Dallas Housing Authority
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SETTING A NEW VisVisDallas Housing Authorityion 2007-2008ion Annual Report Troy Broussard, Interim President and CEO MissionThe Housing Authority of the City of Dallas, Texas (DHA) provides quality, affordable housing Executive Staff to low-income families and individuals through the effective and efficient administration of Rick Betz Chief Financial Officer housing assistance programs; and by creating and cultivating opportunities for program Barbara Cassel participants to achieve self-sufficiency and Senior Vice President economic independence. Ardie Harrison Vice President Human Resources Elizabeth Horn Table of Contents General Counsel Starting at Home . 3 Tim Lott President’s Message . 4 Chief Projects Officer Board Members . 5 Looking North . 7 Michelle S. Raglon Looking South . 8 Vice President Public Relations Looking East . 11 Looking West . 12 2007 Financial Statements . 14 Vice Presidents Beverly Childs Resident Housing Gus Espinoza Maintenance Bill Manning Development Phat Pham Information Services Joann Rodriguez Leased Housing Joyce White Compliance 3 Starting at Home DHA’s headquarters building “The new motto around here can inspire residents to in Dallas is not the same place is to work smarter, not change their lives. it was just a year ago. While it harder,” said Kim Schubert, is still the central nervous accounts payable supervisor. One such success story can be system that runs a county-wide It’s a mantra that carries found in Lakandra Hall, a operation, the agency is beyond the new systems and DHA client, who put in 400 adopting a new way of procedures designed to hours of work to help build working to comply with shifting streamline DHA’s financial her own home alongside regulations and achieve a processes; it also points to a Habitat for Humanity. After more tangible presence changing mindset throughout earning her GED and beyond its four walls. Changes the agency. “We’re striving for completing classes through in the past year have brought more consistency and accuracy DHA, she now works full-time DHA closer to realizing that in our work, which ultimately for the agency as an part of its vision. leads to faster and better accounting clerk. service to clients,” she said. The agency is taking decisive “Becoming a homeowner actions to tighten controls Part of that new mindset through DHA was the best over budgeting and includes maintaining closer decision I ever made, for expenditures, reorganizing its contact with the people who myself and my kids,” said Information Services, Finance, depend on DHA services. The Hall. “And as a DHA Public Housing and Leased agency moved many of its employee, now I’m able to let Housing departments. The employees out of the central clients know that I was once internal overhaul will also office to positions located at in their shoes, and help them help facilitate a smooth branch administrative offices find success like I did.” transition to an asset-based managing applications and management system, a voucher programs. federally mandated change to track spending and revenue When employees truly separately for each DHA understand the people and property. Another program the communities they serve, initiated in 2007 focuses on the agency becomes more cross-training employees so effective at providing the every job can be completed valuable blend of affordable even when the person who is housing and education that primarily responsible is absent. Right: Lakandra Hall is a proud homeowner after successfully completing the agency's family self-sufficiency program. Hall says that buying a home was the best decision she ever made for herself and her children. Above: Kim Schubert, accounts payable supervisor, joins her cowork- ers in "working smarter, not harder." 3 4 President’s Message Succeeding in the face of Simultaneously, we also have The agency’s influence even extreme hardship takes initiated or completed transcends the borders of courage and sacrifice. More changes – some minor, some Dallas County, through than that, it takes a new dramatic – designed to programs such as our CRYSTAL vision – an ability to see improve our performance award scholarships, currently beyond the immediate today and ensure we can fulfill helping disadvantaged obstacles and conceive of a our mission in the future. students attend college in 11 long-term plan for change. states; and, as the memory of True vision is not easy to come Internally, we have refined our Hurricane Katrina fades by. Yet clients of the Dallas systems and procedures to around the nation, through Housing Authority routinely create a more streamlined our assistance to more than find it in themselves to operation. Even seemingly 1,000 New Orleans families envision a better life for their mundane projects, like an whose lives are still in turmoil. families and complete the upgrade to our financial long journey to make it so. software, can have a profound DHA’s new vision is bigger Their commitment is the impact on