Spotlight: Homeowner Advisory Council
In 2021, we established the Homeowner Advisory Council (HAC) comprised of homeowners previously served by RTP who were eager not only to spread the word about our work but to use their firsthand experiences to help shape and improve our program practices for optimal impact to fellow homeowners. In their first year they drafted a Contractor Standards document to address common concerns and challenges that many homeowners face when working with contractors. The Contractor Standards established an important baseline of expectations and protocols, including providing advance notice when work needs to be rescheduled, notifying the client when they arrive on site, explaining what work will be happening that day, and ensuring that the homeowner is fully informed at each stage of repairs.
When the HAC convened for their second term in fall of 2022, they sought to build upon the success of the Contractor Standards and determined that RTP volunteers would be the focus of their next project centering the homeowner perspective. After much discussion and brainstorming, the members decided to develop a training video that would:
Explore common “Dos and Don’ts” to support volunteers in their interactions with homeowners
Provide helpful context to better understand the racial and economic justice issues that sustain housing inequality.
They knew that in order to bring their vision to life they would need to work with a skilled and values-aligned filmmaker. Fortunately, we knew just the right person for the job. Before making the decision to pursue filmmaking full-time, Shuja Moore worked at The Enterprise Center where he helped West Philadelphia residents get connected to services including free home repairs through RTP. As someone already very familiar with our work and a true believer in our mission, Shuja was excited to take on the project. Over the next several months, Shuja worked closely with HAC members, staff and volunteers to create this important tool (which you can watch below) to ensure RTP’s work remains accountable to the communities we serve.
We are so proud of what the HAC has accomplished over the last two years and can’t wait to see what’s in store for year three!
