Lin Moore ends 25-year tenure with Tuscaloosa Housing Authority

After serving the Tuscaloosa Housing Authority board of commissioners for 25 years, Lin Moore has stepped down.

Moore, who has been the chairman of Tuscaloosa's public housing commissioners for 15 years, was appointed to the board by then-Mayor Al DuPont in 1998. Since then, the Tuscaloosa Housing Authority has gone through massive transitions, including the devastation of the Rosedale Court housing unit in April 2011 tornado.

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"We had plans to completely demolish and rebuild (Rosedale) with a Hope Six grant and the help of some tax credit investors and with the help of the city and county. You have to have buy-in from your community on it, too. Ultimately, out of tragedy, that being the tornado in 2011, came opportunity and hope for a better Rosedale," Moore said.

Moore is one of the owners of Pritchett-Moore Inc., a company that is both a real estate company and an insurance agency. Moore said one of the qualifications for being on the Housing Authority board was that one cannot have conflicts of interest. He avoided conflicts because his company did not have dealings in Section 8 housing, one of the areas the Housing Authority oversees, and he was only active on the insurance side of the business.

"We have not been in the Section 8 market before. We’re getting into that now with a property manager we have. That certainly played a part in it (retiring from the board), but we could probably have worked around it," Moore said.

Moore said his retirement from the authority comes at a good time. The full-time executive director, Chris Hall, and his staff are top-notch and the Housing Authority is in good condition from top to bottom, he said.

"You’ve got to resign sometime and 25 years is a long time to stay in a nonprofit. Sometimes you can stay too long, but everything is in a good place right now, great executive director, great assistant executive director (Willie Fort). They both work really really well together. There is an awesome staff. The commissioners we have at present, as well as those who have moved on, have been really top-notch appointments made by the mayor," Moore said.

The Tuscaloosa Housing Authority oversees public housing developments at Rosedale Apartments, McKenzie Court, Branscomb, Crescent East, Jackson Apartments and Hay Court. Additionally, the authority oversees the Section 8 program and has developed three neighborhoods for first-time homeowners. The Tuscaloosa Housing Authority manages Section 8 housing, which is a voucher-based rental assistance program administered with local property owners providing the housing.

Those who qualify for Section 8 housing get rent assistance from the Housing Authority in the form of a voucher that, depending on the person's income, covers part of their rent.

"You never want any of your fellow citizens to stay in subsidized housing unless their life circumstances are such that they have nowhere to go and they need a home. That’s what is provided in public housing, fully funded by the Housing Authority," Moore said.

"Section 8 is when you take that next step. You are getting back on your feet. Financially, you have a little more wherewithal but you still need a leg up. That’s were we come in with the Section 8 voucher program. Ultimately you reach the point where you can move into your own home and are fully self-sufficient," he said.

Moore is especially proud of the new homeowners the Tuscaloosa Housing Authority has helped. The authority developed Cordell Heights, Bernice Houston Estates and Springer Phase One and Phase Two. Houses in these developments are owned by people who formerly were either in public housing or Section 8 housing and have been able to graduate to home ownership.

"One of the problems we have in affordable housing, you have to get the land, and you have to be able to build a home in that $100,000- to $150,000-range that you expect in a first home. In order to get it at that price point, you’ve got to have the land and development part in place in order to make it fly," he said.

"It has been really gratifying, knowing we have done that as a housing authority with the help of all our community partners. To see someone on the ribbon cutting day get the keys to their first home, maybe it was a dream they never thought they could achieve, it brings things back to where you see what is important.," Moore said.

The Tuscaloosa Housing Authority partners with Spiller Furniture, Builders Group, McGiffert and Associates, and Hollyhand Companies among others to help new homeowners make the transition successfully. Moore said the City of Tuscaloosa and a local credit union have been immensely helpful, enabling THA to develop between 35 and 40 new homes for first time homeowners.

Moore said he is very pleased with where the Tuscaloosa Housing Authority is right now and he feels comfortable stepping away at this time, but he will miss the work and the people.

"In a position like mine, unless needed, I’m there once a month. You get a lot of credit for being the figurehead of an organization when others are doing all the work. I just happened to be in that position, but its not lost on me that the title may say chairman, but there are so many people doing the work on a daily basis taking care of our residents. I can’t thank them enough," Moore said.

"I love the Housing Authority and what it stands for. I love our staff. We have a fantastic esprit decor, camaraderie within our staff. It’s a good culture. I really enjoy the associations the most, being a part of that so long makes it hard for me to step down and move on."

Reach Gary Cosby Jr. at gary.cosby@tuscaloosanews.com

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Lin Moore ends 25-year tenure with Tuscaloosa Housing Authority