THE HACW COMMUNITY CONNECTION – CONNECTING
STAKEHOLDERS & PARTNERS
APRIL 2015
Investing in Our Communities
The Housing Authority of the County of Wake is more than a
public housing agency. We are a “home for opportunity” that
empowers residents like Angela Curry to invest in her dreams and
her community.
For Angela Curry, the path across the stage to
receive her undergraduate degree in 2014 from
Shaw University, was a long and winding one.
Curry, now 38, started in 1994 at St. Augustine’s
College and dropped out three years later due to
personal concerns that overwhelmed her academic
focus. Nearly a decade later, in 2007, Curry began
attending Wake Technical Community College
after a job layoff.
Two years later, Curry enrolled in Shaw University
to earn a social work degree.
HACW helped Curry with incidental, but
important, expenses such as university registration
and parking fees through the Wake County
Housing Finance Corporation, a non-profit affiliate
of HACW that assists public housing residents with
their self-sufficiency goals.
After maintaining a 3.9 GPA and holding down a
But there were more life hurdles for Curry to clear. full-time job, Curry has a “testimony” and a degree
to empower other women.
The biggest was finding affordable housing. She
and her daughter were homeless for a time.
.
“Most of us are not going to hit the $400 million
“That pushed me to get my education, so I
lottery,” Curry said. “But you can make good
wouldn’t have to go back to that,” Curry said. “It
decisions for yourself. Think positively and have
was a really rough time.”
faith.”
Curry’s path took a turn for the better in 2010
when she and her daughter moved to the Housing
Authority of the County of Wake (HACW)’s New
Hope Village community in Wake Forest.
Such hard work, determination and assistance from
the Wake County Housing Finance Corporation has
paid off for Curry: she starts in May the Masters of
Social Work program at N.C. State University.
HACW RECEIVES CLEAN AUDIT
For the fourth consecutive year, the Housing Authority of the County of Wake received a “clean”
audit by the independent auditors of Yeager and Boyd Certified Public Accountants from
Birmingham, Alabama.
The audit measures a public housing agency’s ability to stay abreast of all regulations and
appropriations, as well as maintain an ongoing analysis of its budgets and expenditures.
“We are pleased to consistently earn this honor,” said HACW CEO Burnetta Smith. “It demonstrates
our commitment to operating at the highest industry and federal standards. I am proud of the staff. ”
Smith
Appointed to
National
Board
HACW COMMUNITIES
Apex
Investing in Our Future:
HACW Unveils Strategic
Plans
Fuquay-Varina
A public hearing is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Thursday, April 9 to receive stakeholder
input on the Housing Authority of Wake
County’s (HACW) Five-Year Plan and
Annual Plan.
Together, the plans are a comprehensive
guide to HACW’s policies, programs,
operations and strategies for meeting local
housing needs and goals.
Housing Authority of the County of Wake
(HACW) CEO Burnetta Smith was recently
appointed to the Housing Benefits Plan
Board of Directors.
Offering medical, vision, pharmacy, dental,
and life insurance to employees of public
housing authorities across the country, the
Housing Benefits Plan (HBP) was
established in 1996, following the merger of
two regional plans.
The Housing Benefits Plan Board of
Trustees is composed of participating
Housing Authority Executive Directors who
ensure all participants, particularly
employees of smaller housing authorities,
have access to affordable health insurance.
The plan partners with Blue Cross/Blue
Shield and CIGNA for medical network and
prescription drug network; with Mercer
Health & Benefits for consulting services in
the placement of benefits; and with
Professional Benefit Administrators, Inc. for
claims processing.
In addition to HBP, Smith serve as the Vice
President of the Carolinas Council of
Housing Redevelopment and Codes
Officials for housing authorities in North
and South Carolina, and on the Community
Action Committee for the Eastern Regional
Center of Wake County.
Garner
The documents are regularly reviewed and
updated to reflect changes in the agency’s
policies, programs, and operations.
Setting and achieving short and long-term
strategic goals through Five-Year and
Annual plans are critical to the health and
well-being of our communities and
residents.
Wake Forest
The Housing Authority of the County of
Wake has 343 public housing units and
provides Section 8 vouchers to over 400
participants.
We serve a network of 343 housing units
located in six, local municipalities: Apex,
Fuquay-Varina, Garner, Wake Forest,
Wendell and Zebulon.
Wendell
As the need for affordable housing
continues to be great in the county, the
Housing Authority continues to explore
ways to increase the housing stock.
