Before Mrs. Swasta took the helm five years ago, the IHA tenants who came to me for help were almost always frightened of the agency. Tenants felt that they retained their housing entirely at the whim of staff, and that as tenants they had few rights. They almost all complained of being treated disrespectfully. When I went to review their files at the IHA, the case notes often were in disarray, sometimes missing entirely, and what notes there were often showed a lack of follow through on tenant complaints. My review of tenant files in recent years finds orderly notes, and complaints appear to be investigated and resolved routinely.
Tenants report they are treated far more courteously.
I believe this is due to the example Mrs. Swasta sets, in the respect she herself shows toward staff and tenants daily, and in the hard work and long hours she puts in. Also within the last five years, the IHA has expanded programs that help tenants who are struggling to lift themselves and their families out of poverty. The IHA has become an agency willing to try new ideas, and to put energy and imagination into making those ideas work. Mrs. Swasta has herself been willing to try new things and to give needy people a second chance. Tenants who fall behind in their rent often are given a chance to make it up over time, rather than being summarily evicted.