Government

HABD announces public safety measures at Marks Village

THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES — Michael Lundy, CEO of The Housing Authority of the Birmingham District (HABD), last week announced the closure of 12 of 19 entry points into Marks Village Public Housing Community to reduce ways for perpetrators to escape the site as well as help better monitor who is going in and out of the community.

Published

5 years ago

April 14, 2019

Oakland Post

By Ameera Steward

Michael Lundy, CEO of The Housing Authority of the Birmingham District (HABD), last week announced the closure of 12 of 19 entry points into Marks Village Public Housing Community to reduce ways for perpetrators to escape the site as well as help better monitor who is going in and out of the community.

Lundy was joined at a public safety forum by Jefferson County Sheriff Mark Pettway, Birmingham Chief of Police Patrick Smith, Presiding Judge of Birmingham Municipal Court Andra Sparks and other elected officials such as Jefferson County Commissioner Lashunda Scales.

Lundy spoke a week after Birmingham city councilors asked tough questions about what the housing authority was doing to protect residents at Marks Village in the Gate City Community after two people were hurt in a recent shooting. Councilor Steven Hoyt criticized the housing authority for not acting on the council’s request to close roads more than a year ago.

“Putting the barriers at these 12 streets will not eliminate all the crime, it’s a good first step,” said Lundy, who added that his team has been working with the Birmingham police department and Mayor Woodfin to develop safety measures at Marks Village.

HABD is prepared to close some of those entry points as soon as this month. The barricades will not be a continuous fence but still give residents the ability to walk freely back and forth from the site. The barriers will be approximately three feet tall and will have shrubbery that will make it more aesthetically pleasing.

HABD anticipates the installation will take approximately two weeks.

The Alabama Department of Transportation has provided HABD with 60 concrete barriers which will be placed in various locations around the housing community.

Lundy said the barriers aren’t meant to “fence in” residents and he’s heard support for the safety measures.

When housing officials asked how many supported the closing of the streets during a previous meeting, “every hand in the house went up,” he said, “the thing that touched me most, there was a kid who was about 8 or 9 years of age….and he didn’t only raise his left hand, he raised his right hand, he raised both of his hands.”

Cory Stallworth, Vice President of Real Estate Development & Capital Improvement at HABD, said (a) third-party security company provided advice on some roads that could be closed to make the site more [accessible] but also limit unwanted vehicles and activities.

“We developed this plan in consultation with the residents…and the surrounding stakeholders, and so we met with Birmingham Police Department to get advice on our road closures as well as Birmingham Fire & Rescue to make sure that the site is still accessible for emergency responders,” said Stallworth.

Most of the closed entryways will consist of alleyways that are owned by HABD and are typically not high traffic roads “and so they don’t need to be open to [the] larger community. They’re very narrow and you can’t get two cars down there at the same time in the opposite direction,” Stallworth said.

Additionally, the HABD met with the Birmingham City Schools to talk about the bus route throughout the site.

“We wanted to make sure they still had accessibility to get the buses in and out of the site. We met with the MAX transportation system, they actually relocated their bus routes from the interior of the site to the exterior of the site along Kimberly,” said Stallworth.

The next steps include putting out signs to let the larger community know that some streets will be closing.

“Once we place those barriers in place, we’ll have signs that will probably read ‘no outlet’ on each one of the road closures as well as the barriers will be highly reflective so that they can be seen at night,” Stallworth said.

Law Enforcement Support

Pettway said there will be no obstacles between the different agencies working to protect residents.

“If something happens, we will respond and we will take care of it on the spot,” he said. “I have a captain who is ready to take any call from anybody…in Marks Village. I have a sergeant who’s ready to make sure that you get top notch service right here.”

Smith said his department is working to stem violence and take guns off the streets but wants residents to help as well. “And I need everyone to stand up. So, if you see something be sure to say something, let us know what’s happening because we can’t do it alone,” he said.

Sparks said he believes the municipal court can also find ways to help. “The remedy is not jail, the remedy is in supporting people when they make bad choices and helping them make better choices,” he said.

