Washington D.C. ……Here She Comes!

Janice Williams, a tenant of Maxton Village Apartments, who hopes to attend the National Alliance of HUD Tenants (NAHT) Conference in Washington D.C. this year. Her first trip to the NAHT conference was in 2006, along with tenants from seven HUD properties from around the state, making North Carolina the largest state delegation of HUD tenants represented that year.
The NAHT conference offers workshops presented by tenants from around the nation on topics ranging from “How to Start a Tenant Association” to “How to Purchase Your Building”. Stories are shared about struggles and victories in the fight to preserve their affordable housing properties. There are heart-warming parts of the conference during honors remembrances of the deceased. HUD officials are always invited to speak followed by a Q&A session with them about specific tenant protections and preservation of affordable project-based properties. Deputy Assistant Secretary of HUD, Carol Galante, will be the guest speaker this year.
During our last attendance at the conference in 2008, we were able to schedule legislative office visits to meet with congressional staffers. Janice took advantage of the opportunity to talk to her congressman’s staffer about improvements made at Maxton Village Apartments as a result of the Mark to Market program. It was good for them to hear about what was going on at her apartment complex from a tenant’s perspective.
So here we are in 2010 and Janice is working hard to return the conference in Washington DC. To help pay for the trip and conference registration Janice held a dinner fundraiser in April. As she prepared dinners for her customers, she would stop momentarily to pass around photos of her past trips to the D.C. conference. She even remembers many tenants by name and the states they were from! Janice made a small profit and plans to hold another fundraiser later this month.
What is important to understand about Janice is that her determination to overcome obstacles doesn’t just apply to being an advocate for resident in her apartment complex. She has been recently diagnosed with MS but has not let this illness hamper her determination and willpower. She has continued to be active in her community and is looking forward more than ever to taking her message of the importance of affordable housing to her federal legislators in Washington.
I will accompany Janice to the NAHT conference. While in Washington I will meet with Congressional staff to discuss resources for tenant organizing, a HUD program the Coalition administered from 1998 to 2006, promoting tenant participation in at risk expiring Section 8 buildings. –Regina Green