Public Housing Gets Windfall

DALLAS, TX - Dallas public housing residents soon will see much-needed repairs thanks to more than $8 million in federal stimulus money.

The Dallas Housing Authority plans to use the funds to replace roofs, upgrade security lighting, resurface parking lots and add new carpets at various properties. The agency owns and manages 3,900 units at 27 locations.

MaryAnn Russ, the agency's president and chief executive officer, said the $8.8 million will cover a significant number of projects that are planned over the next five years. And the stimulus funds will allow officials to finish the work much sooner than expected.

"This is more [capital project] money than we usually get in a year," she said. "We've tried to pick work that we could get on the street quickly and create jobs."

The agency must start the projects within a year and spend all of the money within three years or the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will recoup the funds.

The DHA also plans to compete for additional stimulus money to rebuild Turner Courts and Rhoads Terrace, both in South Dallas. The agency moved residents out of the aging, high-crime projects last fall. It plans to replace the buildings with single-family homes and less dense apartments.

The DHA, with an annual budget of more than $250 million, provides housing assistance – mostly through rent subsidies – to more than 60,000 residents.