Housing Stabilization

11/18/2022

Hello as of 11/18/2022, please send all rental assistance communications to tia.diggs@tcbinc.org. If you need to apply, need help with your budget or need to follow up, please email Tia. Her office hours are Mon and Wednesdays 5:30-8pm and every other Saturday starting at 3pm.

If you need to virtually meet with Meloni about subjects unrelated to rental assistance, please send an email to meloni.harris.barber@tcbinc.org.

You can reach Mr. Ernes and Ms. Kim about community engagement and admin operations at kimberly.jones@tcbinc.org and ernest.martin@tcbinc.org

You for other supports you can contact Shanda Brown shanda.brown@tcbinc.org

Thanks

6/23/2022

You qualify for up to $1000 per year for the MD Renter's Tax Credit if you:

1. Have a lease

2. FIRST TIME APPLICANTS & THOSE WHO HAVE MOVED DURING THE PREVIOUS YEAR can provide proof that you have paid your rent for a year (canceled checks, receipts, statements, etc...). Other applicants (if you have already applied for this in previous years) submit a copy your lease AND ledger.

3. Combined income must be less than $200,000.00

4. For more information Renter's Tax Credit Information

5/27/2022 

Please click the Central West Baltimore Resident Training to learn about the Rules/Regulations, Housekeeping, VAWA, Youth Engagement, Rental Responsibilities (rental assistance, reporting income, rent court, repayment agreements, paying rent on-time), renter's insurance, back-ups and insoluble foods.

3/8/2022

 Please complete the Next of Kin Form for authorized persons to enter your home. 

3/3/2022

Join us for the Community Safety Meeting 3/9/2022 3pm

5/20/2021

Get discount off your >>>Broadband (internet)<<< for qualifying households. See if you qualify. 

4/5/2021

Violence Against Women Act, Lease and CLQ Information--Complete in THIS ORDER. 

STEP 1 Click>>> CLQ<<<

STEP 2 Click >>>Violence Against Women's Act & Lease Presentation<<<

STEP 3 Click>>>Questions Related to VAWA & Your Lease<<<

Step 4 >>>Ambra's Domestic Violence Relationship<<<

If you know someone who needs help with Domestic Violence call 1800-799-7233. If you need to make an anonymous incident report for domestic violence or other incidents, Pedestal/Marshall Gardens Incident Report

2/25/2021

 We have a partnership with LYFT which will allow residents to get a LYFT ride for up to $25 for 10 rides. To qualify, you must have an emergency( hospital, school, work) or another qualifying emergency. When you are in need of a LYFT complete >>LYFT FORM<<

2/10/2021

Are you interested in purchasing a home? We've partnered with Habitat for Humanity and you can join their >>>Virtual Homeowner Learning Session 2/13/21 OR 2/25/2021<<<

9/25/2020

Thanks to our community partners, B'more for Healthy Babies and Freedom Meal Delivery, twenty (20) of our families were able to enjoy a vegan meal from Land of Cush.

Thanks to our community partners Arianna,  Ms. Adams and Aaron Maybin who is the amazing author of Color of the City  we were able to provide our youth with school supplies and art activities! 

Additionally, Residential One is helping us to meet our residential voting goal of 80% by allowing residents to enter a rent raffle if they can prove that they are registered to vote or if they make an appointment with Community Life staff, and register to vote they will be entered into a rent raffle to win up to $100 of their rent. The raffle will take place after the election. With this collaborative effort, we were able to impact over 50 of Pedestal's residents.

9/17/2020

We were to provide school supplies for youth. Items included paper, notebooks, pencils, pens, notepads, and personal keychain hand-sanitizers. 

1/27/2020

The Violence Against Women's Act (VAWA) Training was a great training and it was awesome that residents and staff shared their experience with domestic violence and violence. Resident L.T. shared her experience of being with her husband who was abusive and the toll that it took on her and her family and how her son had to fight her husband because of abuse.

