ROCKINGHAM — The Rockingham Housing Authority (RHA) operated at a net loss of about $20,000 in the last year but reduced the amount of residents receiving public assistance and utility reimbursements, an annual report released last week shows.
The RHA provides affordable housing and services through partnerships with public and private entities. The annual report summarizes the housing authority’s unaudited financials for fiscal year 2019 beginning July 1, 2018 and ending June. 30, 2019. RHA served 208 public housing families in FY2019.
With $1,164,630 in its coffers from revenue in 2019, the housing authority’s expenses came out to $1,185,761, a $21,131 deficit. Those expenses included $480,206 on maintenance and operations, $380,498 on administrative salaries and costs, $197,529 on utilities, $62,884 on insurance and $32,357 on tenant services, according to the report.
The majority of the revenue came from the HUD operating subsidy ($829,295) and tenant revenue ($313,656).
Highlights of the past year included the group earning their second ROSS Service Coordinator grant for $225,000, completing an AmeriCorp project, providing clients with financial literacy classes and offering a youth summer program.
The report also painted a picture of the people it helps: residents stay in RHA housing 6.3 years on average, the average age for the head of the household is 46, 87.5% of the families in RHA housing receive other public assistance — a decrease of 7% from 2018 — and the average rent paid was $137.53 per month.
Of the 579 RHA residents, 24% received a utility reimbursement payment, a 19% decrease from 2018.
The need is still much greater than RHA’s available housing supply, though. In 2019, the group received 124 new public housing applications yet were only able to house 30 families on the waiting list. The RHA did not accept any applications for its Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program, only assisting 11 of the 101 families on the waiting list.
It’s unclear how many total people are on the waiting lists for public housing residency and the HCV program.
An ongoing service RHA continues to promote is its Family Self-Sufficiency Program. Founded in 2013, the voluntary program is designed to assist clients in becoming self-sufficient and financially free from public monetary assistance. One way it does this is by offering an escrow service where participants, upon completion, can use the money saved to buy a home or further their education.
This year’s Self-Sufficiency Program graduated its first new homeowner.
The group also has focused heavily this year on helping seniors in the community. Starting with that goal in mind, the group offered more social events, senior fitness activities and increased its neighbor communications, according to the annual report. The RHA’s goal for the new fiscal year is to increase senior interaction by offering more social events, senior fitness activities and increasing neighbor communication.
Residents looking to further their education can receive help with school enrollment, course fees, book fees, scholarship information and financial aid application assistance.
The average family income of a RHA tenant is $9,717 per year, while the median family income of Richmond County residents is $42,300.
For more information on the Rockingham Housing Authority, contact Executive Director Chereka Belton at (910) 997-3316.