In 1938, the Waco City Council, responding to the need for safe, sanitary, and decent housing for low-income families, elderly, and disabled persons in the community, acted to form the Housing Authority of the City of Waco. Today, the Authority continues to work to address these needs.
As programs and methods have changed, the Authority has changed, moving forward with the times, now serving the housing needs of thousands of Wacoans with two (2) public housing developments, one (1) Project based voucher development and thousands of eligible families & individuals participating in the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program.
Today, as it was in 1938, the need for available, sanitary, and reasonably priced housing still exists. Thousands of Wacoans, qualified for, needful of, and seeking public housing or rental assistance, apply to the Housing Authorities waitlist. Today, Waco and Wacoans are struggling to overcome the economic hardships as Housing availability and affordability decline.
In the face of increasing need and flat or diminishing funding, the Authority has not stood still. Since 1980, the Authority has developed and implemented a long-range modernization program to preserve and improve every public housing unit. Full use has been made of the "Voucher" rental assistance program, which offers residents more flexibility in the choice of housing, and family rent contributions. Many residents participate in our family self-sufficiency program. In cooperation with the City of Waco's rental rehabilitation programs, older existing units have been upgraded to meet habitability requirements and appeal to potential renters. Today the Authority is keeping alive the promise of 1938 in maintaining and improving public housing, while constantly striving to improve and expand rental opportunities.
The Authority has continued to proceed into the future aggressively and competently. Its management and staff understand the mission for which it was created. Although program names and rules change, the goal is the same...to provide decent, safe, and sanitary housing.