Troy Housing Authority

Last updated
Troy Housing Authority
Agency overview
FormedApril 12, 1944
JurisdictionTroy, New York
Headquarters1 Eddys Lane, Troy, NY 12180
Website troyhousing.org

The Troy Housing Authority (THA) is a public agency of the city of Troy, New York that provides subsidized public housing to low- and moderate-income families and individuals, and is the pass-through agency for funding from various housing-related federal programs.

Contents

History

The THA was established on April 12, 1944, by an act of the New York State Legislature, following a 1937 survey conducted by students at Russell Sage College. That survey had collected data on 900 buildings in three areas of the city. During interviews, students learned that many families were living in housing lacking sanitary facilities, that had rat infestations, flooded when it rained, and – in some cases – were still using oil for lighting.

Shortly after the THA was created, the need for low-cost housing increased as veterans returned from World War II. To accommodate this influx, more than 800 units were built, and those returning were given preference when applying for assistance. Many of these units were in newly built towers, such as the John P. Taylor apartments along River Street in the city's downtown. When completed in the 1950s, the Taylor Apartments provided housing for 278 families, offering waterfront views and grassy areas.

During the 1960s and 70s the THA—alongside most other public housing agencies—took on additional roles and responsibilities. The Fair Housing Act of 1968 prohibited racial discrimination in the housing market and gave HUD greater responsibility and increased funding. In Troy, this resulted in THA constructing approximately 500 more units. Funding increased again in the 1970s, following the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, and led to the construction of 140 more units. This act also established Section 8 Rental Assistance, enabling low-income households to receive rental assistance while living in private apartments that meet HUD housing quality standards. In order to offer this assistance to Troy residents, the administration of THA initiated a Section 8 program shortly after the bill was made law.

In the 1980s, dollowing the passage of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, the THA became the passthrough agency for funds supporting emergency shelter, transitional housing, job training, primary health care, education, and permanent housing at local shelters.

In 1992, following a multi-year federal study of dilapidated public housing, Congress established the HOPE VI program to ease demolition and disposal of severely distressed public housing. As of March 2020, the THA had received HOPE VI funding to demolish and dispose of a single public housing project. [1]

In April 2019, the THA revealed that they were seeking a developer to demolish two deteriorating 10-story towers at the John P. Taylor Apartment complex in downtown Troy, both of which had been vacant for more than a decade. The post-war brick-and-cinder towers, known as Buildings 1 and 2, had been considered for renovation, but the agency balked at the approximately $16 million price tag. The cost to demolish the buildings, which together have 143 apartments, was estimated at only about $2 million. [2] The THA would be financing the demolition through HOPE VI federal funding.

In October 2019, the THA and the Troy Local Development Corporation announced the selection of Pennrose, LLC, a Philadelphia-based affordable housing developer to redevelop the site, outbidding five other firms that submitted bids in June 2019. The initial plan—devised by the THA, TLDC and Pennrose—provided for affordable and market-rate apartments, office, and retail space. Buildings 1 and 2 would be demolished and replaced by two smaller, mixed-use buildings. Taylor residents would then be moved out of Buildings 3 and 4. Those towers would be demolished and replaced with new housing and commercial space. The preliminary design includes urban-style elements such as first-floor storefronts and brick facades. The sides facing the river will have courtyards, balconies and elevated gardens. [3]

Programs & Developments

In the federal government model of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), THA is a public housing agency.

As of March 2020, the THA manages 1,110 apartments supported by the HUD Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) Program. The THA also administers 944 Housing Choice Vouchers, 134 are based at Kennedy Towers, 28 are at the Tapestry-on-the-Hudson development and 19 are set aside for households with a non-elderly person with a disability. All remaining vouchers are tenant-based, meaning they can be in any apartment that meets housing quality standards at a reasonable rent, as defined by HUD guidelines. The THA also administers subsidy for 30 single room occupancy apartments at the YWCA of the Greater Capital Region. [4]

THA also funds a range of services to the homeless at area shelters including emergency shelter, transitional housing, job training, primary health care, education and some permanent housing. These services are provided in affiliation with Joseph's House, Unity House, Catholic Charities and the YWCA of the Greater Capital Region (as of March 2020).

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Department of Housing and Urban Development</span> Cabinet-level federal government department

The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It administers federal housing and urban development laws. It is headed by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, who reports directly to the President of the United States and is a member of the president's Cabinet.

Section 8 of the Housing Act of 1937, often called Section 8, as repeatedly amended, authorizes the payment of rental housing assistance to private landlords on behalf of low-income households in the United States. 68% of total rental assistance in the United States goes to seniors, children, and those with disabilities. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development manages Section 8 programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Office of Public and Indian Housing</span>

The Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Its mission is to ensure safe, decent, and affordable housing, create opportunities for residents' self-sufficiency and economic independence, and assure the fiscal integrity of all program participants.

Subsidized housing is government sponsored economic assistance aimed towards alleviating housing costs and expenses for impoverished people with low to moderate incomes. In the United States, subsidized housing is often called "affordable housing". Forms of subsidies include direct housing subsidies, non-profit housing, public housing, rent supplements/vouchers, and some forms of co-operative and private sector housing. According to some sources, increasing access to housing may contribute to lower poverty rates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York City Housing Authority</span> Public development corporation responsible for New York Citys public and leased housing

The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) is a public development corporation which provides public housing in New York City, and is the largest public housing authority in North America. Created in 1934 as the first agency of its kind in the United States, it aims to provide decent, affordable housing for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers throughout the five boroughs of New York City. NYCHA also administers a citywide Section 8 Leased Housing Program in rental apartments. NYCHA developments include single and double family houses, apartment units, singular floors, and shared small building units, and commonly have large income disparities with their respective surrounding neighborhood or community. These developments, particularly those including large-scale apartment buildings, are often referred to in popular culture as "projects."

