United Housing Offers HCD Intern Kody Kirby Opportunity for Growth

When he accepted his internship at United Housing through the Housing and Community Development Fellowship program, Kody Kirby knew that he would gain important real world knowledge in anthropology, but he did not expect his coworkers to have such an impact on his experience.

"Beyond the foci of my work, my coworkers have truly made my fellowship an amazing experience," said Kody. "Tim Bolding, Amy Schaftlein and Anna Gattuso are all alumni of the University of Memphis Anthropology Department, so they are often able to offer advice by drawing upon their own experiences in the classroom and the field."

Because of all of the different services that United Housing provides, Kody stays busy with a variety of responsibilities. Primarily, he is focusing on the development of our new NeighborScape Demonstration Garden, a community landscaping and gardening initiative. In addition to forming a committee of community members for that project, he is involved in activities regarding the development of our senior housing community at Wolf River Bluffs and even takes part in some aspects of grant-writing.

"With a focus in environmental anthropology, I'm very interested in approaches to sustainability that not only encompass environmental aspects, but also economical and cultural aspects," said Kody. "After completing my internship, I plan on pursuing additional graduate level education (PhD) relating to sustainable development and environmental justice."

Interested in applying for an internship at United Housing? Call (901) 272-1122 for more information.

United Housing Selects Winning Designs for NeighborScape Demo Garden

During the Fall 2014 semester, nine students from the University of Memphis Architecture program prepared designs for our NeighborScape Demonstration Garden. On Friday, November 21, the students and their professor, Jenna Thompson, met at United Housing for the final voting on the design boards. 

The following five students were given the Participation Award, along with $25.00: Michelle Goulet, Jonathan Patterson, Catherine Pera, Sonia Raheel and Antonio Tirado. 

Four out of the nine participants received special recognition and awards for outstanding work. The winners are pictured below, and their names and awards from left to right are: Zach Gaines (Honorable Mention - $100.00), Ashley Espinoza (Award of Merit - Second Place - $500.00), Yasmine Jafari (Design of Excellence - First Place - $750.00) and Taylor Bond (Citation Award - Third Place - $250.00). 

Next spring, professor Thompson and her graduate assistant will use the elements of the students' designs to create a composite design for the final demonstration garden at United Housing for its Homebuyer Education clients. Once completed, the building and implementation phases will take place during the 2015 summer gardening season. 

Final Student Designs Submitted for United Housing’s NeighborScape Demo Garden to Benefit Homebuyer Education Clients

On October 20, United Housing’s Anna Gattuso and Amy Schaftlein visited Jenna Thompson’s Architecture and Interior Design Studio at the University of Memphis to review the initial set of designs nine students had created for our NeighborScape Demonstration Garden. Based on feedback from a jury composed of Anna, Amy and Kalki Winter, the students then updated their design boards and presented the final pieces to us on October 24 in our Homebuyer Education classroom, where the boards will remain on display.

During the Spring 2015 semester, elements of the students’ designs will go into a composite design created by Jenna’s graduate assistant. Once finalized, the team will focus on the building phase of the garden during the 2015 summer gardening season.

In addition to being beneficial to United Housing and our Homebuyer Education clients, this project also greatly benefits the University of Memphis Architecture Department and the community as a whole.

“What I love most about the NeighborScape project is its potential to provide sustainable landscape techniques to individuals who will benefit from economic savings and take pride in where they live,” said Jenna. “The ability for all socio-economic levels to learn about sustainable landscaping and gardening provides opportunities to reduce water usage, improve home values and provide food options. This knowledge has the ability to empower homeowners by providing greater understanding of the environment and how a healthy and beautiful home creates healthy and happy inhabitants.”

The project will teach Jenna’s students specific real-life lessons, which can be difficult to communicate in a classroom setting.

“This project will provide hands-on experience with clients who have everyday needs and a budget,” Jenna said. “It is critical that design education provide more than theoretical knowledge by introducing students to real design issues such as sustainable landscaping.”