Member Spotlight: Lorain Metropolitan Housing Authority

Lorain Metropolitan Housing Authority Signals Stronger Commitment to Community with New Brand

“Raise Up” focuses on creating a stronger Lorain County by providing expanded affordable housing options and enhanced services to uplift and move the community forward

After 93 years of providing affordable housing, the Lorain Metropolitan Housing Authority (LMHA) announced that it is rebranding itself as Raise Up to emphasize its increased commitment to its residents and the communities it serves.

“This new brand shows exactly who we are,” said Gale Sayers Proby, Chief Operating Officer of Raise Up. “We want to raise up the community, our residents and the county. We are here to move our community forward, raise our residents upward and be an economic driver.”

Judy Carlin, Chief Executive Officer for Raise Up, said the new look reflects organizational change. “We have been changing over the years from a public housing authority to, now, a community agency,” said Carlin. “We have expanded our mission because the mission demands it. This reflects our change in direction to more community involvement, engagement, and development.”

Lorain County, Ohio, is located along Lake Erie to the west of Cleveland and has a population just over 310,000. LMHA, established in 1931, owns and manages 1,649 affordable apartments in the county and manages 3,500 Housing Choice Vouchers that collectively impact more than 13,000 individuals. The rebranding features a new mission and vision statement, a color logo and enhanced website RUPartners.org.

• The new mission statement: “At Raise Up, people come first. While affordable housing is the heart of what we do, our work does not stop there. We are committed to providing resources that help individuals thrive and our community grow.”
• The new vision statement: “A Lorain County free of housing insecurity where everyone has a place to call home and opportunities to grow and thrive.”

“We wanted to publicly signal our new direction and renewed commitment to serving Lorain County through expanded and improved housing opportunities, improved resident services, community leadership, and program offerings,” said Sayers Proby.

“We wanted the brand to communicate that Raise Up is a driver and catalyst for the community and improvement,” said Carlin. “We want to convey our commitment extends beyond housing. We are aligned with the community’s vision. We know that when our residents succeed, we succeed, and the county succeeds and grows.”