Harsh economic times, accompanied by an individual's adverse financial circumstances, can present a great obstacle for acquiring affordable housing.
Fortunately for Bulloch County residents, the Statesboro Housing Authority serves resident low-income families and individuals in the pursuit of such.
Monifa Johnson, Executive Director of the Statesboro Housing Authority, took over her position two years ago, and recently gave Grice Connect Readers a deeper insight into the plight and progress of the Statesboro Housing Authority.
The Statesboro HA's mission is to provide quality, affordable housing to low-income families in the Bulloch County area. They additionally work with the elderly and disabled population to provide the same services. The goal of the Statesboro Housing Authority is to place these individuals within stable communities, and in turn, to provide them the opportunity for personal growth and self-sufficiency.
Generally speaking, one's eligibility for Public Housing is based off several factors.
These factors include annual gross income, family composition, and U.S. citizenship or eligible immigration status. To determine one's income eligibility, the housing authority uses standards which are set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) each year, that are unique to the area based on family size.
Bearing these requirements in mind, it is worth noting that at least 40% of public housing units must be rented by "very low" and "extremely low" income households. The Statesboro Housing Authority is required by HUD to specifically maintain this percentage of public housing units for qualified individuals meeting this income threshold.
Furthermore, according to the "FY 2023 Income Limits Documentation System" on the HUD website, single person households earning $14,580 would be eligible to apply for public housing units in Bulloch County when the waitlist is open for new applicants.
Also, the "Median Family Income" changes each year, which in turn changes the "Income Limit Category" numbers annually.
Even those individuals with no current income are still eligible to apply for public housing, though some considerations may apply.
Currently, there are several public housing communities present in Statesboro, all of which were erected from 1953-1982.
They are Cone Homes (1953; 32 units), Butler Homes (1953; 56 Units), Braswell Homes (1982; 20 Units), and Groover Homes (1982; 40 units).
In total, there are 148 units of public housing listed in the Statesboro HA catalog.
This total number is underwhelming, when compared to the public housing unit numbers of smaller neighboring cities such as Claxton and Metter. The Claxton Housing Authority has 204 units of public housing, and the Metter Housing Authority has 122 units of public housing.
In response to the current limitations of Statesboro Public Housing units when compared to that of Claxton and Metter, Johnson cites the the Faircloth Amendment.
In short, the Faircloth Amendment prevents any net increase in public housing stock from the number of units, as of October 1, 1999. Simply put, the amendment has set a cap on the number of public housing units HUD will subsidize for each agency nationwide, which has effectively limited the construction of new public housing units ever since.
This fact is particularly troubling, as there is an overwhelming need for affordable local public housing.
This point was seen clearly by the Statesboro Housing Authority, following the launch of their website back in October 2022.
According to Johnson,
“The Statesboro Housing Authority launched its new website in October 2022. And following the public announcement of our online application, coupled with the exposure from our local partners, the announcement went unexpectedly viral. As a result, we received an extraordinary response of 667 applications, within three days, back in last October. Following that viral moment, we sequenced all applications by the date applied, time-stamped them, and placed individuals on a waitlist based on the unit bedroom size requested.
In short, the significant increase of 667 applications, as opposed to our prior paper application opening (which resulted in 62 paper applications over a 90-day-period), shows that our online application was a complete success. We are projected to have full occupancy over the next few months. And for the individuals who remain on the waitlist, we will provide more information on the other available affordable housing communities in the area.”
Johnson remains hopeful for providing more affordable housing alternatives locally, even amidst the current limitations on new public housing construction.
Her optimism extends from the Statesboro HA's new tax-free bond inducement program, which allows the agency to support private developers in building affordable housing units.
“The Georgia Housing Authorities Act provides the ability to issue revenue bonds for the purpose of financing the acquisition and renovation of multifamily housing developments," Johnson said. "The Housing Authority of the City of Statesboro adopted a Tax-Free Bond Inducement Program to assist private developers in building affordable housing in Statesboro, GA back in August 2022. Affordable housing does not take the place of public housing, but it does add to the diversity of housing options in the community for residents, at various income levels.”
Johnson invites local businesses and non-profit agencies to support the Statesboro HA in a myriad of ways. Some ways include providing educational opportunities for the public-housing residents to grow and develop in their self-sufficiency, as she shares that public housing residents regularly express interest in GED classes, financial literacy, homeownership, and after-school tutoring for youth.
The Statesboro Housing Authority’s office is located at 33 Cone Homes, Statesboro, GA 30458. For more information on the Statesboro Housing Authority, please visit their website at https://statesboroha.com/ or call (912) 764-3512.
For low-income households interested in qualifying for Section 8 housing vouchers, it is important to note that Statesboro Housing Authority does NOT manage the Housing Choice Voucher Program, formerly known as Section 8. The Georgia Department of Community Affairs manages the Housing Choice Voucher Program for Statesboro/Bulloch County, Georgia.