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How Westbrook Housing landed the nation’s former federal HUD chief

Написао Роберт Ловелл особље за особље

Portland native John Concannon, former director of the U.S. Одељење за становање и урбани развој, is settling in as the new executive director of Westbrook Housing Authority.

Concannon is taking a breather while seeking funds to expand the number of local, affordable housing units.

“We’re watching closely the federal budget,” Concannon said in his conference room at Westbrook Housing. “We’re watching to see what happens.”

Concannon wrapped up his duties as HUD director in June and picked up the reins July 1 at Westbrook Housing, succeeding Chris Laroche, who retired. The housing authority’s seven-member board of commissioners hired Concannon after a nationwide search.

“We got very, very lucky to get him,” Колет Гањон, chair of the Westbrook Housing Board of Commissioners, said in a phone call Monday.

A graduate of the Catholic Jesuit College of Holy Cross, Concannon volunteered with a Jesuit program to assist the homeless on Skid Row in Los Angeles in 2003, and also served a similar stint in Chicago until 2006. Following graduate school, he applied successfully for a job with HUD, launching a career of assisting people needing places to live.

Concannon was hired during the tenure of President Barack Obama, who he subsequently met at a Christmas party at the White House.

He was promoted to deputy HUD director in 2018 and became director in December 2022. Concannon’s office was in the HUD building just off the National Mall in the nation’s capital. The HUD secretary’s office was on the top floor.

Concannon served under three presidents. “I reported to a deputy assistant HUD secretary,” рекао је.

At HUD, Concannon focused on developing innovative policies to expand housing opportunities to benefit more people and he oversaw staff spread all over the country. He worked with 140 housing agencies nationwide, serving 600,000 families. “We got to travel a lot,” рекао је.

Well in advance of landing the Westbrook post, he relocated his family here four years ago. He and his wife, Ann, have two children, ages 5 и 2.

Concannon played soccer at Cheverus High School in Portland and is a 1998 graduate. His wife is a Deering graduate, but they met in Philadelphia, where he once lived while working for HUD.

He applied for the Westbrook Housing opening after learning about the availability of it from a government connection in Maine. Gagnon described Concannon as youthful and as having a good sense of humor.

As a Washington insider, Concannon’s appointment at Westbrook Housing works “in our favor,”Gagnon said.

Вестброок Кућиште има 14 properties with 1,800 households and he plans to follow the growth trajectory Laroche established.

Concannon said Westbrook Housing has been invited to Biddeford where it has four projects in the pipeline. He credits Laroche and the mayoral appointed board of commissioners with “a well-run organization.”

He will oversee a staff of 50 employees and has met with them.

He enjoys leisurely walks after leaving behind running to catch 6 а.м. flights from Portland to Washington and checking into hotels.

Now back at home, he has gained time to spend with his family and both he and his wife have relatives in the Portland area.

ЛАРОЦХЕ ПОВРАТАК ОД ВЕСТБРООКА СТАНОВНИШТВО

Написао Роберт Ловелл особље за особље

Цхрис Лароцхе ће се пензионисати у понедељак, јун 30, Као извршни директор становања Вестброок-а након више од деценије. Јохн Цонцанон, Портланд домородац, је именован за успех ларохе. Цонцаннон долази у Вестброок из положаја директора у У.С-у. Одељење за становање и урбани развој у Васхингтону, Д.ц.

“Предајем му кључеве,” Лароцхе је у интервјуу рекао јуни 20 на његовој канцеларији Вестброок.

Лароцхе је био извршни директор за више од тога 12 година. “Мало сам уморна,” рекао је. “Узећу лето да се опустим.”

Планира да проводи време са породицом и протестом за демократију. Лароцхе живи у округу Иорк и планира да уради волонтерски рад, протест, и узимајте курсеве на Универзитету у Новој Енглеској и Умаине систему. “Радујем се што ћу бити члан заједнице,” рекао је. “Највећа ствар је да се врати заједници - желим да предајем сендвиче.”

Вестброок становање, основан 1969 и надгледа се од стране одбора за именовани комисијским именовањем, пружа приступачне могућности стамбене стамбене 793 јединице у 14 развој. “Одрасли смо око 40%,” рекао је у вези са његовом мандатом.

