A Letter from the Director, Linnie B. Willis

It is my pleasure to present the updated LMHA website, which has been re-designed to provide more information to the public.  We also hope that you will be able to quickly and efficiently navigate this website for all of your information needs.

We have recently completed our first full year of Asset Management, and the entire conversion process has required major adjustments in staffing, as well as day-to-day operations.  We are still a work “in process,” however in the final analysis, I believe that the organization will be much more efficient and effective in managing the business affairs of the Authority.  Asset Management also allows us to extract greater accountability by being able to identify where the weaknesses exist.  We received our first AMP review under Asset Management in May 2009.  Stay tuned for future updates on asset management.

As we reflect on the 75 years of the Authority, we readily embrace the current challenges that threaten the sustainability of affordable housing for low and moderate consumers in our community.  The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has released a new report, “Decade of Neglect has Weakened Federal Low-Income Housing Programs.”  One of the key findings of the report states, “Following a decade of neglect, new resources, as well as a comprehensive strategy are needed to preserve existing public and private assisted housing.”

We are committed to:

• Accessing and fully utilizing any and all available funding that will allow us to improve, and in some instances, replace our aging housing stock.
• Improving the lives of our consumers through family self-sufficiency programs.
• Streamlining the process for accessing services.
• Providing good customer service in all of our operations.

Noteworthy Newsflash:  The LMHA will receive an additional $6,437,129.00 for the Capital Fund Program, as a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, recently signed into law by President Obama.

We are diligently planning our work strategy to insure that the funds are obligated and expended timely.

About the future:  We will maximize the use of stimulus funds to update as many properties as possible, with a focus on energy efficiency.  However, we have properties that are functionally obsolete, and now entering into the category of “distressed.”  The Boulevard Group, a nationally recognized consulting firm, has been engaged to assist the Authority in planning for the redevelopment of some of our oldest properties.  Updates will be provided as we advance in this process.

The LMHA is the place “Where Opportunity Lives” and we invite you to seek affordable housing with us.

Linnie B. Willis
Executive Director