News for February 2023

HRA Executive Director speaks on InFocus: Looking at the regional housing crisis

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, America is facing an affordable housing shortage, a problem for both renters and prospective homeowners.

Locally, there are several organizations that work with people in need of housing that also help with people facing eviction or foreclosure.

Click here to see the full segment.

HRA Director of Leased Housing Speaks on Section 8 Vouchers in Franklin County

Katelyn Reardon oversees Section 8 vouchers for the Franklin County Regional Housing and Redevelopment Authority. Like many regional and municipal offices, it uses the state’s centralized waiting list.

When Reardon looked up the latest numbers, she said, “There’s a total of 464,493 applicants.”

Although almost half a million people across the state are on the waiting list, Reardon said, “Each housing authority has their own preferences for how they organize all those people on the waiting list.”

For instance, the Franklin County authority prioritizes people who live in the region, as well as local veterans, which comes to almost 1,300 people. To get to the top, Reardon said, it takes around three years. That’s not bad given that in many places the wait can last more than a decade.

Click here to read the full article and listen to the broadcast recording.