CRHA outlines 'Residents First' strategic plan and three-year trauma-informed transition

CRHA staff reported the authority is advancing a multi-year strategic plan focused on three priorities — Resident First, community building and organizational capacity — and said the agency is initiating a three-year transition to trauma-informed operations. Kathleen, resident services director, told the board the plan includes new hiring practices that increase resident participation, monthly site events and site beautification work, and standard operating procedures (SOPs) that went into effect this spring. “We’ve looked at having, increasing resident participation. One of the things we’ve been doing is increasing hiring of residents,” she said. Trauma-informed transition Staff said the trauma-informed conversion will take about three years. “Our resident service staff have all had this training, and we’re working on making sure all of our property management and eventually all of our staff have had access to that training,” Kathleen said. She gave examples of intended on-the-ground changes: staff training for maintenance and front-office personnel on how to interact with residents, redesigning office and community spaces to be welcoming, and applying a trauma-informed lens to notices and tenant communications. Organizational capacity and partnerships Staff described expanded capacity-building: three full-time resident-service coordinators, expanded ROSS and Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) programs, Jobs Plus activities in West Haven, and new grant-development staffing (a grants and development coordinator hired in 2023). The agency said it has sent more than 25 staff to trainings on redevelopment and affordable-housing development and applied to seven grants. Energy audits and redevelopment The agency said it is pursuing energy audits and energy-efficient upgrades and is collaborating with local partners and LEAP on environmental work. Staff said a private donor recently funded a power-purchase agreement (PPA) for solar at Sixth Street South Hershey Phase II. Nonprofit affiliate proposal Staff noted the board that the next formal step to create a nonprofit affiliate would be a request to city council for permission; legal counsel would follow if council approves. Kathleen said a nonprofit could diversify funding in a time of uncertain public budgets. Why it matters: The strategic plan sets operational priorities that affect resident services, redevelopment choices and grant strategy. Board members asked for periodic progress reports and emphasized capacity constraints as the main barrier to operationalizing the plan. Ending Staff said they will return with more detail on a trauma-informed care implementation guide and the nonprofit proposal in future meetings.