MORNING HEADLINES | The Charleston Housing Authority (CHA) last week called for help from community partners to enact sweeping changes to public housing units in downtown Charleston and beyond.
The forum, held Aug. 27 in the Charleston Visitors’ Center, welcomed more than 100 area residents, community leaders and housing advocates. New CEO Nathan Simms Jr., who took the CHA helm in April, outlined the authority’s plans and sought input.
“Help us preserve the ability of long-time Charleston families to remain part of this city,” he said. “Help us demonstrate what is possible when real estate development and human development are pursued as one transformation strategy.”
CHA Board Chairman Greg Voigt said the forum brought together developers, architects, engineers, contractors, philanthropic organizations, workforce partners, health care partners and more.
“Today is an important moment for the Housing Authority of the City of Charleston,” he said. “None of us can accomplish this work alone. The transformation that we envision requires all of these disciplines to come together, and our objective today is to begin to build that ecosystem.”
Voigt also acknowledged the negative history that comes with the idea of “transformational” changes to area housing. Generational residents, especially Black families, have faced soaring prices, gentrification and cultural shifts for decades, he said.
“Families have watched communities that were historically centers of African American life become increasingly difficult for longtime families to afford,” Voigt said. “But we don’t believe that improving neighborhoods should require removing the people who call it their neighborhood.”
About 87% of the more-than 5,000 CHA property residents are Black, while 9.8% of residents are White.
Simms said multi-stage projects will begin on the west side of town at Gadsden Green Homes, move north, then to the Eastside and finish in Mount Pleasant. While the CHA primarily operates in the city of Charleston, it manages one property in Mount Pleasant called Edmond Jenkins Homes on Bank Street.
Gadsden Green, in particular, has maintained a high profile for reports of poor living conditions. It houses 246 units in more than 30 buildings.
Simms said Thursday’s forum was the first of its kind, and throughout the process of sweeping renovations, there will be more community engagement to hear what residents have to say.
“Somewhere in those conversations, maybe an idea, partnership or relationship changes what is possible,” Simms said. “Five or 10 years from now, we should be able to look back on this day and see a fundamentally changed housing authority.
“More importantly, we should see fundamentally different opportunities for families in the communities we serve.” —Skyler Baldwin
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