News & Events at
Sarasota Housing Authority
Sarasota Housing Authority is pleased to announce that our efforts under HUD Receivership, which formally ended July 9, 2008, and a new administration have gained significant positive media attention. We strive not only to provide decent and safe affordable housing but also supportive services that lead toward self-sufficiency. We invite you to read through the following articles and events on SHA and our work.
Monday, November 28, 2011 - SHA Hosts the Janie's Garden Phase II Grand Opening Ceremony and the Mediterranean Apartments Demolition Ceremony.
SARASOTA, FL (November 28, 2011)—The Sarasota Housing Authority (SHA) and its development partner, Michaels Development, celebrate the grand opening of Janie’s Garden Phase II, Friday, December 2 at 10:00 a.m., followed immediately by a demolition ceremony at the distressed site of the Mediterranean apartments. Click here to read more.
Thursday, May 26, 2011 - "Housing Authority Cameras Keep Close Eye on Neighborhood," on WWSB ABC Channel 7 News.
Thursday, May 26, 2011 - Sarasota Herald Tribune editorial--"Sarasota Denied Grant for Public Housing Update."
Wednesday, May 25, 2011 - Sarasota Herald Tribune editorial--"Security Cameras Watch Sarasota Public Housing."
Saturday, April 23, 2011 - Sarasota Herald Tribune editorial--"Director: Sarasota Public Housing is Not Crime-Ridden."
January 20, 2011 - Sarasota Bans Smoking in Public Housing on WWSB ABC News Channel 7.
January 17, 2011 - SHA Goes Green with Federal Stimulus Funding on SNN News Channel 6.
December 8, 2010 - Sarasota Herald Tribune article "New HOPE on Housing."
November 16, 2010 - Sarasota Herald Tribune article "Janie's Garden Project in Phase II."
November 15, 2010 - SHA's Janie's Garden Groundbreaking Ceremony coverage on News Channel 8.
November 14, 2010 - Sarasota Herald Tribune article "Housing Authority Restores and Rents Distressed Homes."
November 9, 2010 - SHA Executive Director William Russell discusses the significance of Janie's Garden Phase II on local radio show "Local Matters" (WSLR 96.5 FM).
November 5, 2010 - SNN Channel 6 coverage of SHA revitalizing foreclosed homes in order to provide affordable housing to local families.
November 3, 2010 - SHA Hosts Janie's Garden Phase II Groundbreaking Ceremony and Leed Certification Ceremony.
SARASOTA, FLORIDA--Sarasota Housing Authority has completed an official closing for its Janie's Phase II redevelopment project. To commemorate these efforts, SHA will host a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, November 15th at 9:30 a.m. at the Janie's Garden rental community. In addition to the groundbreaking ceremony, the U.S. Green Building Council will conduct a dedication ceremony in honor of the Janie's Garden Community Center, which has received a LEED NC Silver Certification for its architectural design.
May 17, 2010 - Housing Choice Voucher Program Waiting List Opens
SARASOTA, FLORIDA—In an economy plagued with increased job losses and mortgage foreclosures, Sarasota Housing Authority (SHA) remains a leading provider of public and affordable housing opportunities to more than 1,300 individuals and families annually. To further combat this harsh economy, for the first time since 2004, SHA is opening its Housing Choice Voucher Program waiting list to very low income individuals and families in Sarasota County at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, May 21st. more.
November 8, 2009 - SHA Executive Director William Russell Appears on ABC7's Black Almanac Show
October 22, 2009 - "A New Deal for Public Housing" - a Sarasota Herald Tribune Editorial
October 11, 2009 - Sarasota Herald Tribune Article on Janie's Garden
September 11, 2009 - SHA's Janie's Garden Coverage on SNN 6 TV
September 3, 2009 - HUD Awards SHA an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Public Housing Transformation Grant of $2.5 million for Phase II of Janie's Garden
September 2, 2009 - Herald Tribune Lead Editorial on Janie's Garden
April 15 2009 - SHA's Janie's Garden Mixed-Income Development Leases Up
March 4, 2009 - SHA Receives Federal Stimulus Funds for Capital Projects
July 9, 2008 - HUD Ends Receivership - Turns SHA Over to Local Control
May 7, 2008 - Janie Poe Phase I Groundbreaking Event - 4 Articles:
- Herald Tribune Op Ed
- Herald Tribune Editorial, ABC Chanel 7 story, and a Herald Tribune news article
11/29/07 - Nourishing hope at Janie Poe - When I arrived at the give-thanks dinner last Tuesday at Janie Poe public housing complex, I planned to listen, not eat. But before long there was a plate in my hand ... page 1 page 2 (pdf)
9/27/07 - Rethinking Public Housing -The Venice Housing Authority faces a difficult decision on what to do about Grove Terrace, a dilapidated and poorly run public housing project. All options should be explored publicly before the authority and the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development make a decision. Whatever that decision is, those officials should make it clear that public housing is still a community need... more (pdf)
