Public housing isn't what it used to be, and the Housing Authority of the City of Austin wants to change the old perception.
News 8 Austin’s Jennifer Bordelon spoke with Jennifer Jones about what the Housing Authority offers and how the community can help.
Q: This isn’t part of the city of Austin, it’s a federal program. Tell us about what the Housing Authority does.
A: We’re a public agency not affiliated with the city. We’re sort of a small city within the city of Austin itself. We house about 18,000 low-income workers and their families. Our goal is to provide transitional housing for them, as well as to help get them self-sufficient so they can build lives for themselves. Our ultimate goal for them is home ownership.
Q: How do you help people to buy real estate?
A: We have many programs where we bring in community partners. Like we have a self-sufficiency programs where they can develop goals for themselves, whether they be employment-based or home ownership-based, and through these partners they can get involved in these programs they can develop life skills to help them achieve that.
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Housing Authority
Watch the interview with Jennifer Jones.
 
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Q: The Housing Authority has actually been around since 1937. The perception of public housing has changed since then, and that’s something you guys are looking toward, correct?
A: Absolutely. People sometimes have an uninformed concept of what they think low-income housing is. They may think they know what our residents do or don’t do, but in actuality, we have so many residents that are doing great things – they’re getting their GED, they’re getting scholarships, they’re building their own homes, they’re getting recognized by the community for their service. They’re just building really wonderful lives for themselves and becoming productive citizens of the community.
Q: Speaking of the community, how can they help?
A: We have a Section 3 program that employers can become a part of, as well as hiring our residents so they can build career skills for themselves.
