April 2023 Newsletter
Making Things Work - A Monthly Newsletter from Everett Housing Authority
April 2023 | Issue 9
A Look Inside This Issue:
- Meet EHA's Interim Executive Director
Meet John Forsyth and learn more about his experience in Everett and Seattle - P-Patches in Everett
Do you have a green thumb? Check out these community gardens. - Spring Cleaning Tips
With Spring in full swing, we have 10 tips to get started and organized on cleaning and tidying your home.
Farewell message from EHA Executive Director
Dear EHA Residents and Program Participants,
After 10 and a half years as the Executive Director of the Everett Housing Authority, I have decided to move on to other opportunities to make a difference in the lives of people with limited financial resources and other barriers. It has been an honor and privilege to be of service to the citizens of Everett and Snohomish County.
After a decade in my leadership role in Everett, we have accomplished much on behalf of past, present and future customers. Throughout, it has been a priority to serve as many households as we can:
- We have added over 1,000 more housing units, more than double the number 10 years ago.
- Throughout, over 98% of our units were occupied during this period.
- We have more than 1,000 additional Housing Choice Vouchers now than 10 years ago.
- EHA has been one of the few housing authorities in the country that was able to lease up 100% of its vouchers for more than five years; compared to all other agencies using less than 90%.
High-quality services have been an equally important priority:
- EHA now has almost four times as many resident services staff than 10 years ago.
- More than 90% of our customers say that they feel respected by our staff.
- In many of our senior buildings, 100% of the residents feel respected by EHA staff.
- Most of our aging properties have been substantially renovated with new windows, heating systems, kitchen cabinets, floors, garden boxes, and other amenities.
There is still much to do. The major challenge will be to increase the housing resources in Everett to cope with the existing need and the massive population growth expected over the next two decades. We have some ambitious goals and the talented staff who can achieve them:
- In the next 10 years, we have plans for over 1,600 new units to be developed in different parts of Everett, including a major transformation of the Delta neighborhood.
- After the next decade, we want to add as many as 3,000 units close to the planned light rail stations, so that our residents have high-quality housing close to convenient transportation.
My wish for all of you is that you will take the opportunity to ensure that you and your children can thrive. My wish for EHA is that it will thrive as it takes on the immense challenge of increasing the affordable housing in Everett and create the conditions for you to thrive.
I have a high level of confidence in the talented team that we have created and John Forsyth who will serve as the Interim Executive Director to guide EHA during the search for a new leader.
Meet EHA's New Interim Executive Director: John Forsyth
John Forsyth most recently served as Deputy Executive Director for the Everett Housing Authority (EHA). He was responsible for the oversight and operations of four departments - Housing Management, Resident Services, Housing Choice Voucher and Asset Management. EHA owns and manages over 1,500 residential units of affordable housing and over 3,000 vouchers, funded under various housing finance programs (including low-income housing, tax credits, project-based vouchers, tenant-based vouchers, and Section 202).
Prior to starting in Everett in August 2017, he served as the Seattle Housing Authority's (SHA) Community Services Administrator and was a member of the SHA Cabinet. As part of an interdepartmental team, he was responsible for the oversight of social service provision and community building for the neighborhood transformation of the Yesler Terrace public housing development. In this role, he developed critical public-private partnerships in the areas of education, health, and economic opportunity.
A message from John:
I am excited to step into this new role and look forward to helping to advance our mission during this interim period. We will greatly miss our outgoing Executive Director Ashley Lommers-Johnson, but I am sure the Board will find an outstanding person to lead the agency and build on the tremendous growth that has occurred during Ashley's tenure.
EHA Waiting Lists Open: Madrona Square
Madrona Square are newly constructed apartments, located in North Everett near the Everett Community College. These apartments serve the general public. This is an income-restricted property and tenants at this property pay below-market rent, but do not receive income-based rental assistance. The waitlist is for 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom apartments. Rent for a 1-bedroom is $1,267, a 2-bedroom is $1,495, and a 3-bedroom is $1,720. Did you know: you can use your tenant-based voucher to rent one of these units!
