Rainbow’s 2012 Mid-Year Newsletter

It is our pleasure to share with you the below mid-year report for Rainbow Housing Assistance Corporation (Rainbow). 2012 has already been a very busy year expanding existing partnerships, making several event appearances, and being recognized by third-parties for excellence in the delivery of our service-enriched housing model.

Growth with Centerline

I would like to start with the business relationship with Centerline Capital Group that we announced at the end of last year. In addition to sites in two Texas cities, Rainbow is now serving properties in the Atlanta, Georgia market. At this year’s Annual Play It Forward Golf Tournament, Rainbow honored this partnership by recognizing Centerline as our “Community Investment Partner of the Year“. We are also pleased to report to you that during this event in April, with the help of our sponsors, Rainbow hosted the largest and most successful charity golf event to date.

USGA Grant

For a variety of reasons, the game of golf has always been a favorite of the Rainbow family. We recognize its potential as a life-skills teacher, promoter of good sportsmanship, and excellent way to get some exercise. It is with tremendous pride that we announce a $10,000 grant from the United States Golf Association which will allow the youth of the communities we serve in Houston to take advantage of all the wonderful benefits that golf has to offer. Through the hard work of our Houston Rainbow team, including board member Wendell Champion, the Houston Golf Association has opened its doors to its various educational and instructional programs throughout the year. The inaugural event afforded 35 youth from the Haverstock Hills community to attend the Shell Houston Open.

Community Reports and Awards

This kind of tremendous work is happening across our entire service portfolio, helping resident’s improve their quality of life and promoting behaviors that promote self-sufficiency. We would like to share with you a few highlights from recent months. Two of our Dallas-area communities, Pecan Grove and Rush Creek, have hosted healthy eating and nutrition education classes. These classes were open to both adults and youth and focused on how to make wholesome choices when preparing meals for the family.

The youth classes encouraged young people to choose foods that are nourishing and help stimulate brain activity supporting educational pursuits. In Georgia, a partnership with Kennesaw State University brought a health and screening fair to Caswyck Trail in April. Here, residents had the opportunity to receive a variety of screenings as well as speak directly with doctor-teachers from the school about the results.

Building strong, stable communities by focusing on the delivery of these types of programs is at the heart of Rainbow’s mission. As Rainbow has grown, so too has our ability to bring about positive change in the broader communities we serve. At the end of last year, we shared with you the tremendous success that the Rainbow-led coalition was able to achieve at the Haverstock Hills community by significantly reducing the criminal element and fostering a “front porch living” environment that everyone could enjoy. Though the turnaround of a 700-unit community with a 30+ year history of violence is an extreme example, we have folded everything we learned from that experience into the delivery of social services programs across the country. The response that we have received has been truly overwhelming. In addition to being asked to share our stories of success at industry events and in trade publications, we have also received awards for excellence in services delivery.

We recently received a Low-Income Housing Tax Credit award in June, in partnership with Hope Development, to rehabilitate an affordable housing site in Phoenix. Once again, Rainbow has demonstrated a proven ability to successfully deliver services that support development and preservation of sustainable, affordable communities.

4th Annual Back-to-School Backpack Drive

In closing, we would like to again extend our thanks to all of you who have helped Rainbow already this year. We appreciate all of the guidance, friendship, and support which you generously offer which aids the mission and helps preserve affordable housing for individuals and families across the country. Though we have accomplished significant achievements this year, we are by no means slowing down. In particular, we would like to challenge all of you to take part in our 4th Annual Back-to-School Backpack Drive. You may find out more about ways to participate, either as an individual or as a corporate sponsor, on our website. Let us make this year’s the largest ever and help the low-income youth of our communities obtain all of the tools they need going into the school year to excel in their academic endeavors.

Again, on behalf of the entire Rainbow team, please accept our thanks and appreciation for everything you do.

Sincerely,
Flynann Janisse, Executive Director