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The Richland Housing Authority may drop to two part-time employees to save money after giving up management of two federal housing programs.
The agency's board on Tuesday discussed options for scaling back, including staff reductions, moving its office and dropping contracts to manage some low-income housing developments that weren't bringing in any money.
Among its programs, the housing authority manages Three Rivers Retirement, a 40-unit complex for seniors in Richland; Desert Rose Terrace, a complex for seniors in Benton City; and several homes in Benton City through a contract with Benton Affordable Housing Association.
Connie Taresh, the housing authority's acting director, said she's digging up documents to find out how the housing authority can get out of the management contracts for the Benton City homes, as it brings in only a few hundred dollars each month -- not enough to pay the cost of administrative staff.
Three Rivers Retirement is being sold, and the new owner intends to bring in a new manager in place of the housing authority, Taresh said.
But Taresh hopes the agency can convince Homestead Capital, the company that owns a 99.9 percent interest in Desert Rose Terrace, to let it keep managing that property. The housing authority owns the remaining 0.1 percent.
Until Nov. 1, the housing authority also administers two programs funded by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Its management of those programs came under fire after a HUD management review conducted in June found the authority had misused housing assistance payment money intended for the Section 8 voucher program.
The Section 8 program is a federally subsidized program that provides rental assistance for more than 400 low-income families in Richland, West Richland and Benton City.
The other HUD program is a subsidized apartment complex called Columbia Park Apartments.
HUD decided to pull its funding from the housing authority in November after deeming a proposed corrective action plan offered too little, too late.
With the funding pulled, the housing authority was left in the position of either voluntarily giving up management of its Section 8 program or having HUD take it away.
The board decided Thursday to turn the vouchers and Columbia Park Apartments over to the Kennewick Housing Authority.
The housing authority also owns homes in Richland and Benton City, and operates a farmworker housing development subsidized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The agency currently employs seven people, after recently laying off four staffers.
Taresh said more layoffs are likely to come at the end of the week when the agency's relationship with HUD ends.
-- Michelle Dupler: 582-1543; mdupler@tricityherald.com
