Font Resize
LAS CRUCES - A Vietnam-era veteran who once served in a Cuban military operation, Dale B. Ritter struggled with homelessness for about for about three years in the early 1990s.
"I just ran out of dough," he said. "I slept under bridges and on sidewalks. I was just dying - physically fatigued."
The lifestyle, of course, was a rough one. But Ritter said a salvation of sorts came in the form of a roof over his head, after he found his way to the Housing Authority of the City of Las Cruces. He submitted an application and was approved to move into a small home, part of a public housing complex near Mesquite Street in 1993.
Ritter, 58, said he's been there ever since.
"They saved my life," said Ritter, as he pinned laundry to a clothesline near his home on Friday.
Ritter lives in one of the 250 public housing units, either duplexes or single family houses, managed by the city housing authority. Another five homes in Anthony, N.M., also public housing, are overseen by its sister agency, the Housing Authority of Do-a Ana County.
And both groups offer another major program: housing vouchers. They're subsidies aimed at helping low- and moderate-income families into rent homes in the private market. Last week, 917 vouchers - part of what the federal government calls its Section 8 housing program - were active in the city, while another 605 vouchers were in place in the county, according to a housing authority official.
Same but divided
Though the housing authorities
But a proposal put forward last week by Thomas Hassell, executive director for both housing authorities, would get rid of the separation. He's pushing for the two to formally merge, erasing the jurisdiction line between them.
Hassell has said the move would save manpower time because his staff wouldn't have to produce separate, time-consuming reports and audits that are mandated by the federal government. It's energy his personnel could put into other work, such as promoting the creation of more affordable housing to fill a void in Do-a Ana County.
"Every bit of time we spend doing those things is less time we spend serving our clients," he said.
Endless need
Hassell said the two housing authorities are serving a population that earns 80 percent or less of the area's median income. Family size also factors in. In Do-a Ana County, that amounts to $35,900 or less for a family of four, he said.
In addition to income levels, the availability - or lack thereof - of affordable homes influences the need in a given area, Hassell said.
In Las Cruces alone, some 3,600 to 4,000 new affordable houses for purchase and another 3,600 to 4,200 affordable rental units were needed in 2006, the most-recent study, said David Dollahon, who coordinates distribution of certain HUD funds for the city of Las Cruces.
Some concerns
Some county elected officials questioned last week whether residents of rural areas might see declining service if the merger goes forward.
Win Jacobs, chairman of the Las Cruces housing authority, assured those residents won't see a decline because of the merger. And, if anything, she said, they'll see an improvement because there will be more staff time available.
"For the residents, there's no change except better service," she said.
Hassell said, the housing authority now maintains two waiting lists for its services, one for the county and one for the city. Most people apply to both lists to increase their odds, which increases the administrative processing. Under a merged entity, there would be only one waiting list, he said.
Also, Hassell said, non-city housing authority clients now have the ability to transfer their housing vouchers across jurisdictions - to rent in the city of Las Cruces, for instance, or any other place in the United States with a HUD-sponsored housing authority program. But it takes some extra paperwork. So, in the case of someone wanting to move from the county into the city, that paperwork would disappear under the merger.
City Councilor Dolores Connor asked about how much money would be saved because of the increased efficiency.
Hassell said he doesn't have an estimate yet, but he'll compile one.
Las Crucen Ed Perea, 42, who lives in a public housing unit, said he doesn't see a problem with the two housing authorities becoming one, as long as current clients are given the same level of service. He's concerned that might be a challenge as the population grows.
"The bigger the county gets, it's going to get harder," he said. "They're going to have to cover more ground."
Up next
Hassell said the two housing authorities at once time were completely separate operations that didn't even share staff. But after the county's agency ran into trouble with HUD - mostly because it operated so few homes it had difficulty maintaining a high enough occupancy rate - it contracted out the management of the agency to the city of Las Cruces.
So, the Do-a Ana County Commission officially remains the body that oversees its housing authority. The city's authority, however, is run by a mayor-appointed board. Under the proposed merger, a single board would be created, comprised of two county appointees, two city appointees and a fifth, neutral member.
Jacobs said the merger would be a bigger change for county officials, who'd be giving up some of their responsibility, such as OK'ing the budget, and their legal liability for the housing authority and putting it "on the shoulders of this new entity, if this merger goes forward."
Hassell said the county commission and city council both must sign off on the idea for it to go forward. He said he's hoping that take place before July 1, the start of both agencies' fiscal year.
Jacobs said the proposal for a merger has been discussed for years, she said, but has yet to be acted upon.
"I hope it's an idea whose time has come," she said.
Diana M. Alba can be reached at dalba@lcsun-news.com; (575) 541-5443.
On the Web
•U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: www.hud.gov
Qualifications
Section 8 rental housing subsidy:
•U.S. citizens and some non-citizens who have an eligible immigration status are eligible.
•Annual gross income can't be more than 50 percent of the median income.
•By law, a housing authority must supply 75 percent of its vouchers to applicants earning less than 30 percent of the area median income.
•Local housing authority waiting lists are currently open and can be accessed at www.myhousingauthority.net.
Public housing
•Citizens and some non-citizens who have eligible immigration status are eligible.
•Annual gross income must range from 50 to 80 percent of an area's median income.
•A reference check is conducted on applicants.
•Waiting lists for the city of Las Cruces and Do-a Ana County housing authorities are currently closed.
Source: Do-a Ana County and Las Cruces housing authorities
County and city
Housing Authority Housing Authority
of Do-a Ana County of the City of Las Cruces
• covers all of Do-a Ana County, including cities • covers only the city of Las Cruces
• oversees five houses in its public housing program • oversees 250 homes in its public housing program
• 605 families and individuals receiving housing subsidies • 917 families and individuals receiving housing subsidies
• public housing budget = $53,000 • public housing budget = $1 million
• housing subsidy budget = $3.1 million • housing subsidy budget = $4.2 million
• contracts with the city housing authority to run • operates the county
its program housing authority
• governed by the Do-a Ana County commission • governed by a five-member, mayor-appointed board
