Telling Stories, Telling Belongings

On June 16, 2016, over 50 members of the Rockford community shared and listened to stories of living in Rockford. The event, entitled Telling Stories, Telling Belongings took place at Fairgrounds Valley Community Center, inside one of Rockford’s housing properties. The event offered an opportunity for public housing residents, Rockford Housing Authority employees, and the broader community to connect through objects and anecdotes.

Held in collaboration between Rockford Housing Authority, the Rockford Area Arts Council and the National Public Housing Museum in Chicago, this was the third program in the Telling Stories series, yet the first to be held in Rockford. The event featured stories about a spatula, a candle, a phone, an egg timer, and even a newborn! Together the diversity of stories and the wealth of perspectives in the room enhanced the free-flowing atmosphere of the space and the informal interactions among guests.

“A highlight video of the resident and community stories of the event has been created to share the intended message – public housing residents are no different than folks who don’t live in public housing,” stated RHA CEO Ron Clewer, “Our stories, the ones we tell ourselves and others, define us and we cannot let the stories others choose to tell about us be considered ‘factual.’”

The event here was utilized in a video compilation of other stories shared at events in Chicago and Portland. The compilation was presented at the 2016 NAHRO Summer Conference this week in Portland, OR.  It will again bear focus in August at the State of Illinois NAHRO (National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials) meeting to be held in Rockford. Rockford Housing Authority would like to thank the Rockford Area Arts Council, the National Public Housing Museum, its residents, and all who came to share.

For additional information call 815-489-8750 or email ahead@rockfordha.org.