Reading Housing Authority recently celebrated the groundbreaking of the Oakbrook Homes Center for Community Services. The goal of this project is to increase access for residents and neighbors of Oakbrook Homes to important services, that will enable them to be more self-sufficient.
Two existing buildings were re-purposed to create a Neighborhood Resource Center and a Family Services Complex. The Neighborhood Resource Center includes a food pantry, small grocery store, two large common spaces intended for educational and vocational programs and a senior center, kitchen, business center, and shared office space for human service agencies. The Family Services Complex offers an on-site childcare and early learning center.
As Stacey Keppen, the Executive Director of the Reading Housing Authority, recently remarked, “Despite being the largest community in our public housing stock, Oakbrook Homes has long been both physically and socially adrift from the broader network of services in the Greater Reading area.”
To help bridge the gap between the community and public housing, this project engaged a number of community partners including the Oakbrook Resident Council, the United Way of Berks County, Opportunity House, Centro Hispano, El Encanto Grocery, Berks Community Health Center and Helping Harvest.
The center will provide education and training for workforce development, English-language learning, higher education, access to social service providers, and programming for youth and older adults.
There are 530 residential units in the Oakbrook Housing Development, home to over 1,500 residents. Over 90% of the residents are considered ethnically diverse and financially at-risk; over 75% earn less than the area’s median household income; many residents are single parents.
Tickets not required to attend; the recording of the event, however, will be sent to all who purchase a free ticket. Before joining the event, please authenticate your personal Zoom account; accounts that have not been authenticated will not be permitted to join.
The community forum series aims to engage Berks County residents on pressing issues affecting their lives.