Applications for Madrona Square are being accepted online and registration requires an email address. The application is accessible from any web browser and available to applicants using a smartphone or smart device. Please call 425-339-1060 or 425-339-1071 for language assistance and reasonable accommodations for disabilities.
Change of Circumstance: How to Report
New job? Adding a family member? Other household changes? If you need to report a change, please log into RENTCafé and complete a change of circumstances via the "Report a Change" function. As a reminder, changes must be reported within 10 business days after they occur.
Click this link to reach the RENTCafé login page. Your username is typically your email address. Once you are logged into your account, click on the "Report a Change" button to begin the process. Please provide relevant verifications for the change you have reported. If you can't upload them to RENTCafé, you can email or fax them to your Certification Specialist, mail them, or bring them to our 24hour drop box at 3107 Colby Ave. in Everett (on teh west side of the building).
P-Patches in Everett
April is National Gardening Month! Interested in growing a few plants of your own? Check out these community P-Patches around Everett!
Charles Street Community Garden
Federal Avenue and Charles Street
The Port Gardner Neighborhood Association maintains this small garden on Rucker Hill. This 22-bed patch is for residents of the neighborhood and also for kids at neighboring Jackson Elementary school. The terraced hill is home to garden beds and blueberries.
Bayside Neighborhood Centennial P-Patch
23rd Street and Grand Avenue
The Bayside P-Patch has offered views of the industrial waterfront for almost 25 years. The juxtaposition of beautiful flowers with old factories makes for a most Everett sensation: beauty in a post-industrial setting. The terraced hill has benches for viewing the sunset over Possession Sound, as well as mulched trails leading through small, rentable plots. Rent a plot through the Bayside Neighborhood Association. Grow some kale already.
Senator Henry M. Jackson Park
1700 State Street
A newer P-patch with 36 plots. Sunflowers, sweet peas, edible greens. Mulch and tools provided. Do some farming with the kids, then take them to the play set right next to the P-patch. Or, pluck your produce from the ground and grill it on the spot at the covered BBQ areas provided by the Parks Department.
Lowell Community Garden
5829 Lowell-Larimer Road
This community garden began in 2009 on an acre of land donated by a generous Lowell resident. The land is rich with silt from the Snohomish River Valley, so your carrots will turn out nice and full of beta carotene.
10 Spring Cleaning Tips for Your Home
Spring cleaning is a time-honored ritual for a reason -- the fresh air and greenery outdoors make us want to prettify our indoor spaces, too. It just makes us feel better. But if the mere thought seems overwhelming, here are a few tips to get you started.
1. Make a Plan. Spring cleaning is about going beyond your usual dusting, mopping, vacuuming and scrubbing routine. And if you've never done it, how do you even know where to start? Like all big undertakings, it's a good idea to make a plan. Yes, that means committing pen to paper. Or creating a spreadsheet, if that's more your style. Start by listing out every room of your house. Think about tasks like cleaning the baseboards, the walls, the windows and window treatments, as well as moving and cleaning behind and under furniture (and the furniture itself).
2. Take Your Time. Review your list and break down each task into manageable chunks. There's no rule about how long it should take you to finish your spring cleaning, and it doesn't have to be finished by the first day of spring. Estimate how long each task will take you and where you can add them on to your everyday routine. For example, if you're in the bathroom wiping down the sink and counter, maybe you can also take the time to clean and organize under the sink, too.
3. Get Ready. Spring cleaning isn't the most thrilling thing in the world, but it will be even more annoying if you have to stop and run to the store because you're out of something. You probably have the basics already, but at a minimum, you'll need an all-purpose cleaner for everything from walls to floors and a glass cleaner for windows and mirrors. Don't forget about specialized cleaners, like oven cleaner, because you probably don't use those things nearly as much. Your tools are just as important: Inspect everything from brooms to mops, and replace them if they're in bad shape. A frayed broom can make sweeping take twice as long. Discover new uses for household items like white vinegar and baking soda. Try to avoid using paper towels if you can and use microfiber cloths instead. Fun tip: a coffee filter is one of the best ways to a streak-free window).
