#HousersAtWork: Staying Connected and Well at the HADC!

Throughout 2020, despite challenges, the Housing Authority of DeKalb County has worked daily to continue to assist our residents with innovative and meaningful outreach while also celebrating joyful moments to keep spirits lifted and neighbors connected.  

Our social services programs at the HADC are rooted in personal interaction and consistent exchange for the wellbeing of our residents. In March 2020, with the rest of our community and nation, we at the HADC paused and changed how we conducted business and served our residents because of the COVID19 pandemic.  Our in-person resident services and special programs activities became limited due to COVID-19 and social distancing.  To ensure that our resident participants remained connected and informed of resources available to them as they sheltered in place, our resident services staff provided the following information via phone, email and texts each week:  

• Available jobs and online training opportunities.  
• Food banks.  Participants were also encouraged to contact United Way 211 for additional resources  
• Links and registration information for free online tutoring for school-aged children. 
•  Museums and attractions that were offering virtual tours.  

As we have profoundly come to realize as a society, support is the necessary foundation for wellness and the ability to thrive — no matter the life circumstances. To this end, we are providing the best possible support for our residents. The following services are being offered at all of our properties: 

• Buses for grocery shopping each week.  
• Assistance with online grocery shopping  
• Meals on Wheels free meal delivery for those in need   
• Individual property newsletters and calendars with exercise activity packets   
• Activity packets and virtual resources, with an added incentive of a virtual activity contest. Winners at each property receive a gift card.  
• Resident care packages that contain individually sealed food products, a mask, gloves, activities, and resource material. 
•  We also partnered with various organizations to provide masks to our residents. 

In our new online virtual environment, we at the HADC have fully adapted and are providing virtual coaching and financial education via teleconference. Budget worksheets and electronic financial coaching tools have been provided to participants via email.  As the economic impact of COVID19 affects our seniors and families, we are working with them to make financial adjustments that will allow for them to best sustain themselves. 

Increased communication is vitally important in times of any crisis and COVID19 is no different. We are working with our seniors on digital inclusion and literacy by encouraging our residents to connect with us in social media for interaction and up-to-date information on digital/social media platforms:   

The Housing Authority of DeKalb County is committed to serving our residents with valuable resources and meaningful solutions through innovation, teamwork, and accountability. Now, our work is more critical than ever.