Агенција такође управља више од 1,000 ваучери у одељку 8 Програм тако да становници са ниским приходима могу да живе у у приватним апартманима у граду.

Укупни буџет за становање Вестброок-а заједно са својим Цорп Вестброок Девелопмент Цорп. има годишњу оперативну потрошњу $20 милион са $130 милион у укупној активи.

Лароцхе је описао посао извршног директора као награђивање као што је захтевно. Лароцхе надгледа особље 50 запослени и он је сматрао одговорност према њима. “Стрес ће бити искључен,” рекао је.

Бивши католички свештеник, Обала стражар и морнаричка ветерана, Лароцхе је започео своју јавну службу у заједници заједнице Јорк Цоунти Цоммунити Цорп. Отишао је да авантура да пошаље 2,182 Миљама стазе Аппалацхиан из МТ-а. Љубоморан на репутацију Грузије. “Свака миља тога,” рекао је.

Видео је бројне звеке и престао да броји број медведа после 25. One morning at 5a.m. медвед је био изван свог шатора, али је отишао. “То је привукао моју пажњу,” рекао је.

Уз траг, Упознао је разне људе; Шалио је са бескућницима и главним извршним влагом у великој корпорацији.

Беба боомер, Лароцхе је одрастао у Гарднеру, Масачусетс, Заједница коју је описао као Вестброок. Рекао је да га је Вестброок прихватио као свој по један када је успео Јохна Галлагхера на становању Вестброок-а. 'Људи које служимо су свакодневно, редовни људи који су напорно радили,” Рекао је.”Потреба је сјајна … (и) Надам се да ће људи из Вестброока осећати да им је служио као и Јохн.”

Похвали се Вестброок за свој волонтеризам и понос своје заједнице. “Радио сам по целој држави Маине и нема заједнице попут Вестброок-а,” рекао је.

На церемонији раније овог месеца, Градоначелник Давид Морсе представио је Лароцхе са кључевима града и похвалио Лароцхе као “невероватан ресурс” који је радио “неуморно.”

06/16/2025

Са великим задовољством сам у стању да представим г.. Јохн Цонцанон као извршни директор стамбеног органа града Вестброок. На моју пензију, ефективно 30. јуна, Јохн ће водити стамбени ауторитет и њен развојна корпорација Вестброок у следећу еру да би унапредила мисију да искоријене сиромаштво и повећа економске могућности кроз квалитет приступачног становања за заједницу и регион. Одбор комесара треба да се похвали за своју визију и посвећеност нашој мисији кроз свој избор Јохн Цонцаннона и његове визије и стручности да организују организацију у своју будућност.

Док одлазим, Желим да признам високо почињено, професионалан, брижан, и вешто колеге које сам имао толико среће да имам поред себе. Са њима смо успели да останемо на врхунцу перформанси и проширимо своје програме и производњу у последњих дванаест година. Заувек сам захвалан особљу Вестброок стамбене управе и корпорације Развој Вестброок-а.

Заувек сам захвалан и почаствован сам што сам служио подршком и визионарском одбору за становање Вестброок-а и Управног одбора Вестброок Девелопшем Цорпоратион. Била је част и привилегија да служе народу града Вестброока, јер је била част служити уз своју посвећену градску управу и изабрани званичници који су марљиво подржавали стамбени орган и моја улога, сеф, приступачно становање на подручје.

С поштовања,

Цхристопхер Лароцхе
Извршни директор

FY2025 Annual Plan

ФИ2026 Годишњи нацрт плана

Westbrook Housing Authority takes pride in celebrating, promoting, and adhering to the Fair Housing of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 as we acknowledge the Fair Housing Act and President Lyndon Johnson’s response to the need of the people of the United States of America. ‘…when the Rev. др. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, President Lyndon Johnson utilized this national tragedy to urge for the bill’s speedy Congressional approval. Since the 1966 open housing marches in Chicago, др. King’s name had been closely associated with the fair housing legislation. President Johnson viewed the Act as a fitting memorial to the man’s life work, and wished to have the Act passed prior to Dr. King’s funeral in Atlanta.’ President Lyndon Johnson signs the Fair Housing Act of 1968.