4. Declutter First. Before you clean, you have to declutter and organize. The easiest way is to set up three bins/boxes/piles: keep, toss, and donate/sell. With each item, ask yourself what this particular thing is doing for you. If the answer is nothing but it's still calling to you, decide whether you could be happy with just taking a picture of it. Once you have your "keep" items, think about how you can better organize them.
5. Bring Backup. There is no shame in asking for help! Ask those living in the home to assist. If you have kids, get them to focus on their rooms first. Just remember that you'll need to help keep them on track and make sure they didn't just shove everything under the bed. Even small children and toddlers can do things like dust baseboards; they're still eager to help, and there's no time like the present. No luck with anybody at home? Offer to help a friend with his or her spring cleaning in exchange for help with yours
6. Top Down. One time-honored trick when you're spring cleaning is to tackle each room from the top down. If you're more the type to wing it, you can get lots done by going into each room and literally going from ceiling to floor. Dust and clean the ceiling, molding and the light fixtures. Then wipe down the walls, clean the windows and window treatments, dust pictures and other art and sanitize the doors and light switches. When you're done with what's on the walls, move on to the furniture and the outside and inside of any storage pieces. You can either start with the closets or do them right before you clean the floor, which is always going to be last.
7. High-Traffic Zones and Shortcuts. Think about the most high-traffic areas of your home. The kitchen has to be high on the list, and so does the room that houses the TV, whether that's the living room. So what can you remove? Closets that are already pretty organized anyway. Rooms that do not get a lot of traffic. Basically, the places where you and your family do the most living are the places that will need spring cleaning the most. Another way to speed up the process is to look for shortcuts, like spot-cleaning instead of cleaning the whole thing. Instead of steam-cleaning all of the carpet, focus just on the stains in the high-traffic areas.
8. Be an Early Bird. Start early! With the weather being cooler in the morning when it's too cold and dreary to go outside, that is the perfect time to spring clean.
9. Expired? Retired! When spring cleaning your pantry, don't just pull everything out and put it back in. Check the jars, cans and boxes and look for an expiration date. Whether something like pasta is still good past its date is up to you, but awareness is a good thing. You may be periodically cleaning out the fridge anyway, but sometimes we forget about the condiments. They have a longer shelf life most of the time due to ingredients like vinegar and those fantastic preservatives, but that life must come to an end at some point. When in doubt, throw it out. The medicine cabinet and your other bathroom storage areas also need to be purged of old stuff. Expired medicine can be dangerous at worst and ineffective at best. Cosmetics don't have expiration dates, but liquid-based ones especially can harbor bacteria and should go in three to six months. If it looks or smells bad, let it go.
10. Take it to the House. The phrase "spring cleaning" doesn't just have to mean cleaning the inside of your house. There are lots of other home maintenance-type things that would benefit from your attention once spring has actually sprung. Lots of people talk about weatherproofing to keep in the warmth during winter, but if you didn't do that, consider things like caulking around your windows and sealing any other leaks to keep in the cool air once you turn on that AC. Contact the maintenance team if you live in an apartment or condo that is cared for by property managers.
April Is: Distracted Driving Awareness Month
Distracted driving has become a deadly epidemic on our roads. While drivers texting behind the wheel tops what seems like an endless list of distractions, other risky actions include talking - whether it be on the phone or to others in the car, setting your navigation, adjusting what you're listening to, drinking coffee, applying makeup, and more. By driving distracted, you're robbing yourself of seconds that you may need to avoid a close call or deadly crash. To learn more about distracted driving Awareness Monthly from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, please click here.
