News on 8, winter 2012, v.11 no.2

              Volume 1, Number 2 							 November 2002
A Newsletter for Section 8 Rental Assistance Landlords and Tenants
Published Twice Yearly by Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency
NEWS ON 8, Rental Assistance Newsletter
Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency
P.O. Box 26720
Oklahoma City, OK 73126
www.ohfa.org
Presort Standard
U.S. Postage
Paid
Permit No. 2000
Okla. City, OK
Winter 2012 Volume 11, Number 2
Holidays (Offices Closed)
November 12, Veterans Day
November 22 & 23, Thanksgiving
December 24 & 25, Christmas
January 1, New Year’s Day
January 21, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
February 18, Presidents’ Day
May 27, Memorial Day
Landlord Meetings
November 7 - Oklahoma City
December 6 - Tulsa
Rental Assistance Training (staff unavailable)
December 13
March 7
June 13
Family Self Sufficiency Meetings
December 1 - Homebuyer Education
Resident Advisory Board Meeting
November 16 Important Dates
One Woman’s Journey From Transitional
Housing to Buying a Home in Jenks
More than 20 years ago,
transitional housing in Ohio
provided a roof over Benetta
Adams’s head while she received
help for her drug addiction. After get-ting
clean, she moved to Oklahoma
in 1995 to start a new life.
The Tulsa Housing Authority pro-vided
her with housing assistance
during that time until she switched to
Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency’s
Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher
Program in 2005.
“I’ve been free from drugs since
1991,” said Benetta, now a pleasant
and cheerful middle-aged school bus
driver.
Most people would never think
that Benetta was once a drug addict
because of the person she is today –
a reliable employee, a loving mother,
and a trustworthy neighbor.
As a grade school and middle
school bus driver for Jenks Public
School for the past seven years,
“Miss Benetta,” as the children call
her, is a positive influence in their
lives.
Right after parents rush their
kids to get to the bus on time after a
hectic morning, Benetta opens the
school bus door and greets them
with a big, warm smile.
The children on Benetta’s yel-low
school bus experience lots of
interaction.
“We sing on our bus,” she said.
“When a child has a birthday, I have
everyone sing ‘Happy Birthday!’”
The end result of a fun bus ride?
The children are happy and ready
to learn when they step off the bus,
Benetta explained.
Benetta started college and her
job with Jenks Public Schools
shortly after she enrolled in OHFA’s
Family Self-Sufficiency Program.
The program assists individuals
receiving Section 8 Housing Choice
Voucher assistance as they achieve
their educational and employment
goals.
Participants receive one-on-one
support and counseling from an
FSS Specialist during the five years
they have to reach their goals. The
FSS Program also creates a finan-cial
incentive by putting money into
an escrow savings account
(Continued on Page 2)
OHFA Vision:
An affordably
housed
Oklahoma
OHFA Mission:
Creating
housing
solutions for
Oklahomans
Vision
&
Mission
Website
OHFA Website:
www.ohfa.org
Benetta makes sure the kids who ride her
bus have a fun time so they are happy and
ready to learn when they arrive at school.
Jenks Public School bus driver Benetta
Adams bought a house in Jenks using
OHFA’s Section 8 Homeownership Program.
She also credits the Family Self-Sufficiency
Program for changing her life.