Albany Housing Authority modernizes public housing thanks to HUD's Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program

City of Albany, Albany Housing Authority, local elected officials and partners participate in Phase 1 ground breaking celebrating HUD RAD conversion and modernization of four aging public housing residential developments. Photo by Pennrose Development

Artist rendition of the modernization/renovation of the residences. Photo by Albany Herald.

HUD Southeast Region Administrator Denise Cleveland-Leggett recently congratulated the City of Albany, Albany Housing Authority (AHA), Hunt Companies, Boulevard Group, and Pennrose Development during a virtual call as part of the groundbreaking celebration of the Albany HUD Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) phase 1 conversion. The initial phase is part of a four-stage process to modernize aging Albany public housing leveraging the benefits of RAD.

The initial effort includes projected improvements to four major developments and include McIntosh Homes, a 125-unit family community; O.B. Hines, a 56-unit family community; Thronateeska Homes, a 32-unit family community; and Golden Age Apartments, a 66-unit senior living community. The revitalization focuses on the interiors modernization of the buildings and includes new HVACs, kitchens, bathrooms, flooring, fixtures, and other improvements.

"HUD's Rental Assistance Demonstration program continues to help public housing authorities, such as the Albany Housing Authority, leverage innovative approaches such as public and private partnerships to preserve and modernize public housing to the benefit of residents, their communities, housing authorities as well as developers," said Cleveland-Leggett.

"We are overwhelmingly enthused about the transformation of this community", said Dr. William F. Myles, Chief Executive Officer at Albany Housing Authority. "We consider it an honor to partner with such great entities in bringing this plan together. The residents of AHA will have an opportunity to receive a better quality of life because these efforts and we are so grateful to finally see this vision come to fruition."

Program participants consisted of Dr. William Myles, Chief Executive Officer, Albany Housing Authority; Bo Dorough, Mayor, City of Albany; Denise Cleveland-Leggett, HUD SE Region Administrator; Freddie Powell Sims, Senator, District 12, Georgia State Senate; CaMia Hopson, Representative, District 153, Georgia House of Representatives; Frank Wilson, Chairman, Albany Housing Authority Board; Mignon Givens, Resident, Albany Housing Authority; James Brooks, President, Boulevard Group; Steven Bauhan, EVP Affordable Housing Group, Bank OZK; and R.J. Briscione, Sr. Director, Social Determinants of Health & Execution, Aetna.

RAD was created in order to provide public housing authorities (PHAs) a powerful tool to preserve and improve public housing properties and address the $26 billion-dollar nationwide backlog of deferred maintenance. RAD also provides owners of three HUD "legacy" program (Rent Supplement, Rental Assistance Payment, and Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation) the opportunity to enter long-term contracts that facilitate the financing of improvements.

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