The Greenwood Housing Authority soon will open its doors to the public once again.
The Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on Tuesday at their monthly meeting to open the building “to give people better access,” said board member Will Lott.
The date set for the opening was Sept. 6. The building has been closed to the public since April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The decision was an effort to address the low number of applications for three-bedroom, four-bedroom and five-bedroom housing, which Executive Director Gregory Flippins said has been an issue for a couple of years.
Flippins and the board members received a letter on Aug. 9 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development informing them that scores on assessments from the Real Estate Assessment Center had dropped.
A spokesperson said HUD periodically reviews the performance of housing authorities with which it is in contract regarding finances, management operations and inspections of physical conditions. “When scores drop, the housing authority receives a letter that indicates the issues and gives them 30 days to present a plan to improve the situation,” the spokesperson said.
According to the letter, the Greenwood Housing Authority received a total score of 77 out of 100 on the Public Housing Assessment System assessment but a 12 out of 25 management score and 5 out of 10 capital fund score prompted a HUD review. Both scores are related to occupancy levels.
Flippins attributed these scores to the applicants issue. “There is a severe lack of families who qualify for those units,” he said.
Board Chair Claudia Henson suggested that if the building were open, more people could file applications. Flippins said that may be true.
In addition to opening up the building, the board unanimously voted to offer a larger window for applicants this October. Applications usually are accepted on the third Wednesday of every month, but the period for October has been expanded to include the 18th and 20th as well as the 19th.
- Contact Kevin Edwards at 662-581-7233 or kedwards@gwcommonwealth.com.