Another impactful moment was when we talked about violence and domestic violence as it relates to Pedestal Gardens. Security's data shows that from August of 2019-January 2020, there was a total of 53 violence and domestic violence reports. Of the 20 incidents 13 were domestic violence reports.

Residents if you have not completed the VAWA training, please click Presentation after you have read the presentation answer the Questions (property management will receive notification that you have completed the VAWA training).

 

3/1/2019

Housing Stabilization is multi-faceted as it lends it self in the outcome areas of Asset Building, Youth Development/Education, Community Engagement, Early Childhood Development and Workforce Development. Many residents have been connected to resources which helps them to stabilize their homes and through stabilization, we are able to help them in other areas.

 In February and March of 2019 we connected with 176 of our residents and they informed us of what we needed to address under the outcome area of Housing Stabilization; here are the results

During the months of February and March there were a series of meetings that residents attended. The reason for these meetings is because we wanted to get YOUR input as to what YOUR needs were. You informed us that that the following needed to be addressed:

>Vendors (security, cleaning crew, pest control)

>Building Safety (people hanging in the halls, not able to see through the glass when entering the buildings, more secured entry doors, etc…)

>Unit Safety (fire extinguishers, heat, appliances not working, smoke/ CO detectors)

>Communication (being notified of new staff, changes, expectations, etc…)

>Other: Trash in courtyard, laundry room security and tables, loitering, units painted, following rules of the complex, being notified when someone has been in the units (leave a tag of work that was done)

Here are the results: 176 Residents Were Polled:

35 Residents have indicated that Building Safety is important.

34 Residents have indicated that Unit Safety is important. 

33 Residents have indicated that Communication is important.

32 Residents have indicated that Vendors (Pest Control, cleaning crew, etc...) are important 

31 Residents have indicated that Unit Repairs are important.

11 Residents have indicated that the following are important (keeping the courtyards clean, loitering, and leaving door tags. 

What We Have Completed & What We Are Working On…

Building Safety :

>We have reached a decision that some of the entry door window panels will be removed.

>We will implement resident photos of household member/partnering with security to enhance patrol with security features.

We are initiating more secure laundry rooms (ONLY residents will have access).  

Unit Safety:

 >It was determined by the Fire Marshall that the fire extinguishers are in a central location, which is in the hallways.

>We have restored or are working on all work tickets that need heat/appliance attention. 

>The old CO/Smoke Detectors were replaced with longer life-time CO/Detectors and the detectors that were too close to the kitchen, were relocated. This action has stopped the detectors from alarming when residents were cooking.

Communication:

>We will inform residents of new staff, changes, expectations through resident meetings, text/call, and the blog spot https://pedestalgardensbaltimore.blogspot.com/

>We have hired four (4) porters who will clean the buildings, and we have five (5) maintenance techs who are working on the maintenance tickets.

>We have enforced the terms of the lease and are working on the Rules & Regulations.

>We have implemented and enforced the No Writ to Redemption process—if you have been filed on more than four (4) times for non-payment of rent, the management company has the right to REDEEM the property and you will be evicted.

Vendors:

>We are reviewing the contract with Pest Control to better meet the needs of our residents.

>We have hired a new security company (Sparrow) to meet the needs of our residents. Sparrow’s Number: 443-827-0374. We are also reviewing with internal departments to have a site phone for security so that if we change security vendors, the number will remain the same.

Unit Repairs: Maintenance staff are coming to the units and are completing if not all, most items that they deem need to be fixed which includes the request that residents made.

>We are also calling residents to ensure that the work-tickets were completed. **Note, if you want to be added to the paint/carpet list, you MUST call the front office and ask to be on the lists. **

Other:

>Trash in the Courtyard: Porters AND residents will help keep the courtyard and other buildings/parking lots free of trash.

>Loitering: As indicated in the meetings, residents can call in and be anonymous about residents or non-residents loitering in the buildings/parking lots. Security’s Number is 443-827-0374 and the office number is 410-532-2341.

>Door Tags: When staff comes into your home and you are not there, we will leave a door tag, which will be left either in the home or on the door informing you that we are in your home OR we were in your home.