In 2020, distracted driving killed 3,142 people. Young drivers seem more prone to using their phones while driving. According to NHTSA research from 2017, drivers 16 to 24 years old have been observed using handheld electronic devices while driving at higher rates than older drivers have since 2007. But make no mistake: It isn't just young people who are driving distracted, since drivers in other age groups don't lag far behind. Please click here to read an 2022 article about distracted driving by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Follow these safety tips for a safe ride every time:
- Need to send a text? Pull over and park your car in a safe location. Only then is it safe to send or read a text.
- Designate your passenger as your "designated texter." Allow them access to your phone to respond to calls or messages.
- Do not scroll through apps, including social media, while driving. Cell phone use can be habit-forming. Struggling to not text and drive? Put the cell phone in the trunk, glove box, or back seat of the vehicle until you arrive at your destination.
Ask EHA: Submit Your Questions
Do you have a question about EHA's services and offerings? Maybe you would like to learn more about RentCafe or different teams here at EHA. Send your question or inquiry to Heather Stults via email and it might be featured in next month's newsletter!
Work at EHA!
We're hiring at EHA. We have job openings in Housing Management, Resident Services, Maintenance, Finance and Policy and Innovation. Check out our Careers page and learn more about each position.
FCC Affordable Connectivity Program
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) was created by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) to help connect families and household struggling to afford internet service. HUD-assisted families automatically qualify for ACP and the subsidy is not considered income for the purpose of determining program eligibility or household rent.
The benefit provides:
- Up to $30/month discount for internet service
- Up to $75/month discount for household on qualifying Tribal lands
- A one-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, desktop computer, or purchased through a participating provider
How to Enroll
- Go to AffordableConnectivity.gov to submit an application or print a mail-in application
- Contact your preferred participating provider to select an eligible plan and have the discount applied to your bill. Some providers may have an alternative application that they will ask you to complete.
Eligible household must both apply for the program and contact a participating provider to select a service plan.
To learn more about the FCC Affordable Connectivity Program, please click here or call 877-384-2575
April Events
Everett Public Library
- Narcan Training
April 4 | 6 PM | Main Library
Join Snohomish County Opioid Outreach Specialist Amy Wheat for a free community training on how to use Narcan (naloxone) to stop an opioid overdose. Registration is optional. Register here to receive event updates and reminders about Narcan Training. - Lawyers in the Library
April 13 | 4-6PM | Evergreen Branch
Sign up for one half-hour slot to get legal assistance and advice on civil legal issues, including family law (for example: divorce, custody, guardianship, protective orders), debt collection, bankruptcy, and housing issues. Appointments are recommended; limited walkin slots will be available the day of the clinic. Register here for Lawyers in the Library. - Planning for the Future
April 25 | 2-3:30 PM | Evergreen Branch
Join Jane Pak, executive director of Snohomish County Legal Services, for a workshop on essential legal documents you need when planning for the future. Registration is required. Register here for Planning for the Future at the public Library.
Talk Time: Practice Speaking English
April 6 | 1-3 PM | Evergreen Branch
What is Talk Time at the Everett Public Library? It is for speakers of any language to practice their English in a fun, relaxed atmosphere! Conversations focus on communication and the use of real English as heard in everyday usage. The group is facilitated by trained volunteer Wendy, who has provided weekly Talk Time programs for years for the Everett Public Library. Please arrive at the beginning of the session to get the most benefit.
Saturday Morning Walk
April 8 | 10 AM | Grand Avenue, Everett | FREE, Registration Required
Grand Avenue and Rucker Avenue Loop - about 4-5 mile RT along streets lined with stately trees, cherry blossoms, grand mansions and wonderful water views. We could also take a quick loop through the Everett Arboretum. Register here for the Saturday Morning Walk on April 8th.
Free Virtual Career Fairs
- Healthcare
April 5 | 11 AM
Click here to register for the Healthcare Career Fair. - Veterans
April 14 | 11AM
Click here to register for the Veterans Career Fair. - Diversity
April 17 | 11AM
Click here to register for the Diversity Career Fair.
