Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 9-4-18

Feature
Tampa Housing Authority Receives Awards Of Merit During Summer Conference
At its Annual Summer Conference held in San Fran- cisco, CA, the National Asso- ciation of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) honored the Tampa Housing Authority with four Awards of Merit, one of which was nominated for an Award of Excellence, the highest recognition.
The award-winning proj- ects were:
The Assisted Housing Landlord Guidebook cre- ated as a tool to supplement orientations for landlords to become familiar with pro- grams, requirements, regula- tions, processes and procedures.
This Guidebook is printed and left in the agency lobby for viewing while Landlords wait for appoint- ments. It is also available for downloading from the agency’s website at www.thafl.com.
JEROME RYANS ...President/CEO, Tampa Housing Authority
The Mass Housing Choice Briefing /Is- suance was developed to streamline processes. The agency opted to institute a mass issuance of housing choice vouchers/briefings on a larger scale, thereby reduc- ing time spent briefing each client separately.
The Calls for Service Safety Program identifies
From left to right are: Sr. VP of NAHRO, Ms. Sunny Shaw; THA Housing Supervisor, Anita Barrett; THA Assistant Director, Janice Justiniano; THA Housing Supervisor, Jissett Martinez; THA Sr. VP/COO, Leroy Moore; THA Community Affairs Director, Lillian Stringer; THA Bopard Chair, Susan Johnson- Velez; THA Commissioner, Dr. Hazel S. Harvey; and the President of NAHRO, Mr. Carl Richie.
safety issues affecting fami- lies prior to their escalation to criminal situations. Insti- tution of this program has reduced criminal activity by 32% at the properties, thereby creating safer com- munities for families.
The Jobs Plus Initia- tive (JPI) expands locally to families residing in the Rob- les Park community. JPI pro- vides services that are
employment driven and tai- lored to address work readi- ness training, employer linkages, job placement, ed- ucational advancement, technology skills, computer literacy, community leader- ship and financial literacy.
NAHRO President Carl S. Richie, Jr., said, “I am proud to celebrate the Tampa Housing Authority’s achievements. They have put
a lot of thought, creativity and hard work into helping residents improve their lives, communities and agency processes.
President/CEO Jerome Ryans said, “We are con- stantly developing new ini- tiatives that enrich the lives of our resident population. I am so proud of the remark- able leadership that staff portrays across this country.”
1 Year Later:
Teenager With Ties To Tampa Still Missing
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
The Labor Day holiday in 2017 was the last time anyone had any contact with 14-year- old Jabez Spann. The re- ward for a teenager who has been missing for several weeks has increased to $50,000. The teenager was last seen in Sarasota on Sep- tember 4th. He was last seen in the 1500 block of 23rd Street, in Sarasota.
He was in Sarasota where his grandmother lives. How- ever, the teenager has family who resides in Tampa.
Although the reward for information concerning his whereabouts reached $50,000, no one has come forward with any informa- tion.
The reward is being of- fered by the Sarasota Police Department, the Federal Bu-
JABEZ SPANN ... Missing since September 4, 2017
reau of Investigation, Tampa Division, and the Florida De- partment of Law Enforce- ment.
The Federal Bureau of In- vestigation, Tampa Division, is contributing $44,000; $5,000 is offered by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement; and the Sara- sota Police Department is also offering $1,000.
A spokesperson for the Sarasota Police Department, said the investigation is still an active case. She is encour- aging anyone with informa- tion to come forward.
“We believe that someone knows what happen to him and we would like for them to come forward,” she said.
Spann is described as a Black teenager, 5’9” and weighs 120 pounds. He has black hair, brown eyes, and was last seen wearing a turquoise shirt.
A Missing Child Alert was issued by the Florida Depart- ment of Law Enforcement on September 18th.
Anyone with information pertaining to the where- abouts of Spann is asked to contact the Sarasota Crime Stoppers at (941) 366-TIPS (8477); or visit the website at www.sarasotacrimestop- pers.com.
PAGE 2 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2018