Posted:
02/16/2023Los Angeles - On Thursday, February 16, the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) joined Councilmember Curren Price of Los Angeles Council District 9 to receive the All-America City Award. Presented by the National Civic League, the All-America City Award (AAC) is a national prestigious award given to 10 cities annually to recognize communities that have successfully leveraged civic engagement, collaboration, inclusiveness, and innovation to address local challenges.
The City of Los Angeles and HACLA have been recognized for their involvement in the national Campaign for Grade Level Reading-A 13-year collaborative partnership between HACLA, the Mayor’s Office, Los Angeles Unified School District, the Los Angeles Public Library and its partners to address learning loss and ensure families receive access to supplemental educational support to pass the third grade reading exam.
The Campaign for Grade Level Reading was launched in 2009 in Council District 9 through a partnership with the Los Angeles Library. It was a strategic partnership to link families in public housing to library resources. Spearheaded by Councilman Curren Price, the partnership morphed into an expanded partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District and the Mayor’s office to respond to the educational needs of families in public housing through access to books, the establishment of book clubs, tutoring resources and a deeper partnership with LAUSD on partnering to improve academic outcomes.
The Award Presentation was held at Avalon Gardens, one of HACLA’s public housing sites located in the ninth council district. Los Angeles City Partners from LAUSD and the Los Angeles Public Library were in attendance to celebrate the accomplishments of this collaborative effort. Additionally, partners from Starry Internet and Microsoft brought remarks on digital equity in underserved communities.
"Congratulations to HACLA on this prestigious honor. HACLA's work to enhance digital equity and inclusion in the service of advancing academic outcomes for its residents serves as a model for others looking to make meaningful strides in this area," said Virginia Lam Abrams, Executive Vice President of Government Affairs & Strategic Advancement for Starry. "HACLA and the City of Los Angeles truly understand the importance of access to affordable home broadband and the role it plays in lifting up communities. Starry is a proud HACLA partner and we look forward to providing access to high-quality, affordable broadband to HACLA residents for many years to come."
“We are happy to designate Los Angeles as an All-America City,” said Doug Linkhart, President, National Civic League President. “They showed, even in the face of a global pandemic, that they can bring people together to help kids and families thrive.”
“We all know the third-grade reading exam is critical for long-term academic progress,” said Councilmember Curren Price. “Digital access is key to our youth and families to access resources, as well as to obtain additional digital instruction support to be successful.”
“Early learning success is interconnected,” said HACLA President & CEO Doug Guthrie. “Through broadband connectivity, digital literacy classes, academic support, supplemental resources via the library, and access to books and resident peer support, HACLA remains committed to strengthening strategic partnerships to impact third grade reading levels with a focus on cradle to college and career programming.”
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About HACLA
The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) was established in 1938 by City of Los Angeles Resolution No. 1241. HACLA is one of the nation’s largest and leading public housing authorities, providing the largest supply of quality affordable housing to residents of the City of Los Angeles. HACLA provides affordable housing to over 83,000 households in its Public Housing and Section 8 rental assistance programs, and offers a range of permanent supportive housing programs for homeless households, including: Project-Based, HUD – Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing, Homeless, Tenant Based Supportive Housing, Housing Opportunities for Persons with Aids (HOPWA), Continuum of Care and Moderate Rehabilitation Single Room Occupancy program. For more information, visit www.hacla.org.
Contact:
Eric R. Brown, Director Intergovernmental Relations
213-252-1871
Courtney Gladney, Media & Marketing Specialist
213-252-1272
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