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Чӣ тавр Westbrook Housing сардори собиқи федералии HUD-и кишварро фуруд овард

Муаллиф Роберт Лоуэлл

Ҷон Конканнон зодаи Портланд, директори собики ШМА. Раёсати манзилию ва рушди шаҳр, ба ҳайси директори нави иҷроияи идораи манзилии Westbrook ҷойгир аст.

Конканнон ҳангоми ҷустуҷӯи маблағ барои васеъ кардани шумораи маҳаллӣ нафас мегирад, воҳидҳои манзили дастрас.

“Мо буҷаи федералиро бодиққат мушоҳида мекунем,” Конканнон дар толори конфронси худ дар Westbrook Housing гуфт. “Мо тамошо мекунем, то бубинем, ки чӣ мешавад.”

Конканнон вазифаи директори HUD-ро дар моҳи июн ба анҷом расонд ва дар моҳи июл ҷилавгирӣ кард 1 дар Westbrook Housing, баъд аз Крис Ларош, ки ба нафака баромад. Шӯрои комиссарони ҳафтнафараи идораи манзил Конканнонро пас аз ҷустуҷӯи умумимиллӣ ба кор гирифт.

“Мо хеле, хеле хушбахт барои гирифтани ӯ,” Colette Gagnon, раиси Совети комиссарони манзили Уэстбрук, гуфт дар як занги телефонй рузи Душанбе.

Хатмкардаи Коллеҷи иезуитҳои католикии Салиби Муқаддас, Конканнон бо як барномаи иезуит ихтиёрӣ буд, то ба бехонагон дар Skid Row дар Лос-Анҷелес кӯмак кунад. 2003, ва инчунин дар Чикаго то ба ҳамин монанд хизмат кардааст 2006. Пас аз аспирантура, барои кор кардан бо ХУД бомуваффакият мурочиат кард, оғоз кардани касб барои кӯмак ба одамоне, ки ба ҷойҳои зист ниёз доранд.

Конканнон дар замони президенти Барак Обама ба кор гирифта шуда буд, ки вай баъдан дар шабнишинии Мавлуди Исо дар Касри Сафед вохурд.

Уро ба чонишини директори ХУД пешбарй карданд 2018 ва мохи декабрь директор шуд 2022. Дафтари Конканнон дар бинои HUD танҳо дар назди маркази миллии пойтахти кишвар воқеъ буд. Дафтари котиби HUD дар ошёнаи боло буд.

Конканон дар зери се президент хизмат мекард. “Ман ба муовини ёвари котиби ХУД хабар додам,” гуфт у.

Дар HUD, Конканнон ба таҳияи сиёсати инноватсионӣ барои тавсеаи имкониятҳои манзил барои манфиати бештари одамон таваҷҷӯҳ зоҳир кард ва ӯ назорат кард, ки кормандон дар саросари кишвар паҳн шаванд. Бо кор мекард 140 агентиҳои манзил дар саросари кишвар, хизмат кардан 600,000 оилахо. “Мо бояд бисёр сафар кунем,” гуфт у.

Хуб пеш аз фуруд ба пости Вестбрук, чор сол пеш оилаашро ба ин чо кучонда буд. Вай ва занаш, Анн, ду фарзанд доранд, синну сол 5 ва 2.

Конканнон дар мактаби миёнаи Чеверус дар Портленд футбол бозӣ мекард ва як 1998 хатм кунанда. Занаш хатмкардаи Диринг мебошад, вале онхо дар Филаделфия вохурданд, ки дар он чо як вактхо дар ХУД кор мекард.

Вай пас аз фаҳмидани дастрасии он аз пайвасти ҳукумат дар Мэн барои кушодани манзили Вестбрук муроҷиат кард. Гагнон Конканнонро ҳамчун ҷавон ва дорои ҳисси хуби юмор тавсиф кард.

Ҳамчун инсайдери Вашингтон, Таъиноти Конканнон дар Westbrook Housing кор мекунад “ба манфиати мо,”Гагнон гуфт.

Westbrook манзил дорад 14 хосиятҳо бо 1,800 хочагихо ва вай накша дорад, ки траекторияи афзоиши Лароче мукаррар карда шудааст.

Конканнон гуфт, ки Westbrook Housing ба Биддефорд даъват карда шудааст, ки дар он чаҳор лоиҳа дар лӯла мавҷуд аст.. Вай ба Лароше ва Шӯрои комиссарон, ки аз ҷониби шаҳр таъин шудааст, қарз медиҳад “ташкилоти хуб идора карда мешавад.”

Вай ба як корманд назорат хоҳад кард 50 коркунон ва бо онхо вохурд.

Вай пас аз қафо мондани давидан барои сайд кардан аз сайру гаштҳои оромона лаззат мебарад 6 саҳарӣ. парвозҳо аз Портленд ба Вашингтон ва тафтиш ба меҳмонхонаҳо.

Акнун ба хона баргардед, вай барои бо оилааш вақт сарф кардан вақт ёфт ва ҳам ӯ ва ҳам занаш дар минтақаи Портленд хешовандон доранд.

LaRoche retiring from Westbrook Housing position

Муаллиф Роберт Лоуэлл

Chris LaRoche will retire Monday, июн 30, as executive director of Westbrook Housing after more than a decade. John Concannon, a Portland native, has been named to succeed LaRoche. Concannon comes to Westbrook from the director’s position at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington, D.C.

“I’m handing him the keys,” LaRoche said in an interview June 20 at his Westbrook office.

LaRoche has been the executive director for more than 12 years. “I’m a little tired,” гуфт у. “I’m going to take the summer to relax.”

He plans to spend time with his family and protest for democracy. LaRoche lives in York County and plans to do volunteer work, protest, and take courses at the University of New England and the UMaine System. “I’m looking forward to being a member of the community,” гуфт у. “The biggest thing is to give back to the community — I want to hand out the sandwiches.”

Westbrook манзилию, таъсис дода, дар 1969 and overseen by a board of mayoral-appointed commissioners, provides affordable housing opportunities with 793 units in 14 developments. “We’ve grown about 40%,” he said in a reference to his tenure.

The agency also administers more than 1,000 vouchers in a Section 8 program so low-income residents can live in privately owned apartments in the city.

The total Westbrook Housing budget coupled with its Westbrook Development Corp. has an annual operational spending of $20 million with $130 million in total assets.

LaRoche described the executive director’s job as rewarding as it is demanding. LaRoche oversaw a staff of 50 employees and he has felt a responsibility to them. “The stress will be off,” гуфт у.

A former Catholic priest, Coast Guard and Navy veteran, LaRoche began his public service at York County Community Action Corp. He left for adventure to hike the 2,182 miles of the Appalachian Trail from Mt. Katahdin in Maine to Georgia. “Every mile of it,” гуфт у.

He saw numerous rattlesnakes and stopped counting the number of bears after 25. One morning at 5a.m. a bear was right outside his tent, but walked away. “That one got my attention,” гуфт у.

Along the trail, he met a variety of people; he hiked with homeless people as well as a top executive at a large corporation.

A baby boomer, LaRoche grew up in Gardner, Массачусетс, a community he described as much like Westbrook. He said Westbrook accepted him as one of their own when he succeeded John Gallagher at Westbrook Housing. ‘The people we serve are everyday, regular people who worked hard,” he said.”The need is great … (ва) I hope the people of Westbrook feel I have served them as well as John.”

He praises Westbrook for its volunteerism and its community pride. “I have worked all over the state of Maine and there is no community like Westbrook,” гуфт у.

In a ceremony earlier this month, Mayor David Morse presented LaRoche with keys to the city and lauded LaRoche as an “incredible resource” who has worked “tirelessly.”

06/16/2025

It is with great pleasure that I am able to introduce Mr. John Concannon as the Executive Director of the Housing Authority of the City of Westbrook. Upon my retirement, effective June 30th, John will be leading the Housing Authority and its Westbrook Development Corporation into the next era to advance the mission to eradicate poverty and increase economic opportunities through quality affordable housing for the community and the region. The Board of Commissioners is to be commended for its vision and commitment to our mission through its selection of John Concannon and his vision and expertise to lead the organization into its future.

As I depart, I wish to acknowledge the highly committed, professional, caring, and skillful colleagues that I have been so fortunate to have by my side. It is with them that we have been able to remain at the pinnacle of performance and expand our programs and production in the past twelve years. I am forever grateful to the staff of Westbrook Housing Authority and Westbrook Development Corporation.

I am forever grateful and honored to have served the supportive and visionary Board of Commissioners of Westbrook Housing and the Board of Directors of Westbrook Development Corporation. It has been an honor and privilege to serve the people of the City of Westbrook as it has been an honor to serve alongside its dedicated City Administration and elected officials who have diligently been supportive of the Housing Authority and my role to provide quality, safe, affordable housing to the area.

Respectfully,

Christopher LaRoche
Мудири иҷроия

FY2025 Annual Plan

FY2026 Annual Plan Draft

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. Дуктур. 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, Дуктур. 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, дин, 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. [Сарчашма: 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. Дар 1968 Act expanded on previous acts and prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, кирояи, and financing of housing based on race, дин, миллӣ, љинс, (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. Аммо, when the Rev. Дуктур. 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, Дуктур. 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. Аммо, 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. [Сарчашма: History of Fair Housing – Ҳуд | HUD.gov / U.S. Раёсати манзилию ва рушди шаҳр (Ҳуд) ]