A Gateway Opportunity: The Housing Authority
by Sergio Olivas
Currently, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is tasked with housing low income individuals and getting those individuals to a stage of self-sufficiency. The United States has been helping at-risk citizens with housing assistance since the Great Depression. This task, however, did not reach a Cabinet-level position until the mid-1960s, and has seen some transformations since then. The Texas field office for HUD is located in Dallas and serves as the bridge between local Housing Authority units and HUD. There are two different Housing Authorities in El Paso County: one that pertains to the City of El Paso and one that pertains to the El Paso County, under the jurisdiction of the El Paso County Commissioners Court. The tasks of the County Housing Authority are different than those of the City in that the County’s Housing Authority is approximately 2% the size of the City’s Housing Authority in capacity, yet is responsible for a larger array of land and communities regardless of their status of municipal incorporation.
Leading the County’s housing efforts is Miguel Hernandez, who serves as the Executive Director of the County Housing Authority. Born and raised in the local community, he is the oldest of three and first generation in his family to receive a collegiate degree. In high school, he worked at a local supermarket, working at the meat section before managing a register. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Texas at El Paso and has had the opportunity to work for a fortune 500 company. He eventually found his way into the City’s Housing Authority before being hired at the County Housing Authority. Now working at the Housing Authority for 4 years, the challenge and the flexibility for creativity.
One of the County’s Housing Authority current projects include veterans’ assistance. The El Paso Coalition for the Homeless is working with the County and the Housing Authority to mitigate the number of homeless veterans. It is estimated that more than eighty veterans do not reside in a home and there is a lack of vouchers to fulfill the need. There are current talks for cooperation between the Veterans Affairs office as well as the Veteran’s Transitional Living Center. The landscaping project is intended to aid the poor mental health of residents by revitalizing the property. With two 40-unit complexes with unpredictable turnover, it lacks social space and a green environment. The Housing Authority is currently looking to secure resources to create a livelier atmosphere and more welcoming residence.
On a summarizing note, Mr. Hernandez’s goal is to empower the Board of Commissioners with enough information for superior long-term decisions and establish a team that can help in that process. Often, as Hernandez has mentioned, the bureaucracy tends to see families as numbers. There is a profound impact in the work the Housing Authority has executed because of the substantial outcomes in the lives of those who need a push. One day, Hernandez was casually confronted by a woman who thanked him for the work he had done at the City Housing Authority. She elaborated on their previous encounter from a year ago. She and her children did not have a proper place of residence and only had their car. As a result of receiving housing assistance, she was able to establish herself, find employment, contribute to her rent (at a different housing lodge), and undergoing the process of receiving an education. A life changed as a result of an opportunity.
On a summarizing note, Mr. Hernandez’s goal is to empower the Board of Commissioners with enough information for superior long-term decisions and establish a team that can help in that process. Often, as Hernandez has mentioned, the bureaucracy tends to see families as numbers. There is a profound impact in the work the Housing Authority has executed because of the substantial outcomes in the lives of those who need a push. One day, Hernandez was casually confronted by a woman who thanked him for the work he had done at the City Housing Authority. She elaborated on their previous encounter from a year ago. She and her children did not have a proper place of residence and only had their car. As a result of receiving housing assistance, she was able to establish herself, find employment, contribute to her rent (at a different housing lodge), and undergoing the process of receiving an education. A life changed as a result of an opportunity.