Internship Opportunities at New Britain Housing Authority
The New Britain Housing Authority has internship opportunities for students in different areas of study, including:
Social Work: Students will work alongside resident service staff to engage families, elderly and disabled households living in low-income housing. Students will have the opportunity to do resident assessments, create and implement surveys, plan and carry out special projects such as the Thanksgiving distribution and holiday toy program, facilitate groups for adults and/or children, network with local providers to establish community supports to benefit residents, write case notes and participate in special projects. Students may organize resident meetings, listening sessions or focus groups. A special project that will be launching is the establishment of a resident council, which will involve community organizing and empowering residents to engage in a process that will allow their voices and thoughts about their community to be heard.
Psychology: Students will work alongside resident service staff to engage families, elderly and disabled households living in low-income housing. Students will have the opportunity to do resident assessments, provide crisis intervention to households facing eviction, food insecurity, etc., create and implement surveys of residents’ interests, barriers to self-sufficiency, education and employment, network with local providers to establish community supports to benefit residents, write case notes, and participate in special projects. Students may organize resident meetings, listening sessions or focus groups.
Gerontology: Students will work alongside our Resident Service Coordinator to engage elderly and disabled residents living in public housing. Our work with residents is focused on assessing their needs and providing services or linkages to programs that allow them to age in place; students will have the opportunity to do assessments, prepare, plan, and execute group activities and educational or health related workshops, create opportunities for residents to engage socially with one another and participate in special projects. One special project we would like to implement is a legacy club in which students could interview residents, photograph them, write their “story”, and create a legacy board in one of five community rooms celebrating the life and experiences of our senior population. A bilingual (Spanish speaking) student is preferred.
Communications/Media/Graphic Design: Students will be tasked with assessing and evaluating the messaging and branding of the New Britain Housing Authority, through its social media, web presence, etc. Students will have the opportunity to create a communication strategy, content calendar, design resident centered communication and collateral materials, etc.
Finance/Mathematics: Students will be trained by one of our partner agencies to use a financial literacy curriculum. Students will then work with families enrolled in the Housing Authority’s Family Self Sufficiency or Resident Opportunities and Self Sufficiency Programs. Students will have the opportunity to help households establish a budget, identify monetary escapes, learn about their credit score and establish a plan to maintain a balanced household budget.
Contact: Lisa Cretella, Director of Community Affairs & Programs