Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 10-4-16 Online Edition

Features
Central Park Village Reunion Date Set
Tampa Housing Authority Gets Resident Training Grant
Prior to 1954, an area of Tampa, just east of down- town and called “The Scrubs,” was home to a lot of African Ameri- cans who later be- came great leaders.
CENTRAL PARK VILLAGE
However, in
1954, the federal government claimed the land and Central Park Vil- lage became home to some of those same families.
As has become customary with other public housing complexes, the complex be- came outdated and in 2007, it was demolished to make way for Encore, a multi- building complex.
Some former residents of Central Park Village got to- gether, and taking the lead from the late Jessie “Jet Set” Hudson, started hav- ing annual reunions. The re- unions became a great opportunity for former resi- dents to meet again, espe- cially those who were among the first families to occupy the complex.
This year’s reunion will be held Sunday, October 16th at Rowlette Park #218 from 12 p.m.to6p.m.
The theme of this year’s reunion is “We Be Balling: Honoring the past, present and future. This year there will also be a big talent showcase, so everyone is asked to bring their talent.
Organizers of the reunion will be holding their last meeting October 4th, 6 p. m. at the Robert Saunders Li- brary.
For more information on this year’s reunion and to get a reunion tee-shirt, call Clarence Jones at (813) 502-0338, or Reunion Com- mittee President, Mrs. Bar- bara, at (813) 334-8117.
U. S. REPRESENTATIVE KATHY CASTOR
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
U. S. Representative Kathy Castor and the De- partment of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have announced the Tampa Housing Authority (T.H.A.) will be receiving a $2.5 mil- lion grant.
The grant will be used to connect residents to educa- tion, training, and jobs as part of the Jobs-Plus Initia- tive.
T.H.A. is one of only six re- cipients of the grant nation- wide and the only recipient in Florida. They will provide
JEROME RYANS Tampa Housing Authority CEO
training in technical skills that the agency feels is im- portant for residents landing a job.
T.H.A. CEO, Jerome Ryans, said they are elated over the grant, and it will allow them to develop some wrap around programs to help provide residents with job skills and training.
“I’m looking forward to starting the program. I’ll be meeting with officials with HUD to get all the details next month.”
The Jobs-Plus Program is one of many ways HUD is collaborating with local com- munities to expand prospects for and lift public housing residents.
Partnering with T.H.A. on the grant is CareerSource Tampa Bay, Robles Park Vil- lage Resident Council, Uni- versity Area Community Development Corporation, Hillsborough County Public Schools, Hillsborough com- munity College and the Cen- ter for Nonprofit and Community Development.
Together, with T.H.A. they will develop locally based, job driven approaches to in- crease earnings and advance employment outcomes in Robles Park Village. The agency hopes to accomplish this through work readiness, employer linkages, job place- ment, educational advance- ment technology skills, and financial literacy for resi- dents.
As far as Robles Park is concerned, Ryans said they will maintain all of the units at that complex while this process moves on.
“I’ve instructed my staff to
REVA IMAN Robles Park Resident Council President
make sure the residents of Robles Park aren’t short changed. We’ll work with the residents, and we just ask that they be patient. We want to encourage them to take ad- vantage of these programs.”
Robles Park Resident Council President, Reva Iman, said the announce- ment of the grant is great news, and she’s happy the residents will be getting serv- ices they’ve needed for a long time.
“I’m happy to report that although crime is down in Robles, there’s still a lot of work to do.
“We appreciate all of the help we’ve gotten from differ- ent church groups who come to interact with the residents and the children. We will continue our efforts to create a safe environment for the children.”
Ms. Iman said the resi- dents want to know about the future of Robles Park as they see the TBX project and other ventures going on around them.
“We know the wrecking ball will be swinging this way, and we want to make sure we’re prepared. We’ve been told that’s 5-to-7 years down the road, but I think we need to start making preparations now instead of waiting until the last minute.”
As far as North Boulevard Homes is concerned, Ryans said the Bethune Hi-Rise building is completely empty, and they still have about 50 or 60 families still living in North Boulevard Homes. Those families are expected to be gone within the next month or two.
PAGE 4 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2016