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Contract extended for SAHA President and CEO.
SAHA’s Board of Commissioners recently extended the contract for SAHA’s President and CEO Henry A. Alvarez III for three additional years. During his two-year tenure, SAHA has worked hard to ensure the agency is credible, faithful and dedicated to its charter of providing quality-housing programs for San Antonio’s citizens.
SAHA has undoubtedly had its share of challenges over the past couple of years, but staff has adapted and adjusted to these challenges and improved our programs across the board. Some of the challenges include industry-wide funding cuts, managing housing programs, responses to disasters like Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and an increasing number of San Antonio citizens seeking housing assistance.
Another important challenge to note is the physical condition of SAHA’s older properties, many of which are in dire need of renovation or replacement. In the effort to address this concern, SAHA has taken great strides to improve our existing communities, and today, many ambitious projects are underway to modernize as many of these units as our resources allow. SAHA has improved building exteriors at the Alazan, Cassiano and Lincoln Courts communities, and has developed a method for modernizing many unit interiors during the make-ready process.
With more than 18,000 families on SAHA’s waiting lists, the agency is also pursuing new construction and acquisition of properties to increase its public housing inventory.
SAHA presently has approximately $14 million available to invest towards the replacement of previously existing low-income housing units, with an additional $14 million in Replacement Housing Factor Funds (RHF) coming over the next six years, in annual increments. Some projects already in the pipeline for these efforts include:
Alhambra: Senior
Total Units: 140
Low-Income Replacement Housing Units: 14
Proposed Completion: December 2007
San Juan Homes Phase I: Multifamily
Total Units: 143
Low-Income Replacement Housing Units: 46
Proposed Completion: December 2007
Rosemont at Highland (Clark Pointe): Multi-family
Total Units: 252
Low-Income Replacement Housing Units: 52
Proposed Completion: February 2007
Rancho Sierra:
Total Units: 280
Low-Income Replacement Housing Units: 56
Proposed Acquisition: November 2006
Other affordable housing communities in pre-development or under construction, utilizing tax credit, HOPE VI and mixed-financing include:
Midcrowne Seniors Pavilion:
Total Units: 196
Low-Income Replacement Housing Units: 41
Proposed Completion: April 2007
Primrose at Mission Hills: Seniors
Total Units: 252
Low-Income Replacement Housing Units: 50
Proposed Completion: April 2007
Villas de Costa Valencia: Multi-family
Total Units: 230
Low-Income Replacement Housing Units: 46
Proposed Completion: April 2007
Artisan At Military: Multi-family
Total Units: 250
Low-Income Replacement Housing Units: 49
Proposed Completion: November 2007
Artisan Park Townhomes: Phase II at Victoria Commons
Total Units: 120
Low-Income Replacement Housing Units: 32
Proposed Completion: December 2007
On it operations side, the agency has recently converted to a site-based management program that fundamentally changes the way public housing is managed and funding is administered. SAHA began operating under this new management structure in response to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) notice PIH 2006-14, which mandates that all housing authorities begin operating under new management structures.
SAHA calls the new performance guidelines “site-based management.” SAHA successfully converted its public housing and affordable communities to this model. Despite dire predictions from outsiders, SAHA has not been forced to layoff employees or evict residents to fulfill HUD’s direction that all public housing communities break-even financially and operate as self-sufficient businesses.
“Our successes of the past few years are due to our strong collaboration with employees, residents, partners and supporters,” Henry explained. “We will continue to proactively interact with our stakeholders,” he said. “Plans for the future of the agency come from a true commitment to improve our housing programs and the lives of our residents. We’re leaving no stone unturned in our search to find ways to accomplish these goals and find new, creative ways to help us provide for the many families and individuals who rely on our services, and I’m grateful to be able to continue that commitment with SAHA.”
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