New board striving to save Raleigh County Housing Authority

Apr. 26—In the wake of nearly being shuttered, and in the midst of an active federal investigation, the new board of Raleigh County Housing Authority is striving to save the authority, which serves nine counties.

"It became a team effort between (Charleston/Kanawha County Housing Authority), Beckley (Housing Authority) and Raleigh County to save our housing authority and to get it back on track," board chair Ron Hedrick reported Monday.

"The goal is to let people know when they come to our door, they're going to feel like they're going to get help, and they're going to get service that's fitting of a citizen, not just of Raleigh County but any one of the other nine counties in southern West Virginia.

"We take care of our own," said Hedrick.

The Raleigh Housing Authority serves Raleigh, Fayette, Braxton, Summers, Monroe, Greenbrier, Webster and Pocahontas counties with public housing, which is housing that is owned by the county and provided to low-income residents through HUD, and with Section 8 Housing, which is a program that allows low-income families to lease and rent properties with HUD assistance.

Raleigh Housing Authority also provides services to veterans for the nine counties and Mercer County, through a program called HUD VASH, which partners with the Veterans' Administration to provide housing to 140 local veterans.

The annual budget amount was not immediately available Monday, but Hedrick reported that Raleigh County owns 60 buildings that provide public housing and that there are 1,800 families served by Section 8, with 800 to 900 on the waiting list for affordable housing.

"The fact that we have a waiting list that size shows you, not just the importance that we have a housing authority, but the importance of being out in our community, to know our community, so we can work better with landlords and the towns and the communities to encourage people to get on the program and to help us get these families in homes."

Hedrick reported that the county came very close to losing the Housing Authority and that federal HUD officials have placed it on "Recovery," following at least a year of setbacks. Under the recovery status, the authority must meet certain standards set by HUD. If the goals are not met, HUD stops funding the Housing Authority and places it under another Authority or enters the community and operates the Housing Authority from the state level.

Hedrick said the new board has been taking serious steps to achieve good standing and to continue serving the public. Hedrick said he is confident that the board is on track to meet those goals by June.

Hedrick was appointed to the board in July along with four others. By October, all of the newly appointed board members except Hedrick and one other, tenant Donita Marks, had quit, citing concerns of a civil suit that was expected to be filed by an employee.

It was unclear Monday if the lawsuit had been filed.

In addition, the group's accountant quit last year, and the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Inspector General's Department launched an investigation that involved Raleigh Housing Authority Executive Director Laquenta Lowe.

The investigation is ongoing, and Lowe has been on paid administrative leave since May.

Hedrick said Monday that the board has little to no information on the status of the investigation.

The current board is comprised of Hedricks, Beckley Common Council At-Large Representative Sherrie Hunter, local developer and real estate broker Kevin Reedy of Our House Realty and Mike Moore of Moore Insurance Services, along with Marks.

Raleigh County Commission appointed the members in October, and Hedrick said the new board has been on a mad scrabble to invest in the Housing Authority in order to consider serving the region.

"We've spent the past several months putting out fires," Hedrick confessed "There was no transition from the last board to our board, no transition from the director to the board.

"An executive director is supposed to run the Section 8 program, so we had a huge hole — no executive director, all of us brand new to housing, all of us brand new to this board.

"Every week we're learning something."

Hedrick said that Charleston/Kanawha County Housing Authority is helping the new board to develop and add programs to help citizens, while Beckley Housing Authority is advising on the financial operations.

The local Housing Authority is taking steps to become visible in the community and not to sit inside an office all day, he added.

A key goal is to enact a program that will allow HUD to pay mortgages for homebuyers.

The board has voted to join the Beckley-Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce in order to help the mission of the Housing Authority, and recently purchased a furnished headquarters on Robert C. Byrd Drive for $577,000.

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He said the former headquarters was rundown, isolated and crowded, with more than 12 workers sharing a large room that served as an office. Furniture was more than 20 years old, and some of the desks had missing drawers. The decor was depressing and neglected, Hedrick said, prompting some to call it "toxic."

"We're investing in our people by investing in a building and giving them an atmosphere they deserve to work in," said Hedrick. "Their job is serving the public and helping these families find homes.

"Why would you trust to be put in a nice home or get assistance in finding a nice home if the people are not (working in a nice office)?

"I give them kudos, I really do, for coming to work in that place and getting any work done."

Now workers have their own offices, he said.

Hedrick said the ribbon cutting on the new facility, the former Songer Insurance Agency, will be May 6.

Raleigh Commission President Dave Tolliver said the Housing Authority board has made major strides under Hedrick's leadership.

"Ron has done a tremendous job since we put him Inas chairman," Tolliver said. "Raleigh County Housing Authority was in terrible shape and needed a leader to get them through some bad times.

"He has spent many hours trying to get a new building and everything done by HUD standards."

Hedrick credited Hunter, Reedy, Moore and Marks with the progress that the Housing Authority has made and thanked the Charleston and Beckley housing authorities for help.

"We've got a wonderful board, now," he said. "We're all working together."

He said the goal is to give the coalfields a necessary service and to empower communities.