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Housing and Community Development Committee welcomes new Asheville Housing Authority CEO
Summary
Ella Santos, the new president and CEO of the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville, introduced herself to the committee and outlined priorities including resident engagement, preference reforms, partnerships with the Continuum of Care and the city, and the Deaver View redevelopment.
Antoinette Mosley, chair of the Housing and Community Development Committee, introduced Ella Santos at the committee’s remote meeting on Nov. 18, 2025. Santos, who had served at the New York City Housing Authority before joining the Asheville Housing Authority, described listening to residents and partners as her top priority.
"The first thing we wanna do is listen," Santos said, describing surveys already distributed to residents, landlords and staff and promising to share implementation plans after analyzing responses. She also said the authority is "taking on a new approach to the preferences" and has partnered with the Continuum of Care to ensure a fairer system for targeted populations.
Santos named partnership-building and accountability as additional priorities. "We're also focused on building stronger connections between APD and the community," she said, and stressed mutual accountability among residents, staff and landlords as a route to greater trust.
Santos briefly described an upcoming redevelopment effort at Deaver View as one of the projects she expects to prioritize. