Chattanooga Housing Authority seeks to deconcentrate poverty

Betsy McCright, executive director of the Chattanooga Housing Authority
Betsy McCright, executive director of the Chattanooga Housing Authority

The Chattanooga Housing Authority wants people who use Housing Choice Vouchers to have the option to live in areas with fewer minorities and less poverty.

"We feel like if our residents have options, they become a more vibrant part of the Hamilton County community," said CHA Executive Director Betsy McCright.

The agency's 2016 annual plan states, "The CHA encourages owners of units outside areas of poverty or minority concentration to participate in the [Housing Choice Voucher] Program."

It says the housing agency will seek property owners outside areas of poverty or minority concentration by hosting semi-annual landlord meetings. And CHA representatives will join community organizations such as the Apartment Association and the Realtors Association to develop relationships and support for expanding housing opportunities.

Within the past year CHA leased two Housing Choice Voucher properties on Signal Mountain and 186 in Hixson. It also added voucher properties in Ooltewah and Harrison, while shrinking the number in the downtown Chattanooga area from the Southside to Riverfront Parkway.

The Chattanooga Housing Authority is one of only a few housing agencies across the country participating in a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development pilot program to deconcentrate poverty by expanding areas where Housing Choice Vouchers are accepted.

Instead of paying the same market-rate rent for all locations in a county, HUD pays market-rate rent according to ZIP code. That allows people with vouchers to seek housing in more upscale areas, said Tammie Carpenter, Housing Choice Voucher director.

The goal is to give low-income residents more choices about where they live. Living outside of high-poverty areas may also increase employment and educational opportunities, according to housing officials.

photo Dick Gee, building chair of Signal Crest UMC, shows the construction zone behind the church. Photo by Katie Ward

Signal Mountain Mayor Dick Gee said he didn't realize Signal Mountain had properties in the Housing Choice Voucher program, that it had not been discussed in the town council, but that he's interested in learning more.

The Rev. Ron Cook, pastor of Rock Island Baptist Church, has several members who want to live outside the inner city.

"How do you deal with the whole crime piece when a person lives where they are constantly bombarded with negative stuff on a regular basis?" he asked. "You move to a place where the sirens aren't always ringing."

Being constantly surrounded by crime, poverty and joblessness hinders hope, he said.

But not all residents in high-crime areas agree.

Jesse Lawrence lives in East Lake Courts, where the crime rate is double the national average and more than half the residents live in poverty. But she says she doesn't want to move, not even to Signal Mountain, which was selected by the 2013 Movoto Real Estate as one of the best towns in Tennessee. Signal Mountain has the second-lowest crime rate in the state, according to Movoto Real Estate.

Lawrence said living in East Lake Courts puts her on the bus line and keeps her accessible to friends and family. And she believes opportunity can come to people regardless of where they live.

"I don't care where you're at, if you really want something and you want it bad enough, you can make it happen wherever you are," she said.

McCright said the program opens up new opportunities for renters.

"With this program we have the ability to pay a higher rent in communities that demand higher market rate rent and we're excited about that," she said.

Contact staff writer Yolanda Putman at yputman@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6431.

Upcoming Events