The Lowell Housing Authority will join its community partners to participate in the 6th Annual Points of Light Festival. This annual event in Lowell is a spring celebration of unity and renewal that brings together the food, music, and traditions of Lowell’s diverse cultures. The centerpiece of the night is a special ceremony in which participants personalize water lanterns that will be released onto the Western Canal, creating hundreds of floating points of light.

When: Saturday, June 24th, 6:00pm-10:00pm

Where: Ecumenical Plaza, between St. Patrick’s Church and Holy Trinity Church 

The Points of Light planning committee is also seeking volunteers throughout the day to help make this year’s festival a success. Learn more about the schedule of events, and for opportunities to get involved in this special community-wide event.

Visit: About – Points of Light Lantern Celebration (pointsoflightlowell.com)

Volunteer: Volunteer – Points of Light Lantern Celebration (pointsoflightlowell.com)

Charitable contributions are also welcomed!

Acting Lowell Police Superintendent Barry Golner and Lowell Housing Authority Executive Director Tha Chhan are pleased to report that the Lowell Police Department is opening a new precinct on Gorham Street in downtown Lowell’s Jackson/Appleton/Middlesex area in partnership with the Lowell Housing Authority.

Thanks to the generosity of the Lowell Housing Authority, the new precinct will be located at 145 Gorham St., in the Lowell Housing Authority’s South Common Village property.

“On behalf of the Mayor and City Council, we are glad to see the establishment of this new precinct, and look forward to strengthening community bonds in the neighborhood,” said City Manager Thomas A. Golden, Jr.

The Lowell Housing Authority also funds a full-time police officer who is assigned to patrol Lowell Housing Authority property, and two former Housing officers helped the partnership between LHA and LPD take off.

Former housing officer, and now sergeant, Rafael Rivera, and Officer Jacqueline Mercado were the impetus for this new precinct. This initiative was then guided by Dennis Mercier, Property Manager of South Common Village, who has had a positive working relationship with the LPD for years, and who has always been highly responsive to safety concerns held by residents.

The precinct will be located on the first floor, in an area that has long been a hot spot for disorder crimes such as prostitution and drug offenses. The partnership between LPD and LHA was cultivated to reduce drug and other criminal activity in the neighborhood, unauthorized entry into LHA property and to provide peace of mind to the over 400 residents who call South Common Village home.

Continue reading “Lowell Police to Open New Precinct at South Common Village”

The Lowell Housing Authority is now hiring! The Lowell Housing Authority is seeking a Housing Technician/ Front Desk Receptionist to join our Division of Leased Housing team. Our ideal candidate is someone who is compassionate, has strong customer service skills, previous administrative experience, and a passion for working with culturally diverse, low-income individuals and families.

BENEFITS

• Rewarding Work
• Defined pension plan
• Health and dental coverage
• Long-term disability
• Flexible spending
• Deferred compensation
• Training certifications, conference participation, and tuition reimbursement

  Join our team! Learn more and apply at: https://www.lhma.org/employment/

On February 17, 2023, at a Special Meeting of the Board of Commissioners, Tha Chhan, the Lowell Housing Authority’s Division of Leased Housing Director, who was actively serving as the Interim Executive Director, since December was appointed as the new Executive Director for the Lowell Housing.

Tha Chhan joined the agency in 1988 serving as a Clerk/Interpreter before being appointed as a Housing Inspector in 1989. In 2002, he was promoted to Assistant Director of Leased Housing programs then to Director in 2008. Tha holds a Master’s of Social Work from Boston University and a Bachelor’s of Science from Franklin Pierce College. Tha is fluent in English and Cambodian. Tha received a citation from the City of Lowell in 2012 for his contributions to the Cambodian community of Lowell and serves on the Board of the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association (CMAA).

The Lowell Housing Authority will be hosting a Family Movie Night as part of Lowell Kids Week, during school vacation. This event is FREE and open to the public. Venue capacity will allow up to 85 individuals, so it is first-come, first-served. Movie selection will be announced soon Mark your calendars, respond to the event below through our Facebook Event page and please share

EVENT PAGE

The Lowell Housing Authority is hosting Mass Development’s panel discussion for the Acre Transformative Development Initiative (TDI). TDI is a program for Gateway Cities designed to accelerate economic growth at the neighborhood level. The program works with local partnerships to engage community members in actionable projects to create more vibrant streets.

Do you have an interest in the future of the Acre Neighborhood? Resident input matters! Join us along with our community partners to learn more about new resources to support small businesses and help shape the future of the Acre Neighborhood. 

Where: Mercier Community Center

When: Thursday, February 9th from 4:00pm-6:00pm

Thank you to TDI and our partners for your continued investment in our neighborhood:

MassDevelopment

Entrepreneur Center

Coalition for a Better Acre

Panela

The Lowell Plan

The City of Lowell

Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union

University of Massachusetts Lowell

The Lowell Housing Authority would like to formally Congratulate Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association (CMMA) CEO, Sothea Chiemruom,  who was recently selected as one of Boston’s 50 most influential Asian-Pacific Americans, for celebrated, empowering, and elevating the economic, civic, and social contributions of the AAPI community members and communities.

Mr. Chiemruom’s contributions were formally recognized by Get Konnected!  at the Boston Foundation on January 31st, coinciding with their 15th Annual Lunar New Year Celebration, honoring influential Pacific Islanders.

The Authority is pleased to continue our support of the CMMA and Sothea as he continues to lead the way in inspiring and lifting up the Asian community, particularly here in Lowell. This is a well-deserved honor, and as an agency we’re proud to celebrate his accomplishments.

The Lowell Housing Authority’s Selection Committee consisting of members of the Board of Commissioners, staff and residents, will conduct interviews next week to hire an Executive Director. Public interviews will be held at the Mercier Community Center, located at 21 Salem Street with a virtual option to view the interviews. Below please find the interview schedule.

INTERVIEW AGENDA FOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2023

11:00am, 1:30pm, and 3:00pm

11:00am – 12:00noon                 Public Interview 1:

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84226087585

888 788 0099 US Toll-free

877 853 5247 US Toll-free

Meeting ID: 842 2608 7585

1:30pm – 2:30pm                          Public Interview 2: 

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83852138334?pwd=ajNtazRGaExoL2dsK09yTCsxU0xpZz09

Meeting ID: 838 5213 8334
Passcode: 006630

877 853 5247 US Toll-free
888 788 0099 US Toll-free

3:00pm – 4:00pm                          Public Interview 3: 

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89684967963

888 788 0099 US Toll-free

877 853 5247 US Toll-free

Meeting ID: 896 8496 7963

The Lowell Housing Authority in partnership with Kids In Tech completed one week of this year’s program which runs through April 2023. Led by Victoria, Marsha, of Kids in Tech and a duo of interns from Umass Lowell, the program meets in the afternoons on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the agency’s Highland Parkway and North Common Village family properties.

Kids in Tech strives to excite, educate, and empower children to acquire skills and confidence in technology through these interactive after school programs. Their programs help to inspire the next generation of kids to seek careers in the STEM fields and offer the necessary tech skills and aptitudes to participate in and be future leaders of the 21st-century innovation economy.

To kick off the week, the group created their own avatars for use in the program and was exposed to some basics of responsible behavior when interacting with others in online environments.

We look forward to continuing to provide these programs for Lowell youth. If you are a resident of Lowell with children interested in joining the program, there is still time to register!

The deadline to register is Tuesday, November 1st. 

Register today: https://portal.laserfiche.com/q9002/forms/iNkqQ