the Orange Housing Authority stands ready to offer its services to all residents.
American Dream of Homeownership Comes True for Once Homeless New Arrival
Social Advocate and Educator Fatimah Z. Turner Appointed Board Member to Orange Housing Development Corporation
Tragedy of Emmet Till Subject of Black History Program at the Housing Authority of the City of Orange Original Play Presented by United Youth of New Jersey
The event was one of a series of programs, one a week throughout February, celebrating Black History at HACO. Other programs included a dance recital, a movie, and a guest speaker. Approximately 100 residents gathered in the Washington Community Room at HACO headquarters on Thomas Boulevard to hear the couple discuss their play A Mother’s Cry, The Emmet Till Story. Afterwards, they presented the video to the residents.
“We are grateful to Charlotte and Kenneth Brown for bringing this important episode to the attention of present-day audiences,” said Dr. Walter McNeil, HACO’s executive director. “Tragedies like the story of Emmet Till should never be forgotten. They serve as reminders of the importance of respecting every individual as an equal and recognizing their value.”
The couple established United Youth of New Jersey nearly two decades ago as a youth/community-based nonprofit, dedicated to working with at-risk youth and the community at large. Among their many programs are original plays with Black History themes that are written, directed, and produced by the Browns.
“We have taken hundreds of youth off the street corners and involved them in positive and productive programs that are still in operation today,” explained Charlotte Brown. “We believe that if you have enough positive programs going on for our youth, they will not have time to get into trouble. They will be learning in the process.”
One of those lessons in history is the story of Emmet Till, the 14-yer-old African American from Chicago who was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered by two white men in Mississippi in 1955 for supposedly flirting with a white woman. His assailants were the woman’s husband and her brother, who made Emmett carry a 75-pound cotton-gin fan to the bank of the Tallahatchie River, beat him nearly to death, gouged out his eye, shot him in the head and then threw his body, tied to the cotton-gin fan with barbed wire, into the river. The two men were acquitted by an all-male, white jury and afterwards admitted to the murder in a Life magazine article when they couldn’t be re-tried. Decades later, the woman involved acknowledged that she had lied.
Till’s mother, Mamie Bradley, insisted on an open casket vividly displaying her son’s mutilated remains. The pictures were published in Jet magazine, and the story enraged a nation, launching the Civil Rights movement.
About the Orange Housing Authority
The City of Orange Housing Authority works to transform the City of Orange by providing safe, livable and affordable housing that promotes the development of communities. At the Orange Housing Authority, participants are not statistics, they are neighbors. The OHA knows the community and tailors programs to better serve the participant’s needs. Whether it is a search for housing, assistance with foreclosure or neighborhood development, the Orange Housing Authority stands ready to offer its services to all residents.