REBECCA CARRASCO

The St. James Housing Authority has gone into receivership and its board has resigned amicably, allowing for a smooth transition between the Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington D.C., and the Housing Authority in Lutcher, according to Grayling Brown, chairman of the Housing Authority Board. Board members who resigned were Brown, Janet Johnson, Aubor Jean Smith, Lorraine Webster and Ethal White. Membership on the Housing Authority Board is a voluntary position, appointed by parish council members who have low-income housing developments in their districts. This was the main agenda item of last Thursday housing authoritymeeting. The receivership is required by the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998 because the Housing Authority was unable to get off the troubled list for two years due to mismanagement of its funds. “We all want the same thing,” Brown said, “in 18 months to two years to be able to get off the troubled status list and have more training than we had in the past.” Once the Housing Authority achieves a normal status again a new board of directors will be appointed. Brown is optimistic about HUD stepping in. “It will bring much-needed money, resources and additional help for the necessary improvements for the community’s low-income housing development. HUD can provide this now,” he explained. “They can oversee the monies and can provide assistance.” The Housing Authority has not had any money for improvements since being placed on the troubled list. A meeting took place April 9 with Karen Newton, deputy assistance secretary and the head of HUD’s Troubled Agency Recovery Center, Catherine Lamberg, and St. James Parish President Dale J. Hymel, Jr., Parish Council Chairman Elton Aubert and Brown. They discussed different scenarios on how to provide a smooth transition between HUD and the Housing Authority so that the lower income residents living in the parish could be assured “decent and sanitary housing,” said Brown. Lamberg, director of the TARC in Memphis, Tenn., will become the new interim director for the Housing Authority. Her first meeting was Tuesday, and the agenda was “to reassure the staff, office workers and maintenance crew, that they would retain their jobs,” said Brown. If any job changes occur as a result of this takeover by HUD, the individuals affected will be retrained. “This is not about people losing their jobs,” Brown insisted. Guidelines for the new administration will be set up by Lamberg, added Brown. “People are supportive; we are still in the corner,” Brown suggested. “We did the best we could with what we had and with what we were working with.”