Salem Housing Authority adopts FY2025–26 operating budgets; director reports RAD relief, struggles reaching voucher applicants

The Housing Authority of the City of Salem on Monday adopted consolidated operating budgets for fiscal years 2025 and 2026 and authorized the commission chair to sign the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development public housing budget certification, officials said. In an information report, Housing Director Nicole Yoots outlined recent staffing changes, outreach efforts and a potential federal change to Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) rules that she said could increase funding for converted public housing projects.

Yoots told commissioners that Salem Housing Authority (SHA) staff had pulled 200 names from the agency's Housing Choice Voucher waiting list for lease-up for the first time since February 2023, but that many contacts were not successful. "Of those, 86 were returned as undeliverable and 65 individuals did not respond, leaving only 49 families for us to continue to work with," she said. Yoots said the agency is removing returned addresses and exploring email or other electronic notification to reduce costs and undeliverable mailings.

Why it matters: The budget vote allows SHA to complete HUD budget certification and continue operations that serve more than 9,000 residents, while the RAD update and voucher outreach signal potential changes in federal policy and on-the-ground capacity to place households quickly when housing…