The Local Community Housing Corporation

Cops n Kids Youth CenterThe Cops n Kids Youth Center (Cops n Kids) is a licensed childcare center in providing high quality afterschool and summer camp programming. The immediate community in the Union Academy Neighborhood is considered at-risk youth due to the number of families that live in the census track with incomes near and below the 250% Federal Poverty Level. Due to this concentration, it is one of five high risk zones in the large demographic area of Pinellas County, Zone 5 neighborhood. Cops n Kids Youth Center was established in 1994 out of a small public housing community in Manago Circle managed by LCHCs sister agency Tarpon Springs Housing Authority. Mango Circle was demolished, and a new construction family community Eagle Ridge Apartments was accomplished in 2021. The Executive Director of the Tarpon Springs Housing Authority reached out to the Police Chief and offered the apartment to encourage Officers to hang out with local children and teens to help establish more positive community relations. The partnership and the program expanded and relocated to the Authority resident community center 560 E. Harrison Street and converted into a childcare center and the Police Department purchased the church 555 E. Harrison across the street to create a two-building campus for afterschool and summer camp programming for students. The mission of Cops n Kids Youth Center is to instill personal values through programs that empower youth and families to experience healthy successful lives. All staff (10 Housing Authority personnel and 1 Police Officer) are passionate about enriching the lives of youth ages 5-17 years of age through stimulating and fun year-round afterschool and summer camp programming. All services are free to families. LCHC is grateful to its immediate partner, the Tarpon Springs Police Department, for their support in providing the service to the community. Cops n Kids is a licensed childcare center certified and inspected regularly by the Pinellas County Licensing Board funded and regulated by the Department of Children and Families and the approved student capacity to serve is 75 youth. Frequent exposure to high quality programming that reinforces the power of education and strengthening a diverse and strong personal character is critical to developing resiliency, in addition to realizing the agency vision of stopping the generational cycle of poverty. Daily programming includes formal education program that includes one-one-one and small group personalized tutoring, student personalized social emotional skill-building to enhance education specific self-esteem and self-management, campus wide homework help, evidenced-based youth development curriculums, academic goal achievement through advanced grade level reading and math teacher lessons and assessments, organic gardening on-site, performing arts, career exploration, personal leadership, recreation / sports, community service projects, exposure field trips to venues that reinforce learning objectives and parent and community engagement events. The nonprofit agency contracts with local and state government agencies to fund personnel expenses and operational maintenance and enhancement costs. Each agency releases competitive grant solicitations, and the most effective applications are approved for annual funding year by year. Grant contract renewal is first- based on available funding within that agency funder and secondly- if LCHC contract holder, employer and programming provider meets annual targeted measurable objectives prescribed. All funding agencies require full compliance with local, state and agency regulations and performance measures. The Cops n Kids has consistently met all performance standards and often exceeds funder expectations. Current programming funders include the Juvenile Welfare Board- Out of School Time, Pinellas County CDBG (Community Development Block Grants) and the Department of Juvenile Justice- Positive Prevention.

Affordable Development Activity Local Community Housing Corporation ("LCHC") and the Tarpon Springs Housing Authority ("PHA or the "Authority") secured the services of an experienced real estate development professionals to partner with LCHC and the PHA in the redevelopment of public housing properties. The team participated in the rigorous competitive application process to secure low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC) administered by Florida Housing Finance Corporation and secured equity investor to realize the agency mission to significantly renovate or reconstruct new housing communities. HUD defines housing authority size by the number of original units developed with the public housing assistance program that was created in the mid-19th century. Tarpon Springs Housing Authority was originally categorized as a small agency. But due to the dynamic and innovative leadership approach of the Board of Commissioners and its executive management, the small agency became mighty with its broad and diverse co-development and children, families and adults direct empowerment services. It is unique for a small housing authority to have the capacity to compete with larger agencies for the same funding and bring significant revitalization and services to a small City. Oak Ridge Estates is a revitalized affordable housing community development completed in 2011 consisting of sixty-two 62) units for families and individuals. Oak Ridge Estates development resources included HUD approved mixed-finance method to create units of mixed-income housing with housing assistance vouchers. Oak Ridge has a total of sixty-two (62) units with forty-one (41) units supported by Low-Income Housing Tax Credits ("LIHTC") units and twentyone (21) of designated Public Housing ("PH") units. The Villages at Tarpon is a revitalized apartment community that consists of 95 beautifully renovated apartments for seniors 55 years and older, one and two-story buildings, three clustered complex communities and resident clubhouses. The Villages at Tarpon was developed utilizing a HUD approved mixed-finance method through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credits ("LIHTC") and Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD). Eagle Ridge Apartments is a new construction apartment community that consists of 71 units (one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments) and features a clubhouse, fitness center and playground for children) of which 56 receive subsidies under a PBRA/HAP contract. Eagle Ridge Apartments was developed utilizing a HUD approved mixed-finance method through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credits ("LIHTC") and Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD).