Property Development

Christopher Court development renamed “Jennie Lane Apartments” in honor of longtime volunteer and current commissioner

Springfield, MA (September 20, 2010) Many times, organizations honor the contributions of a unique member long after that individual has passed. On Friday, September 17, the Springfield Housing Authority (SHA), however, felt that the contributions of Eugenia “Jennie” Choiniere are so significant that it renamed an entire development in her honor while she is a member of its Board of Commissioners. A resident of SHA for eight years, Choiniere has served as president of the Christopher Court Resident Council for over seven years and as resident commissioner on the SHA’s Board of Commissioners since 2007. She attributes her community leadership roles to her communications skills and attitude.

“Because I always seem to speak up all the time, and tell it like it is,” notes Choiniere. “On the Resident Council, we do a lot of little things that make our residents lives safer and more enjoyable. I wanted to help, that’s all, but it is truly amazing to have the apartments named in my honor.” At the dedication, Timothy Babcock, chair of the SHA Board of Commissioners, stated that, “Jennie is an integral part of our board. As our resident commissioner, when we listen to her, we listen to all our tenants at the same time. There could be no better person on our board in terms of the sensitivity and capacity to make things work at the SHA.”

(L-R) Michelle Booth, assistant executive director for the Springfield Housing Authority (SHA), Jennie Choiniere, longtime community volunteer and Resident Commissioner for the SHA, and Timothy Babcock, chair of the SHA Board of Commissioners, tour the re-named Jennie Lane Apartments at 01118-01122 St James Avenue, in Springfield MA.

Although he was not able to be at the event, William Abrashkin, executive director of the SHA commented in advance on Choiniere’s incredible energy, “Every once in a while, you come across a unique individual who is making an incredible contribution. Jennie Choiniere is one of those unique individuals. When you meet her, you realize she has an incredible energy level. Yet, it is what she gets done that truly separates her from others. She has been a tremendous service to her neighbors through the activities and services she has helped organize and has made a profound positive impact on the community in which she lives. I cannot think of a better name for it than the Jennie Lane Apartments.”

Video interviews from the event can be found at: http://www.YouTube.com/SHAMassVideo

A photo set of the event can be found at: http://www.Flickr.com/photos/SHAMassImages

About: The Springfield Housing Authority is the third largest housing authority in Massachusetts. Established in 1946, the SHA is the largest property owner in the region with more than 2,300 housing units spread over 27 separate sites. It also provides over 200 Massachusetts Rental Vouchers and more than 2,400 Housing Choice Vouchers. The organization’s $33.5 million dollar budget is estimated to have a local economic impact of approximately twice that amount. The SHA provides jobs, hires contractors, buys supplies, and pumps approximately $17 million into the local economy through its rental assistance programs.