FACT SHEET

 

About Rochester Housing Authority (RHA)

  • Established in 1955 as an independent public corporation by New York State Public Housing Law, RHA serves more than 26,000 lower-income residents and program participants in the five-county Greater Rochester area.
  • RHA received a Public Housing Assessment Score (PHAS) rating of “High Performer” from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in 2015.
  • RHA’s current Section Eight Management Assessment Program (SEMAP) score is 100 and designated as a high performer.
  • Total employees: 214
  • Main Office: 675 West Main Street, Rochester, NY 14611

 

RHA Leadership

  • Executive Director: Shawn Burr
  • Chair of the Board of Commissioners: Rosalie Remarais
  • Vice-Chairman of the Board of Commissioners: Florine Cummings
  • The RHA Board of Commissioners is authorized to include 7 members:
    • 5 of those members are appointed by the mayor of the City of Rochester to serve a 5-year term.
    • 2 resident commissioners elected by RHA residents to serve a 2-year term.
  • The responsibility of the board is to create a vision and direction for RHA while providing policies and procedures that operate within the law according to HUD regulations.

 

RHA Properties

  • Aimed to provide quality, comfortable living for people with limited incomes in the Greater Rochester area.
  • Approximately 20% of total residents served reside in the 2,400+ RHA public housing units.
  • Public Housing Units available for:
    • Over 50 & Disabled: Danforth Tower East/West, Glenwood Gardens, Hudson Ridge Tower, Kennedy Tower, and Parliament Arms.
    • Disabled & Over/Under 50: Lake Tower, Lena Gantt Estates, Lexington Court, and University Tower.
    • Family Housing: Bay-Zimmer Townhouses, Bronson Court, Federal Street Townhouses, Harriet Tubman Estates, Holland Townhouses, Lena Gantt Estates, Lexington Court, and Parkside Apartments.
    • Enriched Housing: Danforth Tower East, Hudson Ridge Tower, Johnathan Child
    • Single & Double Scattered Site Homes

 

 

Resident Services

  • Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) is a voluntary employment and savings incentive program designed to assist families in becoming economically independent and self-sufficient.
  • Supportive services in the program include homeownership, training for jobs, education, and life skills to help families reach their goals in 5 years.
  • Service Coordination for RHA Elderly and Disabled Residents, including health and wellness, money and employment, transportation and more.

 

Section 3

  • Section 3 is a provision of the HUD Act of 1968.
  • The purpose of Section 3 is to ensure that employment, training, and other contracting opportunities, generated by HUD financial assistance, are directed towards low, and very-low income persons (regardless of gender).
  • RHA is committed to developing and promoting a successful Section 3 program in which candidates are provided training and employment opportunities and qualified Section 3 businesses are provided contracting opportunities.

 

Rental Assistance Programs

  • RHA administers numerous “tenant-based’ and “project-based” rental assistance programs funded by HUD.
  • Programs include: Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV), Project Based Vouchers, Shelter Plus Care, Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH), and Special Purpose Vouchers.

 

The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program

  • A federally-funded HUD program which subsidizes the rents of eligible low-income households.
  • Vouchers are administered locally by public housing agencies (PHAs). The PHAs receive federal funds from HUD to administer the voucher program.
  • Only applicants on the RHA Section 8 tenant-based waitlist are eligible for the voucher program.
  • Eligibility is based on the total annual gross income and family size, but ultimately determined by RHA.
  • The HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program combines HCV rental assistance for homeless veterans with case management and clinical services provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
  • RHA received a perfect score from HUD for the Section 8 Management Assessment Program (SEMAP) in 2015.

 

Additional information available online at www.rochesterhousing.org