Vernon County agencies learn about Nevada Housing Authority

Nevada Daily Mail

Representatives from Vernon County agencies and departments heard a presentation during the monthly Local Emergency Planning Committee meeting held Wednesday concerning the Nevada Housing Authority, which hosted the meeting.

"I always say that Nevada Housing Authority, I think, is one of the best kept secrets in our community," housing director Carol Branham said. "Our goal is to provide rental assistance to low and very low income families."

The Nevada housing authority includes two locations in Nevada for a total of 200 public housing units. Chapman Estates offers 130, single-bedroom units while the Fairground Estates, considered the family complex, provides 70, one- to four-bedroom units. Currently 70 adults and 75 children live in the units at that location.

"We are not the housing of last resort," Branham said. "We have a lot of great individuals and families that live here."

The average age at Chapman Estates is 57 years according to Branham, while the average age of the adults at the Fairground Estates is 37 years. The average age of the children there is seven years.

"Most people think this is an elderly complex," Branham said. "But we are not. We are a mixed population."

Branham said originally it was an elderly-only housing authority, but that changed in the late 1990s and now the units house tenants of a variety of ages, from working college students to the oldest tenant at 96 years old.

"We have a wide range," Branham said. "Personally, I think it's healthy for the inter-generational networking."

Because of the nature of the housing authority, Branham said the turnover rate at the units is high as families find other homes. Last year, the agency had a total of 86 turnovers.

Preparing a unit for a new family is one of the highest expense the housing authority faces, but Branham said they are considering making the units non-smoking to save money, since units allowing smoking cost about three or four times more to clean than other units. Branham said they plan to seek tenants' opinions on the idea through a survey.

About 65 percent of the agency's revenue comes through the rental income while much of the remaining funding comes through Housing and Urban Development subsidies approved congressionally on an annual basis. When Branham joined the Nevada housing authority about nine years ago, she said about 70 percent of their funding came through HUD.

Two years ago, the Nevada Housing Authority lost that HUD funding because it had too much money in its reserve, so the $250,000 operating subsidy was withheld from the Housing Authority for one year. Branham said they are now even more careful when budgeting and with capital improvement plans so they avoid losing that funding again.

Although Branham does not expect that government funding to increase, she does hope that smaller agencies like Nevada's will receive statutory relief, making them exempt from some requirements that much larger agencies face.

The housing authority currently does not have a limit on how long residents can stay in a housing unit, but Branham said tenants are required to follow rules such as consistent housekeeping and eight hours of community service each month.

"We are not going to allow any and everybody to live here and do whatever they want," Branham said. "Because that's not the safe and efficient housing and environment that we need to have, number one, for our residents, but for the community."

Some tenants have left because of rules such as the community service requirement, but Branham said it also serves as a great opportunity for residents to network in the community and develop skills.

"We're trying to give them a hand up, these are not an entitlement programs," Branham said. "We're trying to get people on their feet where they can establish and hopefully become more independent on their own ....We have a lot of great success stories."

Branham said the housing authority holds partnerships with local agencies such as the city of Nevada, the Nevada Police Department, Healthy Nevada, Cottey, area schools and other agencies.