Recommendations from the public are
considered and changes made before
submission of the plans to the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban
Development for approval.
The Five-Year and Annual plans are
available for public review at the Housing
Authority of the County of Wake’s main
office at 100 Shannon Drive, Zebulon, NC
27597.
OUR HOUSING NETWORK
Zebulon
PUBLIC HOUSING
IN NORTH
CAROLINA
BY THE
NUMBERS*
HACW Announces Board
Appointments
136,000 – low-
income North Carolina
households receive help
from federal rental
assistance programs.
69.1% – Of low-
income families using
Housing Choice Vouchers
were working or had
recently worked.
287,600 – Of lowincome renters pay more
than half their monthly cash
income for rent.
41% – Of families who
receive federal rental
assistance have children.
32% – Of HUD-assisted
units are located outside of
metropolitan areas.
342 – Total number of
public housing units in
HACW six municipalities.
400 – Participants the
Housing Authority of the
County of Wake serves each
day.
*Sources: “Center on Budget
and Policy Priorities North
Carolina Fact Sheet” and the
Housing Authority of the
County of Wake.
HACW Board Member Racquel Williams (left) and Brian Clarke (right)
The Housing Authority of the County of Wake (HACW) is pleased to announce that
Racquel Williams and Brian Clarke have been reappointed and appointed, respectively,
to serve on the HACW Board of Commissioners.
Board members serve collectively as the governing body of the Housing Authority of the
County of Wake and are selected by the Chairman of the Wake County Board of
Commissioners.
“I serve because it’s my opportunity to create and shape
policies that aid single moms moving in, out and up.”
– Racquel Williams
Williams is serving her second full term on the HACW Board. She was first appointed in
2009 to fill an unexpired term and was re-appointed in 2010 to serve a full-term.
Known statewide and nationally as an advocate for low-income, single mothers, Williams
said her experiences as a former single mother on welfare helped her to shape and
develop policies to improve the lives of HACW residents.
Williams advocated changing HACW’s mission statement to include “economic
opportunity” as one of its principles as a part of the organization’s five-year strategic
plan.
In addition, HACW will underscore its commitment to improving the economic lives of
its residents by ensuring strong compliance with Section 3 of the U.S. Housing and Urban
Development Act. The federal guidelines require all public housing agency to do
business with contractors and subcontractors who hire residents and provide job training
for residents in public housing and surrounding communities who don’t have the required
skills.
Clarke, a financial evangelist with ABC Management Inc., a financial management
company, said he looked forward to leveraging his professional and personal experiences
to serve and advance HACW’s mission.
“I am a living testimony of transitioning from public housing to private housing, along
with my 30-plus years in managing tiny to large budgets,” Clarke said. “These
experiences have made and will continue to make a difference in the lives of residents
and the communities currently served.”
HACW Staff “Brings
Their Heart to Work”
What distinguishes the Housing Authority of Wake
from other public housing agencies is its small staff
with big hearts.
Before leaving the house to start
the work day, we often check to
make sure we have our keys,
wallet and anything else we may
need for the day.
But how many people bring their
heart to work?
The Housing Authority of the
County of Wake (HACW) has a
small staff that manages the
operations of 342 public housing
units serving 400 participants in
six municipalities: Apex, Fuquay
Varina, Garner, Wake Forest,
Wendell and Zebulon.
The Housing Authority of the
County of Wake’s executive
team challenged the staff
during the February meeting to
“bring their heart to work,” as
part of a campaign to build
employee engagement and
improve customer service.
HACW CEO Burnetta Smith
created laminated hearts for
employees as a reminder that
customer service begins from
a heart of service.
Having a heart of service
means finding common
ground with co-workers,
residents and others during
difficult conversations and
changing the organizational
culture so that service
becomes the foundation of
work.
Smith also encouraged
employees to pass along the
hearts to co-workers who
may need an extra dose of
encouragement or
performed exceptionally
well at serving HACW’s
community of residents,
staff, neighbors, and local
non-profit partners.
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE COUNTY
OF WAKE
Main Office
100 Shannon Drive
Zebulon, NC 27597
Mailing Address
PO Box 399
Zebulon, NC 27597
Main Telephone Number
Recipient Name
Street Address
City, State, Zip Code
CONTACT US:
The Housing
Authority of the
County of Wake
Main Office
100 Shannon Drive
Zebulon, NC 27597
Mailing Address
PO Box 399
Zebulon, NC 27597
Main Telephone Number
(919) 269-6404
Website
www.HACWnc.org