News
The Housing Authority of the City of Pottsville will be submitting its 5 Year Action Plan on January 15, 2023
The Housing Authority of the City of Pottsville will be submitting its 5 Year Action Plan on January 15, 2023 as required by the Department of Housing & Urban development (HUD).
You are herewith afforded an opportunity to review and comment on the draft report. A copy of the draft report is posted at the following link.
Comments must be submitted from November 20, 2022 through December 9, 2022
A public hearing will be held on December 9, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. as a telephone conference call. The phone number for residents and members of the public who are interested in participating in the hearing is 1-425-650-1609. The conference code is 404603.
Comments on the Plan should be submitted, in advance, to Jody Dunnigan via email to: jdunnigan@pottsvillehousing.net; or by mail to: Pottsville Housing Authority, 410 Laurel Boulevard, Pottsville, PA 17901; or at the time of the conference call.
Coffee with a Cop event
Yesterday the PHA and the Pottsville Police Department held our 1st Coffee with a Cop event.
Coffee with a Cop brings police officers and the community members they serve together–over coffee–to discuss issues and learn more about each other.
This event allowed residents the opportunity to meet officers of the Pottsville Police Department in a relaxed mixer environment rather than a professional one. Residents meet our officers one-on-one and both parties got to know each other on a personal level, as humans. Residents were able to ask questions about police life, law enforcement and anything else that they wanted to know.
PHA would like to thank the Pottsville Police Department and everyone who came out to help make this event a great success!
Who Do We Serve
For numerous years there have been misconceptions about how Public Housing and Housing Choice Voucher programs provide assistance and who receives the support. During the debate of congressional budgeting, it is vital to know the role Housing Authorities play in supporting families and communities across the nation. The Public Housing Authorities Directors Association recently released a flyer to better inform the public on these misconceptions. We at the Pottsville Housing Authority recommend all concerned citizens read the brief to better understand who we help and our goal of improving our community.
Income Limit Eligibility (updated)
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) sets income limits that determine eligibility for assisted housing programs including the Public Housing, Section 8 project-based, Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, Section 202 housing for the elderly, and Section 811 housing for persons with disabilities programs. HUD develops income limits based on Median Family Income estimates and Fair Market Rent area definitions for each metropolitan area, parts of some metropolitan areas, and each non-metropolitan county.
HUD has recently updated income eligibility effective April 4, 2017.
Summer Recreation Program 2017
The Pottsville Housing Authority and The City of Pottsville will again, this year, sponsor the Summer Recreation Program at 15 sites throughout The City of Pottsville.
The Summer Program runs from Monday, June 12th to Tuesday, August 1st, 2017.
A parent or legal guardian must fill out a registration form for their child/children on the first day of the program. High School and College students are hired to supervise the program at each site. These students, along with their supervisors, plan the activities the children will be doing each day. Please encourage your children to participate in these activities.
In conjunction with the Department of Agriculture the Housing Authority will serve lunches at every site. Summer Meals are available to all children up to the age of 18 with no enrollment and no cost. The Housing Authority contracts with the St. Clair Area School District to supply these nutritious meals. Meals are delivered and served at the 15 sites between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. each day.
The end of the Summer program picnic at the Barefield Outdoor Complex will be held on
Wednesday, August 2, 2017 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Housing Authority Site Hours – 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Barefield Outdoor Complex – 823 Terry Reiley Way
Fairmount Avenue – Fairmount Ave. Community Bldg.
Greenwood Hill – Wolfe and Ridge Avenue
John O’Hara – Roundhouse, 400 N. 7th St.
North Second Street – Second St. Community Bldg.
Peacock Street – Peacock St. Community Bldg.
Terry Reiley Center – Arch St. 216 N. 12th St.
City of Pottsville Site Hours – 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Bunker Hill – 9th & Schuylkill Avenue
Eastside – Joulwan Park E. Norwegian St.
Forest Hills – Forest Rd. & Deerfield Drv.
Jalappa – Front & Spruce St.
Mount Hope – Mount Hope Ave between 15th & 16th St.
Pottsville Free Public Library – 215 W. Market St.
Race Street – Race St.
