RICHMOND, Va. — Laura Bynum has lived in Richmond for 22 years. One of those years has been in public housing at Baker Senior Apartments.
“I used to have my own house, two bedrooms, all of that,” Bynum said, standing in the courtyard of her apartment complex. “When I got disabled, I had to go on low income. It’s not fun being low income. It’s not.”
The 62-year old worries about the rising cost of living, saying it’s hindering tenants from ever leaving public and subsidized housing.
Tuesday morning, she brought her concerns before new Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority (RHHA) Chief Executive Officer Steven Nesmith.
“I’ve been in Richmond for 22 years, and it seems like people are stuck for those 22 years,” she told Nesmith.
The new CEO, who’s set to start October 3, said he planned to address her concerns, by bringing job opportunities to families living in RHHA communities.
“People are not getting job opportunities, you get stuck because you’ve got no training,” Nesmith said.
A former Assistant Secretary at the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, and former Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Commerce Department Economic Development Agency, Nesmith grew up in a public housing community.
“When I was in public housing, we had a community center where we could go and get job training,” Nesmith said.
Nesmith not only wants to bring job opportunities to public housing residents, but he also wants to bring in the private sector too. He recommends Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and revenue bonds rather than relying solely on federal, state, and local funding, saying he plans on accessing capital markets and Wall Street to get financial investments.
“I’m going to bring a bigger and sharper focus on attractive private sector investment,” Nesmith said. “It will be our goal, however, to make sure that when we ask investors to invest in our mission, that they understand what’s going to be their return on investment."
The new CEO said he will plan on working alongside Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney’s economic development team, Richmond City Council, and Governor Glenn Youngkin to meet their housing goals and bring money to RRHA.
Nesmith said he’s planning on staying in the position for a long time, citing frequent CEO turnover within the housing authority.
“I know and recognize that there has been a lot of change in the leadership over the years. But I can tell you that my goal is to be here long term,” Nesmith said. “I’m starting from Ground Zero. I gotta earn the trust of all of you, the maintenance crew, everybody. Seniors, everybody. I gotta earn your trust. I’m going to be about the business, every day, trying to earn your trust.”
Both Bynum and Nesmith agreed that further investment in getting tenants transitioned out of public housing.
“If we don’t get that support, low-income housing isn’t going to do us no good,” Bynum said. “There are a lot of people who have a lot of medical issues, mental issues, who still can’t pay their rent, even though it’s low income, because they don’t have counseling, support.”
“We’re going to go out to the philanthropic community and get some of that money for job training, looking at health disparity issues with our residences,” Nesmith said. “So, we’re not just going to go out and get finance and money for development. Right? You got to take care of people’s souls as well.”
When asked if he could guarantee that residents on income-based rental in RRHA will have a place to live in new redeveloped properties, Nesmith responded:
“We will ensure that when we redevelop a site, that folks will have the ability to get into that site. Not everyone, not everyone. We’re not going to be able to put everyone in there. But yes, we will provide, when we redevelop, it’s for the purpose for the residents to be able to go to that next site.”
CBS 6 asked Nesmith about reducing eviction rates, particularly within public and subsidized housing.
Nesmith said he does have a plan, and details would be forthcoming.
Bynum said she knows change cannot happen overnight, but hopes Nesmith’s vision comes to fruition in a timely and equitable way.
“Listening to other people who promise me stuff, I’ve never seen it come through. I’ve always been disappointed. So, if this project can really take place in a couple years, by 2025, great. Great. But I would love to see it to,” Bynum said.
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