The Fair Housing Act of 1968 prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental and financing of housing based on race, религија, national origin or sex. Intended as a follow-up to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the bill was the subject of a contentious debate in the Senate, but was passed quickly by the House of Representatives in the days after the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. The Fair Housing Act stands as the final great legislative achievement of the civil rights era. [Извор: Fair Housing Act 1968, Federal & Definition | HISTORY ]

HISTORY OF FAIR HOUSING
On April 11, 1968, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which was meant as a follow-up to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The 1968 Act expanded on previous acts and prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, изнајмљивање, and financing of housing based on race, религија, национално порекло, секс, (and as amended) handicap and family status. Title VIII of the Act is also known as the Fair Housing Act (of 1968).

The enactment of the federal Fair Housing Act on April 11, 1968 came only after a long and difficult journey. From 1966-1967, Congress regularly considered the fair housing bill, but failed to garner a strong enough majority for its passage. Међутим, when the Rev. др. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, President Lyndon Johnson utilized this national tragedy to urge for the bill’s speedy Congressional approval. Since the 1966 open housing marches in Chicago, др. King’s name had been closely associated with the fair housing legislation. President Johnson viewed the Act as a fitting memorial to the man’s life work, and wished to have the Act passed prior to Dr. King’s funeral in Atlanta.

Another significant issue during this time period was the growing casualty list from Vietnam. The deaths in Vietnam fell heaviest upon young, poor African-American and Hispanic infantrymen. Међутим, on the home front, these men’s families could not purchase or rent homes in certain residential developments on account of their race or national origin. Specialized organizations like the NAACP, the GI Forum, the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) and the National Committee Against Discrimination In Housing lobbied hard for the Senate to pass the Fair Housing Act and remedy this inequity. Senators Edward Brooke and Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts argued deeply for the passage of this legislation. In particular, Senator Brooke, the first African-American ever to be elected to the Senate by popular vote, spoke personally of his return from World War II and inability to provide a home of his choice for his new family because of his race.

With the cities rioting after Dr. King’s assassination, and destruction mounting in every part of the United States, the words of President Johnson and Congressional leaders rang the Bell of Reason for the House of Representatives, who subsequently passed the Fair Housing Act. Without debate, the Senate followed the House in its passage of the Act, which President Johnson then signed into law.

The power to appoint the first officials administering the Act fell upon President Johnson’s successor, Richard Nixon. President Nixon tapped then Governor of Michigan, George Romney, for the post of Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. While serving as Governor, Secretary Romney had successfully campaigned for ratification of a state constitutional provision that prohibited discrimination in housing. President Nixon also appointed Samuel Simmons as the first Assistant Secretary for Equal Housing Opportunity.

When April 1969 arrived, HUD could not wait to celebrate the Act’s 1st Anniversary. Within that inaugural year, HUD completed the Title VIII Field Operations Handbook, and instituted a formalized complaint process. In truly festive fashion, HUD hosted a gala event in the Grand Ballroom of New York’s Plaza Hotel. From across the nation, advocates and politicians shared in this marvelous evening, including one of the organizations that started it all — the National Committee Against Discrimination In Housing.

In subsequent years, the tradition of celebrating Fair Housing Month grew larger and larger. Governors began to issue proclamations that designated April as “Fair Housing Month,” and schools across the country sponsored poster and essay contests that focused upon fair housing issues. Regional winners from these contests often enjoyed trips to Washington, DC for events with HUD and their Congressional representatives.

Under former Secretaries James T. Lynn and Carla Hills, with the cooperation of the National Association of Homebuilders, National Association of Realtors, and the American Advertising Council these groups adopted fair housing as their theme and provided “free” billboard space throughout the nation. These large 20-foot by 14-foot billboards placed the fair housing message in neighborhoods, industrial centers, agrarian regions and urban cores. Every region also had its own celebrations, meetings, dinners, contests and radio-television shows that featured HUD, state and private fair housing experts and officials. These celebrations continue the spirit behind the original passage of the Act, and are remembered fondly by those who were there from the beginning. [Извор: History of Fair Housing – ХУД | HUD.gov / У.С. Одељење за становање и урбани развој (ХУД) ]