Abilities of Florida Continues Partnership with Tonertype, LLC
Abilities of Florida is now seven months into a contract with RESPECT of Florida to provide laser printer maintenance and toner cartridge services for the Pasco County School District in partnership with Tonertype of Florida, LLC, a Tampa-based imaging services provider.
As a subcontractor to RESPECT of Florida, a non-profit organization that provides products and services produced by people with disabilities to state and local government agencies, Abilities of Florida has hired technicians to provide laser printer maintenance and toner cartridge services for approximately 3,000 laser printers in use in the Pasco County School District. Assemblers working on the contract will provide toner cartridge refurbishing services, utilizing expertise and supplies from private company Tonertype, LLC.
All toner cartridge assembly work is done by Abilities of Florida employees at Tonertype’s facility in Tampa, Florida. Abilities plans for the contract to provide quality summer apprentice work for students with disabilities currently enrolled in the High School/High Tech (HS/HT) Program, which is funded by AbleTrust through the Florida Department of Education’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation to provide students with disabilities the opportunity to obtain firsthand knowledge and experience regarding high tech careers. Ideally, the contract will also provide work for Florida veterans with disabilities through Abilities of Florida’s Veterans Employment and Outreach Program.
“Through this new partnership we will be able to provide technical training, a certification program and direct employment for Florida’s citizens with disabilities.”
-Scott Gaedtke, Executive Director if RESPECT of Florida, Inc.
March 8, 2010
Operation Cocoa Cleanup Positively Impacts Community
Since the Crestview Villas property was ravaged by hurricanes Frances and Jeanne in 2004, Homes for Independence has fought an uphill battle to reconstruct the buildings and make the community safe for residents. Thirty-eight percent of Crestview’s units were destroyed and abandoned during the hurricanes, making them a prime location for gang activity in the area. Operation Cocoa Cleanup was a community-police partnership formed to eradicate gang activity, open drug deals, shootings and other criminal activity on N. Fiske Boulevard in Cocoa, Florida. The effort, which was spearheaded by Homes for Independence and supported by Cocoa Police Department, the 800 N. Fiske Condo Association, the City of Cocoa Code Enforcement Division, United Church of Christ, Managers Acting for Property Safety (MAPS) and other stakeholders, brought all 48 hurricane-damaged rental units in the Crestview Villas complex back online, helping to rebuild a safe and healthy place to live for local residents.
Crestview Villas’ 128 units are home to 57 youth under the age of 14 and 37 residents who are elderly or have a disability. Crestview Villas is now the only gated community in Cocoa and features an on-site police substation and resource center that provides tutoring, educational computer games and other after-school activities for youth living in the complex. The graph below depicts the amazing drops in crime experienced at Crestview as a result of the HFI/Cocoa Police Department collaboration over the past two years. Dramatic decreases have been seen in all types of criminal activity, including arrest warrants (80% decrease); shots fired (69% decrease); drug violations (67% decrease); and trespassing (75% decrease). This testament to the successful community-building efforts at Crestview as well as increased police presence and security measures.
Homes for Independence and the Cocoa Police Department were honored by the MetLife Foundation on October 13, 2009 for their accomplishments with Operation Cocoa Cleanup. Since then, continued community-building efforts have been successful in restoring a sense of safety, pride and inclusiveness among residents of Crestview Villas.