Rotary – W. Norwegian St. between Mahantongo & Norwegian
LUNCH WILL BE SERVED AT THESE SITES BETWEEN 11:00 A.M. AND 1:00 P.M. EACH DAY
HUD Secretary Castro Announces Public Housing to be Smoke-Free
WASHINGTON – U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro today announced that public housing developments in the U.S. will now be required to provide a smoke-free environment for their residents. In an address to local public housing officials, residents and public health professionals in Boston, Secretary Castro said HUD’s new rule will provide resources and support to more than 3,100 Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) to implement required smoke-free policies over the next 18 months. Read HUD’s final rule.
Throughout this year, HUD worked with PHAs and stakeholders collaboratively to finalize this rule, which prohibits lit tobacco products (cigarettes, cigars or pipes) in all living units, indoor common areas, administrative offices and all outdoor areas within 25 feet of housing and administrative office buildings. HUD’s final rule included input from more than 1,000 comments from PHAs, housing and health partners, and tenant advocates.
“Every child deserves to grow up in a safe, healthy home free from harmful second-hand cigarette smoke,” said Secretary Castro. “HUD’s smoke-free rule is a reflection of our commitment to using housing as a platform to create healthy communities. By working collaboratively with public housing agencies, HUD’s rule will create healthier homes for all of our families and prevent devastating and costly smoking-related fires.”
Since 2009, HUD has strongly encouraged PHAs to adopt smoke-free policies in their buildings and common areas, a policy many private housing developments already have in place. During this time, more than 600 PHAs and Tribally Designated Housing Entities (TDHEs) have adopted smoke-free policies.Through HUD’s voluntary policy and local initiatives, more than 228,000 public housing units are already smoke-free. Once fully implemented, the smoke-free rule announced today would expand the impact to more than 940,000 public housing units, including more than 500,000 units inhabited by elderly residents and 760,000 children living in public housing.
“My office has long warned the public about the dangers of smoking, including second-hand smoke,” said U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy. “For children who are exposed to second-hand smoke, it can mean everything from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and ear infections to asthma. Protecting our children and families from the devastation caused by secondhand smoke must be a priority for all sectors of our society, including public housing.”
HUD’s smoke-free rule will reduce damage and maintenance costs associated with smoking. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HUD’s national smoke-free policy will save public housing agencies $153 million every year in repairs and preventable fires, including $94 million in secondhand smoke-related health care, $43 million in renovation of smoking-permitted units, and $16 million in smoking-related fire losses.It is estimated that smoking causes more than 100,000 fires each year nationwide, resulting in more than 500 deaths and nearly a half a billion dollars in direct property damage.
“Protecting people from secondhand smoke saves lives and saves money,” said CDC Director, Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “This is especially important in the places where we live. No level of secondhand smoke exposure is safe, and the home is the primary source of secondhand smoke for children.”
The CDC estimates cigarette smoking kills 480,000 Americans each year, making it the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. In addition, smoking is the lead cause of fire-related deaths in multifamily buildings. HUD’s smoke-free rule will protect the health of public housing residents by reducing the health risks associated with tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke.
PHAs are encouraged to take advantage of the information and resources on HUD’s Healthy Homes website. Updated guidance and training materials will be available in the coming months.
For more information please refer to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development website.
Bike Helmet Distribution
Bike Helmet Distribution
Pottsville police, housing authority distribute bicycle helmets
Originally Published on Republican and Herald
by Frank Andruscavage / Published: July 6, 2016
Pottsville police officers partnered with Pottsville Housing Authority members on Thursday to distribute free bicycle helmets.
Police Sgt. James Joos, along with patrolmen Cody Montz, Jonathan Randolph and Samson Wega, volunteered their off-duty time to work with PHA employees to give children of authority residents who were in need of safety equipment.
Craig Shields, executive director of the PHA, donated all of the helmets distributed and authority site supervisors Mary Alice Leskin, Joseph Piel and Andy Reiley, along with various site employees, assisted the police officers in coordinating distributions at five separate PHA properties.
A total of 80 helmets were distributed during the day and the police also assisted the recipients and their parents with proper fitting of the equipment as well as providing information on proper wear and additional bike safety tips.
The helmet distribution was part of a department-wide initiative that all of the patrol watches are participating in for Chief Richard F. Wojciechowsky.
As part of the initiative, each patrol shift sergeant and his officers were asked to collaborate in identifying a specific aspect or item for their squad to focus on during the summer months that will provide positive change to the community.
“These special projects are being done in addition to the multitude of beneficial services the patrol officers perform to help the City of Pottsville during the course of their duties on a daily basis,” Wojciechowsky said.
