Background
My name is Phylicia Adams. I moved to Connecticut in 2017 and I currently live in Norwich. I am from Hampton, Virginia; a city known for its history and its waterfront - the Chesapeake Bay. I currently work for Corporation for Supportive Housing as a Senior Program Manager. Additionally, I volunteer in my community and serve on the board of an arts and culture nonprofit and I’m an active member of Norwich Branch NAACP.
Professional Journey
After high school, I joined the Navy. Joining the military wasn’t a thought until I was a senior in high school without a college fund or scholarships. I wasn’t inspired by the haze gray battleships moored to piers I could see in the distance. In fact, they kind of faded into the background of the cityscape. Education was important to me so I joined the Navy to access the benefits the government promises to veterans. I completed 4 years in the military and when I was honorably discharged, I knew that I was anti-war and that I wanted a career where I could help people. I utilized the GI Bill to pay for my undergraduate degree in Sociology and my Masters Degree in Public Administration. I had a few jobs after the military - Dollar Tree, substitute teacher, field data collector, and volunteer coordinator. It was my job as a homeless shelter case manager that propelled me into housing development.
I became disillusioned with the homeless system after seeing it fail people by returning them to homelessness due to a lack of safe affordable housing. I left case management because I wanted to be part of the solution to homelessness - creating affordable housing. A small nonprofit developer valued my experience as a case manager and acknowledged my potential; I was subsequently hired and trained in affordable housing asset management. While in that role, I learned about community engagement, property management, and affordable housing finance and compliance.
What has been one of your most memorable and/or biggest learning lesson in your position?
The most memorable lesson I learned is the value of taking time to be in the community and talk to people. When I worked as an asset manager for a nonprofit developer, I learned the technical aspects of the job and became efficient in my ability to report on the financials and operations of a development. During a monthly team meeting, I presented my monthly asset management report to the staff and the executive director ask, “but how does the community feel?” I fumbled my way through an explanation of the frequency of which I conducted site visits and met with property management; I explained the results of the tenant move-in surveys and the lease renewal surveys. My response was acknowledged, but it was insufficient. The executive director told me to go be in the community. By being in the community I learned more about the experience of the tenants and property managers and it gave me a new perspective of how I could support them. Paperwork and reports will always be a part of the job, but it’s just as important to talk to people and be a part of the community to promote transparency and accountability.
What is one advice you'd share with individuals transitioning into this sector?
For people transitioning or entering into housing and community development, it’s important to recognize that your lived experience is a vital source of knowledge and that technical expertise will develop over time. Taking professional development courses is an important part of growing your skills and career. However, learning to work collaboratively is a key skill that is developed through practice. To enhance collaboration, it’s important to seek out opinions and perspectives that are different from your own to help deepen your knowledge of a problem and to reduce your own bias and assumptions about potential solutions. Lastly, for effective collaboration, it’s important to share power with people who are least likely to have access to decision-makers. Elevate the voices of the people who will benefit from your developments in order to enhance trust and build community, improve decision-making, and promote equity and fairness throughout the development process.
2023 NAACP Norwich Branch Freedom Fund Dinner. From left to right: Phylicia Adams, Rep. Jason Rojas (the event's keynote speaker), and Carline Charmelus (Second Vice President of the Norwich Branch NAACP).