By Joan Artis
Dear New Britain Housing Authority,
For several months, close friends of mine have gone to you to try to get housing. They have told me how hard it is to deal with you. They complain you do not return phone calls and don’t process paper work in a timely manner. Client case managers seem to also have difficulty getting results from you. Return calls are few and far between. I have also heard that clients have received eviction notices after living in their apartments for 2-3 months because of slow information.
I only hear one side of the story and I don’t know your side. I don’t expect you to respond but I will ask you to please understand these peoples’ situations. In order to eliminate homelessness we need everyone involved to make an effort to make sure paperwork is processed and calls are returned.
This letter is meant to make you aware of how you are viewed by the people who need your help and who you are supposed to be helping. I have a suggestion that might help. What if you use the first 30 minutes of each morning listening to your phone messages, and the next 30 minutes returning phone calls? It seems like a reasonable solution. I feel there may be several such changes that could be used to avoid evictions and frustration.
Thank you for listening.