In 2009, InSite will undergo major changes. More photos of your housing authority and its employees will be added. Also, the newsletter’s content and focus will reflect better the ways Public Housing Authorities and HAI Group make a difference, both inside the industry and the in lives of their residents.

The reasons for these changes are simple: The editors are hoping you’ll take ownership of the newsletter.

Housing Authority Insurance Group is a member-owned company. The policyholder/owners have unique insights and strategies on ways to improve the industry. InSite’s new purpose is to become a place where members learn from one another and share success stories.

One example of this involves the Green Bay Housing Authority, featured in the September-October issue of InSite. Soon after his participation in a “Member Spotlight”, retiring Green Bay Housing Administrator and HAI Group Committee member Keith Pamperin wrote the following email:

“I thought you might appreciate a press release sent to the media on Oct. 2 regarding a recent Fire Department training exercise at the Green Bay Housing Authority’s Mason Manor Retirement Community High Rise in preparation of Fire Prevention Week.

“The Authority, with Fire Department input, designed and installed a new emergency access road to provide ladder truck access and a stability pad to the east side of our high rise building. This emergency access road allows ladder access and easier emergency access to all 154 apartments at Mason Manor Retirement Community. The Fire Department carried out a full scale training exercise with smoke bombs and full response teams from each of several response stations. The training exercises were covered by three local television stations.”

The editors at InSite are thrilled with Pamperin’s participation and encourage other member housing authorities to follow suit. To promote that, our plan is to visit members regularly, take more photos, and entice you to participate.

InSite is your newsletter. It can be a valuable member resource, a place to troubleshoot and share triumphs. That will happen only if members take ownership of it. We would love to hear your success stories and feature your best ideas and practices. To get more involved in InSite, please call HAI Group Communications Specialist Ken House at 800-873-0242, ext. 265 or email him at KHouse@housingcenter.com.

We encourage you to try.