Housing Alexandria is proud to help our residents thrive while they are living with us.
We empower Housing Alexandria residents through curated programs that integrate the community’s voice and implement life-enriching services.
& Children
Back2School
Housing Alexandria created our Back2School program to alleviate financial strain caused by the yearly need to buy back-to-school materials, to connect with our residents, and to ensure all of the youth in our buildings are prepared to learn.
At the end of every summer, Housing Alexandria provides backpacks filled with school supplies to our student residents. There are elementary school backpacks and middle/high school backpacks filled with supplies on the list put out by APS. The aim is for all of our student residents to be prepared to learn, with high quality, new school supplies to start the year off right. Parents can sign up using a QR code on flyers around the building, send an email, or simply call the office to sign up. All of the marketing materials are in English, Spanish, and Amharic.
Toys for tots
In partnership with the US Marines Toys for Tots Program, Housing Alexandria provides toys to our residents for the Holidays. The aim is to build community with our residents through holiday celebration. We want to ensure that our residents can celebrate and provide gifts to their children without accruing large additional costs. We aim to provide a toy to any resident hoping to make the holidays special for a child in their life.
While the US Marines Toys for Tots program doesn’t provide toys for older children, we hand out gift cards to kids over the age of 13 so that they feel included in the holiday season. Additionally, team members personally hand out the gifts so that the residents can get to know us better.
Communities
Gardens
Housing Alexandria knows that food insecurity impacts many people, and one of the ways we combat that is through our community gardens. Across our properties, Housing Alexandria has installed three community gardens for our residents to grow and harvest produce. These gardens have a wide variety of crops such as tomatoes, sweet peppers, eggplants, chilis, cucumbers, zucchini, summer squash, basil, collard greens, kale, beets, chard, carrots, head lettuce, lettuce mix, mustard greens, bok choi, broccoli, parsley, and rosemary, parsley, dill, poblano chili peppers, turnips, and radishes.
Beyond that, we know that our residents are busy working, caring for their family members, etc. Our fresh produce is extremely accessible as distributions occur at the property. We aim to limit the barrier of going to the store to access fruits and vegetables.
Tenant Advisory Board
The Tenant Advisory Board (TAB) plays an integral part towards Housing Alexandria’s overall goals and initiatives as a community developer. The mission of the TAB is to help improve our communities through ongoing resident engagement and interaction. Through resident communication, we are able to develop healthy and better-operated communities that cater to the needs of the residents living within them.
The TAB is intentionally designed to reflect the demographics of Housing Alexandria’s community, which includes a wide variety of cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, ages, careers, and lengths of residency with Housing Alexandria. Housing Alexandria will continue to play a role in the TAB selection process in order to ensure representative make-up is maintained.
Empowerment
Eviction Prevention
Housing Alexandria is deeply committed to reducing eviction rates. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we ensured no families were convicted and we wanted that success to exist in the coming years. This is why, in 2024, Housing Alexandria implemented the Eviction Prevention Program.
The Eviction Prevention Program was created through collaboration between our team, the residents, and experts around the city. So far, it has positively impacted residents by helping them avoid late fees, reducing eviction judgments, and increasing case dismissals. This program is always evolving as we are committed to doing as much as we can to cater this program to our residents’ unique situations.
Welcome Packets
Housing Alexandria’s objective for our Welcome Packets is to assist new residents in learning about life at a Housing Alexandria property, their rights as residents, and their new neighborhood. The Welcome Packets are distributed to new residents right when they move in so that we can guarantee every resident has access to the information.
The packets highlight important community rules and a list of fees to be transparent with residents about our expectations for their conduct while providing relevant neighborhood information, such as stores, religious institutions, schools, and leisure spaces, and community resources. This information clearly sets the rule and fee expectations for residents in writing and allows them to become quickly acquainted with their community.
Programs
Recipe Books
Housing Alexandria’s recipe book are created through collaboration between residents and community members to celebrate the fresh produce from our community gardens! It’s not only a collection of delicious, healthy recipes, but also a valuable tool for inspiring residents to cook with new vegetables and embrace healthier eating.
This cookbook has been distributed at garden events and other Housing Alexandria gatherings. The program has brought our community together, educated residents about the benefits of homegrown produce, and helped foster a greater appreciation for the gardens in our neighborhoods.
Resource Fairs
Housing Alexandria’s resource fairs connect residents with community resources and assist them in reaching their financial goals. These events are held at a Housing Alexandria community, and are only possible through the incredible partnerships we have made within our community.
Resource Fairs are very broad and can look many different ways. It could be an event to help residents get signed up for a government funded program such as SNAP or Medicare. You could also partner with another for or non profit who is providing something like utility assistance. Perhaps you partner with someone who is distributing free technology such as phones or laptops. It may just be a tabling event where a bunch of different organizations share their resources and speak with residents. Maybe some social workers or eviction prevention specialists are available for appointments on site. The list can go on and on.