9/27/07 - $17M Awarded to Revitalization Project in Florida -The Sarasota Housing Authority (SHA), the county of Sarasota and the city of Sarasota recently signed an inter-local funding agreement to allow nearly $17 million to be allocated for the revitalization of the Newtown Redevelopment Project (NRP). This money will be awarded to Michaels Development Co. (MDC), which is heading up the project. more
9/25/07 -Sarasota CRA expanded to include Newtown -It took more than a decade, but the historic Newtown community in Sarasota officially became part of the city's downtown redevelopment taxing district Monday.The new designation will allow the historically black neighborhood to become eligible to receive more than $20 million in revitalization funding. more (pdf)
9/25/07 - Bradenton Herald: Sarasota CRA Expanded to include Newtown - It took more than a decade, but the historic Newtown community in Sarasota officially became part of the city's downtown redevelopment taxing district Monday. The new designation will allow the historically black neighborhood to become eligible to receive more than $20 million in revitalization funding. more (pdf)
9/25/07 - ABC7: Funds to renovate housing complex awarded - Money has been award to the Sarasota Housing Authority to begin renovating its Janie Poe housing development. This after the city's housing authority was put on a federal "trouble list". more (pdf)
8/25/2007 – Residents wary of HUD departure - Public housing residents say things improved when the federal government took control of the Sarasota Housing Authority two years ago. They hope [return to local authority] is not a step back to the days before the federal government stepped in, when they had no power and no say in how the authority was run. more
8/23/2007 – Putting public housing in order -Running a local public housing agency "isn't rocket science," HUD receiver Carmen Valenti likes to say. But fixing an organization beset by disrepair and financial hardship isn't easy. Valenti was assigned that task in 2005, the year that Sarasota asked the federal Housing and Urban Development department to take over the local agency in charge of 400 low-income apartments. more
6/22/2007 – PRESS RELEASE – ROSS Early Childhood Center Opens
Children First and the Sarasota Housing Authority will present an Open House on Monday, June 25th at 8:30 a.m. at 1912 North Orange Avenue to celebrate the grand opening of the ROSS Early Childhood Center.
The ROSS Early Childhood Center, located on Housing Authority property, is funded in part by the HUD Resident Opportunities & Self Sufficiency (ROSS) grant that was awarded to the Sarasota Housing Authority in February of this year. more (pdf)
2/21/2007 – PRESS RELEASE – Buchanan Announces SHA to Receive ROSS Grant
In a press release with HUD Tampa Field Office Director, Karen Jackson-Sims, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan announced today that the Sarasota Housing Authority has won a Resident Opportunity and Self Sufficiency (ROSS) Grant.
The Sarasota Housing Authority will receive $150,000 in funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to help residents of public housing achieve economic independence. more (pdf)
7/14/06 – Youths Take in Reds Game as FCAT Reward
The Housing Authority of the City of Sarasota took 23 children from Janie Poe to a Sarasota Reds game Wednesday as a reward for passing the FCAT.
Bill Russell, executive director of HACS, said he wanted to do something to recognize children who are doing well in school. more (pdf)
12/14/2006 – Start of something big - In place of shabby, uncomfortable -- even unhealthy -- public housing, imagine a neighborhood that revitalizes Newtown with new homes that serve low-income familits and the work force. more (pdf)
10/26/2006 – A Commitment to Improvement
They want out. And they're determined that nothing will get in their way, especially not the defeatist attitudes of others. They are about two dozen tenants of the Sarasota Housing Authority's projects in Newtown. more (pdf)
6/30/2006 – Authority Hosting Carnival for Residents - Bill Russell, Executive Director of the Sarasota Housing Authority, will sit in a dunk tank today during a carnival for the Housing Authority's tenants. more (pdf)
Executive Director, Bill Russell watches as children enjoy carnival games.
6/4/2006 – Join the Good Deed Chain - One good deed begets another, the saying goes, and we hope its true for Sarasota's public housing.
Several organizations have pledged to provide services, job training and other help for public housing residents who seek self-sufficiency. more (pdf)
1/11/2006 – Housing Advisor Urges Changes - Sarasota's dilapidated publc housing complexes should be replaced with mixed-income neighborhoods, an adviser to the Sarasota Housing Authority said Tuesday. more (pdf)
5/13/2005 - A New Beginning - Next week, a new director takes the reins of Sarasota's public housing, a job that comes with decades' worth of baggabe. The local community must help him overcome it. more (pdf)
6/17/2005 – Rebuilding Trust - Sarasota's run-down public housing faces a difficult transition. It needs to revew, adapt and transform itself, without neglecting its core mission: safe, decent homes for the poor. more (pdf)
