AHA “Pokes Fun” at Government Language

The Atlanta Housing Authority has assisted more than 10,000 families who have relocated to private homes of their choice since 1994. In recent weeks, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has approved the demolition of five additional housing projects affecting approximately 2,300 households.

When this latest phase of family relocations is completed, Atlanta will have achieved historic status: the first major U.S. city to eliminate the concentrated pockets of poverty called public housing projects (demolition approval for two senior residence towers is still pending and is expected over the next few weeks).

“For many people, relocating is a life altering transition that can be an anxious time. None of us enjoys the process of packing up and moving,” says Renee Lewis Glover, AHA’s president and CEO. “AHA provides 27 months of coaching and counseling to support the families as they move from these obsolete and distressed properties and to ensure they are successful in their new homes.”

Part of that coaching includes clarifying government rules and regulations on the criteria families must meet to receive and keep a rent voucher (so-called “rental coupons” that pay a portion of the family’s rent). To maintain the vouchers, the rules require families to abide by the lease they sign; to pay their rent and utilities on time, among others.

“We wanted to make the regulations clear and useful while also bringing levity to the situation. We know government language can be convoluted. Laughing a bit at ourselves can be an effective way to communicate,” Glover says.

To help communicate the government rules and regulations, AHA produced a series of videos loosely based on the famously funny GEICO commercials in which a celebrity interprets what a “real person” is saying. In the AHA parities, “bureaucrats” read lengthy, tortuous government rules and regulations; their words are then interpreted in clear, direct summary language by “non-bureaucrats” played by persons with housing vouchers.

Two AHA employees, Steve Nolan and Renee Bentley, volunteered to be the brunt of the ribbing, and their sonorous “bureaucratese” was interpreted by AHA clients Robert Vincent and Juanita Redmond.

For example, as Nolan drones through government regulations, Vincent succinctly explains the importance of paying rent and utility bills “on time.” And, as Bentley tenaciously tackles tomes of rules, Redmond emphasizes, with eloquent simplicity, the importance of a child’s education.

Samples of the videos, which deal with a wide range of issues, can be viewed at:

http://alisias.alisias.net/filesharing/aha/keep_your_voucher_ontime.wmv

http://alisias.alisias.net/filesharing/aha/keep_your_voucher_inschool.wmv

The “commercials” will be used during public meetings with the families and will be available on AHA’s web site.