February 2, 2007
HOME SWEET HOME
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Pena and Edwards in the garden of the Bed-Stuy residence |
The Update already did a preview of the opening of Housing Works' first Women's Transitional Housing Residence (WTHR) last week, but the event—and the red velvet cake—were so good that we had to do a quick wrap up.
We weren't able to hear the inspiring speeches from Housing Works Veep and CFO Andrew Coamey, client Lovenia Lee and others but the party was in full effect when we arrived. Housing Works' clients, staff and well-wishers jammed the bright, inviting first floor of the WTHR, downing coffee and cookies and queuing with tour guides at the elevators to the upper floors. Once they reached the apartments, visitors marveled at the spacious, innovative interiors of the 20 studios. Afterward, they found their way to the charming back patio and rose garden.
Julie Pena chatted with Cleon Edwards, assistant state director for government and community relations from Sen. Hillary Clinton's office, about the need for more housing for women coming out of correctional facilities. Edwards later gave a thoughtful speech about the WTHR before reading a supportive letter from his boss. "I was looking at the garden," he said, "and thinking about how, now, it's just dirt. But from that you can make beautiful things. It symbolizes what this represents: hope, growth, potential."
The WTHR's property manager Kenneth Richardson couldn't have agreed more; outwardly calm, he was inwardly happy. "This has been two years in the making," he said. "We can finally start doing what we do." Debbra Carroll, who did a stint in prison and has been HIV positive for 15 years, sounded a little jealous of Richardson. Carroll is the property manager at Housing Works' East New York facility. "I could have used a place like this after I was incarcerated," she said. "It's state of the art—but it has a feeling of home."