PHA Offers Safe, Affordable Housing for Residents

Galveston Island has long enjoyed a rich history among the many cities in the great State of Texas. Once the home to the Akokisa and Karankawa Indians during the 1500s, Galveston has been referred to as “Little Ellis Island” and “The Wall Street of the Southwest.”

On September 8, 1900, the deadliest natural disaster on U.S. soil hit Galveston with 120 mph winds and a massive tidal surge. The storm took 6,000 lives and completely destroyed one third of the city. To prevent another storm from further destroying what was left of Galveston, a seawall was erected in 1902 and completed in 1911. The original seawall was seven miles long and 17 feet wide. It covers one third of Galveston’s waterfront, measuring approximately 55,000 feet in length and costing more than $14 million to complete.

Return to Prominence

Today, there is much to be thankful for in Galveston. The city has grown back to prominence and hosts an annual Mardi Gras celebration, Christmas festivals such as Dickens in The Strand, and is also the headquarters of The University of Texas Medical Training Center. Among the many participants in the betterment of Galveston’s communities is one of HAI Group’s original members, Galveston Housing Authority (GHA).

Established in 1940, GHA has been providing safe, affordable housing to the citizens of Galveston for 67 years. Galveston is a barrier island on the Texas Gulf Coast that has a daytime population of 100,000 and a nighttime population of 59,000. Galveston Island is comprised of 40% homeowners and 60% renters, which is the inverse of the national average. GHA has over 350 units of elderly housing in two senior developments, more than 825 family units in four family developments, and over 1,000 Section 8 vouchers.

In addition to public housing, GHA has been involved in other endeavors. GHA has successfully assisted residents of low-income housing to achieve self sufficiency, access to advancement and technology, and homeownership through various state and local grants and partnerships. GHA has implemented several self-sufficiency programs and grants, including the Drug Elimination grants that helped establish three learning centers to provide after school youth programs for children and training for adults. GHA provides tutoring, drug education, GED preparation, computer training and Internet access to residents. The centers are still viable and provide a strong sense of community and hope. A National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) Award of Merit was awarded to GHA for the Magnolia Homes After School Youth program for its collaboration with the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) School of Allied Health Sciences to “adopt” the center and provide tutoring and programming to children every day after school.

In early 2003, a “Creating Pathways to Success Program” was developed to help unemployed and underemployed residents of Section 8 and public housing to obtain and retain living wage employment in the health care field. This program was a collaborative and innovative project involving GHA, UTMB, The Worksource, and Galveston College. The program was specific to each participant’s need and removed obstacles to achievement. The success of this endeavor was tremendous with 99% of the participants completing training and obtaining employment. Creating Pathways to Success won two UTMB President’s Cabinet Awards and an Award of Merit from NAHRO.

With Hurricane Rita bearing down on Texas in September 2005, the city called for a mandatory evacuation. GHA had plans in place and implemented its detailed evacuation plan for the first time. The plan was developed with the objective of an organized, safe, and timely evacuation of residents. GHA won the NAHRO awards of Merit and Excellence and the city adopted this plan for future evacuations.

Successful Community Emerges

GHA’s most recent success is “The Oaks,” a subdivision comprised of 10 newly- constructed public housing senior duplexes and 27 homes. On December 12, 2007, The Galveston Redevelopment and Community Enterprise Corporation (GRACE) and its development partners presented keys to The Oaks' new homeowners and elderly residents. These homes and duplexes were constructed on the former site of Palm Terrace Homes, which were demolished in 2005.

During the planning stages for The Oaks, the prime objective was to create an environmentally-friendly housing community that would take advantage of a compact building design, build up a range of housing opportunities and choices, create walkable neighborhoods, provide a variety of transportation choices, and strengthen and direct the development towards existing communities. The organizations involved in the design planning for the community also incorporated green building principles into the development, which will lower homeowner costs by 30%. Much care was given to ensure that the new homes were located on sites with access to existing utility infrastructures and contiguous to the existing development. In addition, reasonable efforts were used to protect all trees during construction and EPA Best Management Practices were strictly followed. At the end of the day, the plan succeeded due to the staff and board members of GHA and the GRACE Corporation, who dared to dream of a better quality of life for Galveston’s working citizens and dedicated themselves to overcoming all obstacles to make this happen. The partnerships between HUD, The City of Galveston, and private foundations – Cynthia and George Mitchell, the Mary Moody Northern Foundation, and the Kempner Fund – are examples of cooperation between the public and private sectors with the purpose of revitalizing neighborhoods and making the American dream a reality for 27 grateful Galveston families.

Progressive collaborations and partnerships resulted in an investment that had returned great value to the city and its residents. GHA’s mission statement rings true in proclaiming its goal of being a leader and working in partnership with other city agencies to enhance the quality of life for residents of low to moderate income. These shining examples leave no doubt that success is unfolding at Galveston Housing Authority.