On the evening of October 3, 2019, children, parents, family, friends, and GHA staff took a moment to celebrate the artistic expressions about the importance of home from poster contest participants among GHA’s communities and voucher recipients. This year GHA saw its highest participation with a total of 84 posters submitted.
In addition to recognizing the participants and winners, the event featured three different craft projects for guests to get creative with and take home as a party favor. “We are so proud of our young artists at GHA,” said GHA CEO, Tina Akers Brown. “These outstanding works of art illustrate how significant our mission of providing safe, quality, and affordable housing is.”
The annual “What Home Means to Me” poster contest is part of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials' (NAHRO) Housing America campaign. This campaign was created to inform the public and decision-makers about the need for and importance of safe, quality, affordable housing through education, advocacy, and empowerment.
Participants attend workshops hosted by GHA Resident Services staff at the five largest public housing communities this past March and April. The workshops give the youth the opportunity to explore their artistic talent while producing captivating posters for the contest.
Posters are first judged at GHA and winners are sent to the state competition through Carolinas Council of Housing Redevelopment and Codes Officials (CCHRCO). Those winning posters compete at the regional level, through the Southeastern Regional Council (SERC) of NAHRO. The regional winners advance to the national level to be judged, and thirteen winners are selected each year to be in the Housing America Calendar.
This year, GHA had several winning posters among all levels.
First place winner, GHA, elementary school category: Kady Bakayoko
First place winner, GHA, middle school category: Alaysia McLeod
First place winner, GHA, high school category: India Bondley
First place winner, CCHRCO, middle school category: Caniya Hall
First place winner, CCHRCO, high school category: India Bondley
First place winner, SERC-NAHRO, middle school category: Caniya Hall
Second place winner, SERC-NAHRO, middle school category: Alaysia McLeod
Third place winner, SERC-NAHRO, high school category: India Bondley
Caniya Hall’s poster went on to become a national winner. Her artwork will be featured in the 2020 NAHRO calendar.