THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 30, 1995 TAG: 9506300461
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANCIE LATOUR, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
Two years ago, the words Chesapeake Redevelopment and Housing Authority were synonymous with mismanagement.
Things were so bad that the City Council replaced the entire board, citing them with neglect of duty.
But Thursday, Chesapeake housing officials who gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony received an unexpected announcement: They are now rated among the best in the country.
Once relegated to ``troubled'' status - with a low, 58.9 score from the Department of Housing and Urban Development - CRHA officials learned the agency's score had jumped to an impressive 95.57.
``I'm just happy to be a part of an organization that is now living up to its true mission: redevelopment and housing,'' said CRHA board Chairman Walter W. Berry, who came in after the council purge. ``Now, we are one of the top groups in the nation, and that is because of a lot of hard work of all the staff and board members here.''
About two dozen CRHA employees, as well as state and city officials, were on hand when the surprise announcement came during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Peaceful Village.
A new, 65-unit development, Peaceful Village is the most recent series of townhomes and duplexes to arise in Campostella Square from the once blighted housing of Foundation Park.
``This community development is a stepping stone to community vitality,'' said Andre S. Basmajian, HUD's Director of Public Housing in Richmond, who presented the latest score to CRHA Executive Director Edmund Carrera.
The annual report, called the Public Housing Management Assessment Program, grades 12 areas of performance for public housing agencies, including how efficiently each collects rent, how well each responds to maintenance needs and what programs and initiatives are offered to residents.
The dramatic jump for the housing authority comes as HUD funding becomes more scarce and competition for that money intensifies among localities nationwide.
The improvement in ratings will now position CRHA well in that competition.
For example, HUD approved financing the Peaceful Village project for $4.8 million in 1988.
Since July 1994, CRHA had been hovering under the minimum passing score, with less than 59 points out of 100.
A score below 60 signals a ``troubled'' authority, under HUD criteria.
At the end of 1994, that score had inched up to a barely passing grade of 62.8.
After trying to surmount that negative reputation for two years, Berry said that the ceremony and the new ratings symbolized a much-deserved resurgence for the authority.
``When I look at this project,'' Berry said, ``it reminds me of the mythical bird, the phoenix, that rose up from the ashes. And if you knew what this area used to look like before, you could really see the analogy.''
Residents of the new homes stood with Mayor William E. Ward as he cut the white ribbon at the development's entrance.
As Ward celebrated the possibilities for the authority and its residents, he implored those who stood alongside him to take responsibility for their new community.
``We can build the houses,'' Ward said, ``but you must protect and honor these houses as your homes. That is my challenge to you.'' by CNB