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Gauss Housing Authority reports 96.8% occupancy; waiting lists remain for family units, ADA access limited
Summary
At the June 4 Gauss Housing Authority meeting Director Maritza Cervantes reported 217 of 224 units were leased (96.8%), growing waiting lists for family-sized units, limits on formally designated accessible units and accommodations made case-by-case.
Gauss Housing Authority Director Maritza Cervantes told the Board of Commissioners on June 4 that the authority was leasing 217 of 224 units, a 96.8% occupancy rate, and had five units ready to lease after recent modernizations.
Cervantes said four applicants were cleared for lease-up and one applicant remained pending eligibility. The authority reported two units in turnaround and two units offline for modernization that had just been returned to service.
The authority’s waiting list was broken down by unit size: 135 households for one-bedroom units, 83 for two-bedroom units, 38 for three-bedroom units, five for four-bedroom units and one for a five-bedroom unit. Cervantes said she had contacted the HUD field office to ask whether the authority could close the waiting list for one- and two-bedroom units while keeping larger-unit lists open.
The authority reported 77 Section 8 vouchers executed under lease and 58 vouchers executed in another category noted in the report; project-based vouchers remained at 20 with a project-based waiting list of 42. Stability vouchers showed four of five executed, and nine of 15 emergency housing vouchers were under lease.
On unit accessibility, Cervantes said the authority did not have any units formally classified as "handicapped" under HUD standards, though staff has made individual accommodations such as installing shower grab bars and other fixtures. "We do not have any specified unit that is considered handicapped," Cervantes said, adding that several properties include flat, one‑bedroom units commonly occupied by older tenants.
Commissioner Montiel asked whether vision- or hearing-impaired residents receive priority; Cervantes said the authority uses a points system in which some disability-related criteria increase priority but do not guarantee placement if a suitable accessible unit is not available. Cervantes also described challenges transferring tenants who develop mobility needs from two-story units to accessible, single‑story units.
Maintenance and inspections figures were reported: 94 of 94 maintenance orders completed and 62 total inspections (31 for public housing and 31 for Section 8), and staff reported several callbacks that had been addressed.
The report noted the authority is considering how to use one formerly child-care five-bedroom space should demand and programmatic options permit conversion to a residential five-bedroom unit.
The occupancy and accessibility details were presented during the director’s report portion of the June 4 meeting; no formal board action was taken on these items.