HOPE VI is a program of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. It is intended to revitalize the worst public housing projects in the United States into mixed-income developments. Its philosophy is largely based on New Urbanism and the concept of defensible space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago Housing Authority</span> Municipal corporation that oversees public housing in Chicago, Illinois, United States

The Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) is a municipal corporation that oversees public housing within the city of Chicago. The agency's Board of Commissioners is appointed by the city's mayor, and has a budget independent from that of the city of Chicago. CHA is the largest rental landlord in Chicago, with more than 50,000 households. CHA owns over 21,000 apartments. It also oversees the administration of 37,000 Section 8 vouchers. The current acting CEO of the Chicago Housing Authority is Tracey Scott.

The Atlanta Housing Authority (AHA) is an agency that provides affordable housing for low-income families in Atlanta. Today, the AHA is the largest housing agency in Georgia and one of the largest in the United States, serving approximately 50,000 people.

The Prospect Plaza Houses was a 4.53-acre (18,300 m2) complex owned by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) in the Ocean Hill section of Brooklyn and was bordered by St. Marks and Sterling Place, Howard and Saratoga Avenues. It was the first NYCHA development to be completely demolished.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Housing Act of 1937</span> Act of the United States Congress

The Housing Act of 1937, formally the "United States Housing Act of 1937" and sometimes called the Wagner–Steagall Act, provided for subsidies to be paid from the United States federal government to local public housing agencies (LHAs) to improve living conditions for low-income families.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Subsidized housing in the United States</span> Rental assistance for low-income households

In the United States, subsidized housing is administered by federal, state and local agencies to provide subsidized rental assistance for low-income households. Public housing is priced much below the market rate, allowing people to live in more convenient locations rather than move away from the city in search of lower rents. In most federally-funded rental assistance programs, the tenants' monthly rent is set at 30% of their household income. Now increasingly provided in a variety of settings and formats, originally public housing in the U.S. consisted primarily of one or more concentrated blocks of low-rise and/or high-rise apartment buildings. These complexes are operated by state and local housing authorities which are authorized and funded by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In 2020, there were 1 million public housing units. In 2022, about 5.2 million American households that received some form of federal rental assistance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity</span> US Government agency

The Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) is an agency within the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. FHEO is responsible for administering and enforcing federal fair housing laws and establishing policies that make sure all Americans have equal access to the housing of their choice.

The Boston Housing Authority (BHA) is a public agency within the city of Boston, Massachusetts that provides subsidized public housing to low- and moderate-income families and individuals. The BHA is not a municipal agency, but a separate local entity.

In 1996, The Atlanta Housing Authority (AHA) created the financial and legal model for mixed-income communities or MICs, that is, communities with both owners and renters of differing income levels, that include public-assisted housing as a component. This model is used by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's HOPE VI revitalization program. As of 2011, it has resulted in all housing projects having been demolished, with partial replacement by MICs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howard County Housing and Community Development</span>

Howard County Housing is the umbrella organization for the Howard County Department of Housing and Community Development and the Howard County Housing Commission. The Department is Howard County Government’s housing agency, and the Commission is a public housing authority and non-profit. Both have boards that meet monthly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">District of Columbia Housing Authority</span> Public housing agency in Washington, D.C., United States

The District of Columbia Housing Authority is an independent government agency whose mission is to provide affordable housing to extremely low- through moderate-income households, foster sustainable communities, and cultivate opportunities for residents to improve their lives throughout the eight wards of Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen Lane Apartments</span> Former public housing development in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Queen Lane Apartments opened in 1955 as one of several Post-War public housing hi-rise complexes in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania which were built and maintained by the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA). The PHA demolished the Queen Lane high-rise on September 13, 2014. The PHA replaced it with 55 new, affordable rental units for individuals and families. The first of the new 55 units were opened on December 15, 2015. Mayor Michael Nutter, City Council President Darrell L. Clarke, City Councilwoman Cindy Bass, PHA President/CEO Kelvin Jeremiah, residents of the nine new units, and other dignitaries joined together to cut the ribbon.

The Rental Assistance Demonstration is a federal housing program that was enacted as part of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012, and is administered by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). Broadly, the purpose of the Rental Assistance Demonstration is to provide a set of tools to address the unmet capital needs of deeply affordable, federally assisted rental housing properties in order to maintain both the viability of the properties and their long-term affordability. It also simplifies the administrative oversight of the properties by the federal government. Specifically, RAD authorizes the conversion of a property's federal funding from one form to another, where the initial form presents structural impediments to private capital investment and the new form is not only familiar to lenders and investors but, since its enactment in 1974, has leveraged billions in private investment for the development and rehabilitation of deeply affordable rental housing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holyoke Housing Authority</span>

The Holyoke Housing Authority (HHA) is a public agency of the city of Holyoke, Massachusetts that provides subsidized public housing to low- and moderate-income families and individuals.

The San Francisco Housing Authority is a local public housing authority for the City and County of San Francisco that was established in 1938 after the Housing Act of 1937 was enacted by the U.S. Federal Government. The agency is responsible for the management of public housing and Section 8 vouchers for primarily low-income housing. While the agency is based in and has jurisdiction over San Francisco, it is operated independent of the city's government and is chartered by the state government of California.

References

  1. ↑ "Troy Housing Authority: About". City of Troy. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  2. ↑ Anderson, Eric (April 30, 2019). "Vacant Troy towers' days may be numbered". Times Union. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  3. ↑ DeMasi, Michael (November 1, 2019). "Philadelphia company picked to redevelop Troy's Taylor Apartments". Albany Business Review. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Troy Housing Authority". City of Troy. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.