Stewart Housing Authority outlines limits on public housing, voucher program and costs in presentation to Stuart commission

Stewart Housing Authority officials briefed the City of Stuart commission on the authority’s operations, HUD funding and constraints on adding public housing units, and answered commissioners’ questions about vouchers, capital needs and utility costs.

The authority’s representative, Rosetta Washington, said the agency manages 70 public housing units and has continued to operate the program since HUD turned management over to them in February 2018. She told commissioners the authority’s 2025 HUD allocations include an operating subsidy of $322,003.84 and a capital fund amount of $182,820, for a total HUD figure Washington cited as $504,006.60.

Washington said a HUD-set “faircloth” cap limits public housing units in the jurisdiction to 70 and that HUD does not routinely raise that cap when population grows. “Every jurisdiction has a faircloth,” she said, adding that public housing cannot increase beyond the amount HUD established. She described the authority as a “very small housing authority” under HUD definitions.

Commissioners pressed staff on recent losses of privately owned subsidized units in the area and on how the authority’s voucher program works. Washington said the authority has a voucher allocation (numbers cited in the meeting varied during discussion) and explained the basic operation: voucher recipients must find a landlord willing to accept the voucher, the housing authority inspects units against HUD standards and then pays the portion of rent above the tenant’s required contribution. Washington described inspections based on HUD’s national standards (previously HQS, now referred to as INSPIRE).

Commissioners and the authority’s staff discussed older public housing buildings that lack wiring and insulation for central air. Washington said rewiring and upgrading units to accommodate central air could cost roughly $20,000 to $38,000 per unit depending on bedroom size, and that HUD does not require air conditioning (it requires heating). Because HUD treats air conditioning as a nonessential component, funding those upgrades depends on special grants or reallocating capital funds that the authority is reluctant to deplete for maintenance needs.

Commissioners also asked about vacancies and the waiting list process. Washington said public housing tenants undergo an initial qualification and then annual recertifications; when vacancies occur the authority selects eligible applicants from the list, typically contacting five candidates at a time and advancing through the list as people decline.

Commissioners offered to explore city options, including potential CRA or CDBG resources and other procurement ideas, but Mortel and other staff cautioned that many funding sources are restricted and that using city funds would require budget decisions. The authority said it is open to working with the city on procurement and grant ideas.

The presentation closed with commissioners thanking the authority for its management and asking staff to follow up with utility-bill data and other information requested during the meeting.