Starting Strong

Welcome to 2024! I hope you’ve all had a chance to rest and recharge with your loved ones because this will be a busy year. 

Service 

Yesterday, we paused our work to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the only national holiday to be “designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer and improve their communities.”

At Fort Wayne Housing Authority, members of our team will serve as volunteers during the annual Point In Time Count, which, as you know, provides a count for a single night in January of persons experiencing homelessness in our communities. To us, volunteering for this important work also heighten Dr. King’s words spoken when he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 when he said, “Almost two-thirds of the peoples of the world go to bed hungry at night. They are undernourished, ill-housed, and shabbily clad. Many of them have no houses or beds to sleep in. Their only beds are the sidewalks of the cities and the dusty roads of the villages.” As housers and community development professionals, we are privileged to do this critical work daily in our cities, towns, suburbs, rural areas, and Native American lands. Thank you for your service and commitment to the continuing fight against injustice, inequality, and poverty. 

Speaking Out 

 As I write this, Congress is still wrestling with funding for the FY 2024 fiscal year – here’s what we currently know. We must raise our voices and let our elected leaders know that even a partial government shutdown is unacceptable. To best serve the families, children, seniors, veterans and persons with disabilities in our communities, we need both stable funding and a working government. Speak up, NAHRO – go to www.nahro.org/advocate and email your Congressperson, Senators and the White House. Tell them how a shutdown would affect you, your staff, and your residents – your voice is a powerful part of our collective advocacy, and our message must be heard! 

This year is also a Presidential election year, which makes our advocacy even more critical. We’ve just opened registration for the 2024 Washington Conference, which will take place from April 8-10 in the nation’s capital, and we need you to march through the halls of Congress with us. Find out more and register at Washington Conference – The National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO).  

Strategic Planning 

I’m pleased to report that our Strategic Planning Advisory Committee, led by Jennifer Keogh, continues to lead the charge. We’re continuing the brave and visionary work started at last year’s leadership retreat and shaping it into the draft of a five-year strategic plan that will honor NAHRO’s venerable history while keeping it agile, responsive, and ready to serve the next 90 years of housers and community builders. Details about the strategic plan will be shared soon, and I look forward to your responses. 

Farewell to Bob Lane 

With a heavy heart, I share with you the passing of our friend and colleague, Indiana NAHRO President, Robert “Bob” Lane. As many of you know, Bob was a passionate, affordable housing leader who served as Executive Director of the New Albany Housing Authority and a national consultant for housing authorities. In addition to welcoming and onboarding me to Indiana NAHRO, Bob held leadership positions within Indiana NAHRO and the national NAHRO Board of Governors.  

Matthew 5:4 says, “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” While we will miss him, our communities will benefit from his vision and leadership for decades. I ask you to keep his family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. 

Thank you for your continued support of NAHRO and for your invaluable work in your communities. We are stronger together.