NYCHA’s Working Mom Employees: Making a Difference in the Community
We’re periodically featuring staff members for their dedication and exemplary service to NYCHA residents. In this Mother’s Day installment, meet three employees who have been coordinating work and home responsibilities throughout the pandemic.
Shana Brown has worked as a Housing Assistant at Bronx River Houses since 2013. She was also a first-time mom of a toddler when the pandemic hit. During the lockdown, Ms. Brown successfully performed her job duties for NYCHA residents and mom duties for her one-year-old son – it wasn’t always an easy task, but she liked the challenge.
“I have always been a great multitasker, but when you work from home and you have a toddler, that’s a whole new level of multitasking,” Ms. Brown said. “Babies do not know that mommy is working; babies just know that we are home for the day. They still want the same love, attention, and affection while you are responding to emails, doing conference calls, etc.”
Supervisor of Housing Caretakers at Douglass Houses Ashante Turner has been a NYCHA employee for almost nine years. She has three children who were learning remotely while she went to work.
“As a working mom during the pandemic, I developed a lot of patience,” Ms. Turner explained. “I empathize more with teachers and with my staff. As a new supervisor, I wanted to show results right away to prove I was the right person for the job, but now I appreciate more my employees who show up every day and do their job.”
Yvonne Jones has been employed in different capacities at NYCHA for over 34 years. Currently, she is a Training Manager in the Human Resources Department. As a trainer, she had to quickly adapt to virtual training programs, for work as well as to help her college student daughter navigate the virtual learning environment.
“I am now very comfortable training, learning, and meeting in the virtual environment,” Ms. Jones noted. “And I have provided extensive virtual user support to my colleagues.”
Photo caption: Top left Ashante Turner; bottom left Yvonne Jones; on the right Shana Brown with her son
