Housing authority courts Hispanics to fill vacant units
Friday, April 20, 2007TORAINE NORRISNews staff writer
The Housing Authority of the Birmingham District is reaching out to the fast-growing Hispanic population to help fill vacant housing units.

The housing authority has distributed fliers in English and Spanish for today's Open House at the North Birmingham Homes public housing community. The open house is from 1-4 p.m. The community is off 43rd Avenue in the Fairmont neighborhood.

Housing officials said they want the Hispanic community to know its members are welcome in the public housing community.

At present, only five Hispanic families live in housing authority communities, according to recent housing authority data. Birmingham's public housing communities are largely black. Only 20 families in its 4,500 housing units are white.

"The Hispanic population is growing in this area and we are in the business of housing people," said authority deputy executive director Naomi Truman. "We want to reach out to the entire community so people know we welcome the full community to come reside in public housing."

Truman said this is the first time she can remember the housing authority printing fliers in both languages. The housing authority has distributed the fliers among churches and civic groups.

The housing authority is making improvements and removing lead from several of its communities through a process known as interim modernization, but the work has created large numbers of vacancies. North Birmingham Homes, with 285 units, is the first housing authority property to complete the modernization.

Only 110 families currently live at North Birmingham Homes, but housing officials are hoping to attract more through today's Open House.

Marks Village in Gate City, with 500 units, is next on the list of the communities to finish interim modernization. About 350 of the units at Marks Village are unoccupied.

Truman said the housing authority will again turn to Hispanic community to help fill units in Marks Village and other communities when modernization and renovations are complete.

Including North Birmingham Homes, six of the housing authority's properties are either in interim modernization or renovations. Tuxedo Court is being rebuilt as a HOPE VI community.


Can't find enough free loaders so let illegals fill them up. Shit like this pisses me off.

Maybe all the ones in Hoover will move there. Then the black vs illegal gang fights can start