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Housing Humans: A Vicarious Memorandum

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Empathetic and excellent advice from one of our nation's leading Housing Authority experts, having served in leadership roles across eight major U.S. cities and one in Canada. In his book, Housing Humans- A Vicarious Memorandum, Gene first describes his early childhood and military life and details how his experiences led him to finding his ultimate calling in working to improve the lives of others via affordable housing. Gene later articulates his specific call-to-action for national housing reform. Gene intentionally and authentically explains to readers exactly what the issues are and more refreshing, exactly what the solutions are. Gene finally gives readers a glimpse into some strong leadership lessons he's learned over the years and some applicable advice on how his lessons can easily transform the aspiring leader to an impactful, strategic servant leader.

137 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 13, 2020

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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
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22 reviews
November 8, 2020
Housing Humans: A Vicarious Memorandum

Housing Humans is an empathetic, up-close-and-personal viewpoint of Eugene Jones, Jr. who is the current president and CEO of the Atlanta Housing Authority. He has served as president and CEO of several major housing authorities throughout the United States and in Toronto, Canada - all of which were on their city's "troubled" list when he arrived and removed from that list before he moved on to his next city.

In the book, Mr. Jones takes us on a journey of his life that eventually led him to the public housing industry over 35 years ago. His early life helps us understand how he gained the leadership skills and why he is so empathetic towards those he serves on a daily basis.

During his long tenure in the housing industry, he has helped bring restaurants and grocery stores to food deserts - parts of town where the poverty-stricken and low-income people live without access to such fundamentals necessary for life. He has been responsible for bringing other businesses such as Target into these regions to provide job opportunities for those living there. Yes, housing is a priority to him, but having nearby employment, grocery stores, and restaurants is also necessary so individuals don't feel they have been set aside for nothing better. He also has gotten affordable transportation into the lower-income neighborhoods so they can easily travel to job opportunities. Education is another area he has worked on to help people in these situations be able to gain knowledge and experience in order to be able to get better-paying jobs.

He has made it clear that there is a false stigma attached to low-income neighborhoods and individuals, so he is trying to remove that stigma. These individuals aren't lazy. They just don't have easy access to opportunities, so he's trying to make those opportunities easier for them to reach.

This book has opened my eyes to all of this and so much more. There are so many homeless humans and struggling humans today. And that number is expected to grow as the COVID-19 moratoriums lift and evictions and foreclosures begin.
1 review
July 9, 2021
Tremendous messages about leadership and compassion gathered over a lifetime of service worldwide in the military & across North America leading 7 of our leading public housing agencies. Inspiring focus on people and community. Includes valuable leadership lessons for people working to address inequality of opportunity in America, & leadership in all disciplines.
1 review
August 8, 2022
Excellent book written in a story format . The author takes you through his life journey and you get to see how all the steps were essential to his humanistic leadership style in the Housing industry. Very powerful and enlightening story.
3 reviews
November 10, 2020
Multiple problems with this book. Not well organized to start and lack of sharp focus.
2 reviews
March 18, 2021
A moving non partisan and holistic view of housing humanity, as it should be.

If I didn’t think I could make a difference in the complex concern of housing all people, no matter their economic status, this book gives me hope that I might be an integral part of the solution.
There are guidelines and suggestions herein that, if adhered to or at least attempted, could shape the future of generations to come. Education and a stable home are the basis for all we could hope and plan for in a solution to our human condition.
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