SHA Staff
Governor Appoints SHA Manager to Springfield Advisory Board
Pamela Wells, resident service manager at the Springfield Housing Authority, was recently appointed to the Springfield Advisory Board of the Department of Transitional Assistance.
Board to advise the Department of Transitional Assistance on improvements to services for working families, children, elders and people with disabilities.
SPRINGFIELD, MA (December 6, 2010) Pamela Wells, resident service manager at the Springfield Housing Authority (SHA) was recently appointed to the Springfield Advisory Board of the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA). The appointment was made by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, DTA Commissioner Julia Kehoe, and Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) Secretary JudyAnn Bigby. Wells was appointed to the advisory board through 2013.
According to Wells, the board will advise the DTA, which currently assists one out of ten residents of the Commonwealth, on efforts to improve services to working families, children, elders and people with disabilities. Those services include food and nutritional assistance, cash assistance and employment supports. Board members will provide feedback and work collaboratively to develop recommendations on improving policy and programming, as well as to expand access to services and evaluate local performance. Advisory board members work in various fields ranging from housing and homelessness to education and workforce development.
“Pam’s presence on the DTA Advisory Board will ensure that the SHA will be heard by the state on matters of transitional assistance and homelessness prevention,” noted William H. Abrashkin, executive director for the SHA. “This appointment is a recognition of Pam’s expertise and commitment to making programs more effective and providing assistance for those in need.”
A lifelong resident of Springfield, Wells holds a Bachelor of Science in social work from Elms College. As the resident service manager for the Springfield Housing Authority, she is responsible for implementation and management of programming and services for the organization’s more than 2,300 households. Wells has over 25 years of experience in the human services field.
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.