the speed and than any one person, and inspiration for our agency. accuracy with which we serve broader than the span of Because in order to serve their our clients and make good months. Strategic thinking evolving needs, we must have use of taxpayer money. and sound execution over vision ourselves. We must be many years are required to able to comprehend the big In the community, we have overcome the disparities that picture, and use it as our found new ways to bring hope divide our city. Yet we are guide to make progress in and opportunity to the area’s resolute that with the help of small steps. poorest citizens. Despite the our neighbors, we can achieve endless roadblocks of shrinking a better tomorrow for the Over the last year, DHA has budgets and pointed opposition, entire Dallas area. continued to define its vision our presence continues to for affordable housing in expand. As such, the pages of -Troy Broussard Dallas County. We have this report are divided into the Interim President and CEO carried on with the fundamental four quadrants of Dallas, July 2008 programs that have successfully providing a glimpse of DHA’s ushered thousands of clients impact in the north, south, out of poverty to a east and west. self-sufficient lifestyle. Past Board of 5 Commissioners J.G. Loving Huber Boedeker C.W. Davis H. Raphael Gold James L. Stephenson B.J. Majors W.R. Burns Louis Tobian Vernon S. Smith Orville Mitchell James W. Simmons Jr. M.K. Curry Jr. L. Storey Stemmons Albert S. Long S.T. Chandler Jr. Mrs. Dale Milford Thomas J. Shipp Terdema Ussery Joe Velazquez Lucious C. Wagner Board Chair Board Vice Chair Mrs. Manning B. Trewitt November 2008 March 2005 Adelfa B. Callejo Eric Eriksson Fred Griswold Don Johnson Bennett I. Milller Walter Travis Ronald Steinhart Peter W. Baldwin Mario Najera Lucy Patterson Jack Spring Cincy Powell Ernest Ochoa Beth Clegg Bea Sutherland William F. Farrell Jr. David G. Fox Ralph G. Martinez Mattie L. Nash Pedro Aguirre Latrisa Davis Thomas D. Karol John L. Schoellkopf November 2008 April 2007 December 2006 Lawson Ridgeway Dale V. Kesler Pauline A. Garey Frederick E. Roach Louis J. Weber Jr. Diana Navarrete Jessie Toles Robert F. See Jr. Richard A. Marquez Diane R. Miles Larry K. Davis Raymond Quintanilla Mary Churchill Ceverha Bernice J. Washington Adrona Johnson Beverly L. Brooks BoardBoard Members Members Gwyneith Black Pamela A. Baeza James D. Carreker Randy Pace Bobbye Baker Guy Brignon Marcella Atkinson Betty Culbreath Rod Washington 6 Right: DHA education and employment programs assist clients such as Santos Lumbreras in taking charge of their future success. Below: The Villas at Hillcrest in North Dallas offers families good schools and employment opportunities. Opposite: Maintenance staff such as Jesus Maldonado, who has been with DHA for 11 years, works hard to maintain DHA properties. DHA has five public housing developments in the north Dallas area, providing housing for families and senior citizens. 7 Looking North North Dallas has long held Despite its benefits to DHA the reputation for being the clients, The Villas at Hillcrest prestigious part of town. did not come to completion While the area is home to without struggle. As with earlier plenty of average citizens, it developments built in North is best known for its elite Dallas, construction was neighborhoods, exclusive delayed for years amid concerns universities, high-end from existing residents in the shopping and corporate community. And the delicate corridors. And until recently, negotiations evoked complex public housing developments questions about race, crime, have not been part of the social status and other factors. North Dallas landscape. In support of DHA’s northward 2007 was a milestone year for expansion, the agency has DHA, if for no other reason implemented a neighborhood than the near completion of task force to counter unfounded The Villas at Hillcrest, a beliefs and promote property in a historically understanding and acceptance affluent section of Far North within the community. Today, Dallas. With families slated evidence suggests that many to move in 2008, the North Dallas residents are development includes the last now embracing the opportunity of 474 housing units constructed to welcome their less under the Walker agreement, fortunate neighbors and come which required DHA to make to their aid. public housing available in “predominately white As DHA closes one of the most neighborhoods” with low challenging chapters in its poverty rates. history, its vision of compassion and equal opportunity is more The $4.5 million complex, alive than ever. which consists of 40 town homes, promises a new and improved way of life for DHA clients. With enhanced community amenities, acclaimed schools and greater employment opportunities, residents will be even more empowered to take charge of their own well being. 8 Looking South Dallas’ south side is generally Through HUD’s HOPE VI a stark contrast to the booming mixed-income grant, the communities north of Inner-City Communities downtown.