Christine Wynn, a resident of Marks Village for 10 years, said she was pleased to see the safety measures.

“I’m thinking we all [are going to] come together as a family,” she said. “We’re going to bridge that gap…and start working together like neighborhood watch.”

This article originally appeared in The Birmingham Times.

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

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6 days ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

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DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland

Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.

Published

1 week ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.

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MAYOR BREED ANNOUNCES $53 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT FOR SAN FRANCISCO’S HOMELESS PROGRAMS

San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the city a $53.7 million grant to support efforts to renew and expand critical services and housing for people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.

Published

2 weeks ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

Mayor London Breed

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Contact: Mayor’s Office of Communications, mayorspressoffice@sfgov.org

***PRESS RELEASE***

MAYOR BREED ANNOUNCES $53 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT FOR SAN FRANCISCO’S HOMELESS PROGRAMS

HUD’s Continuum of Care grant will support the City’s range of critical services and programs, including permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, and improved access to housing for survivors of domestic violence

San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the city a $53.7 million grant to support efforts to renew and expand critical services and housing for people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.

HUD’s Continuum of Care (CoC) program is designed to support local programs with the goal of ending homelessness for individuals, families, and Transitional Age Youth.

This funding supports the city’s ongoing efforts that have helped more than 15,000 people exit homelessness since 2018 through City programs including direct housing placements and relocation assistance. During that time San Francisco has also increased housing slots by 50%. San Francisco has the most permanent supportive housing of any county in the Bay Area, and the second most slots per capita than any city in the country.

“In San Francisco, we have worked aggressively to increase housing, shelter, and services for people experiencing homelessness, and we are building on these efforts every day,” said Mayor London Breed. “Every day our encampment outreach workers are going out to bring people indoors and our City workers are connecting people to housing and shelter. This support from the federal government is critical and will allow us to serve people in need and address encampments in our neighborhoods.”

The funding towards supporting the renewal projects in San Francisco include financial support for a mix of permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, and transitional housing projects. In addition, the CoC award will support Coordinated Entry projects to centralize the City’s various efforts to address homelessness. This includes $2.1 million in funding for the Coordinated Entry system to improve access to housing for youth and survivors of domestic violence.

“This is a good day for San Francisco,” said Shireen McSpadden, executive director of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. “HUD’s Continuum of Care funding provides vital resources to a diversity of programs and projects that have helped people to stabilize in our community. This funding is a testament to our work and the work of our nonprofit partners.”

The 2024 Continuum of Care Renewal Awards Include:

$42.2 million for 29 renewal PSH projects that serve chronically homeless, veterans, and youth
$318,000 for one new PSH project, which will provide 98 affordable homes for low-income seniors in the Richmond District
$445,00 for one Transitional Housing (TH) project serving youth
$6.4 million dedicated to four Rapid Rehousing (RRH) projects that serve families, youth, and survivors of domestic violence
$750,00 for two Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) projects
$2.1 million for three Coordinated Entry projects that serve families, youth, chronically homeless, and survivors of domestic violence

In addition, the 2023 CoC Planning Grant, now increased to $1,500,000 from $1,250,000, was also approved. Planning grants are submitted non-competitively and may be used to carry out the duties of operating a CoC, such as system evaluation and planning, monitoring, project and system performance improvement, providing trainings, partner collaborations, and conducting the PIT Count.

“We are very appreciative of HUD’s support in fulfilling our funding request for these critically important projects for San Francisco that help so many people trying to exit homelessness,” said Del Seymour, co-chair of the Local Homeless Coordinating Board. “This funding will make a real difference to people seeking services and support in their journey out of homelessness.”

In comparison to last year’s competition, this represents a $770,000 increase in funding, due to a new PSH project that was funded, an increase in some unit type Fair Market Rents (FMRs) and the larger CoC Planning Grant. In a year where more projects had to compete nationally against other communities, this represents a significant increase.

Nationally, HUD awarded nearly $3.16 billion for over 7,000 local homeless housing and service programs including new projects and renewals across the United States.