DATE: Thursday, October 2, 1997             TAG: 9710020560

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B9   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY KATRICE FRANKLIN, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: SUFFOLK                           LENGTH:   37 lines

SUFFOLK'S HOUSING AGENCY GETS PRAISE, DIRECTIONS FOR FUTURE

You're doing a good job, Suffolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority. We're pleased.

But can you work with us on providing a program where money would be set aside to rehabilitate homes owned by seniors?

And how about televising those meetings?

That's what the Suffolk City Council told the housing authority's Board of Commissioners Wednesday afternoon during a meeting to discuss the agency's progress over the past year.

The authority's commissioners, which oversee the housing agency, are appointed by the council. Both bodies, known for criticizing one another in the past, agreed that they've finally formed a solid relationship that is producing results for the city.

Council members listened as the agency's executive director, Clarissa E. McAdoo, read a list of projects that the authority has worked on.

Among them: Suffolk's first rehabilitation project in Orlando, a neighborhood near downtown; holding a home ownership summit to help residents become homeowners; and rewarding children who live in public housing developments for excelling in school.

Despite the praise, the agency also was given direction for the future.

Council members asked the agency to work with the city on utilizing funds to start a program to help elderly citizens refurbish their homes. The city manager and the agency's executive director will report to the council in 30 days.

The council also suggested that the agency attempt to educate the community more about what they do by moving their meetings to the council chambers so they could be televised on the city's cable channel.

Housing board members said they would consider taking that action in their next meeting.

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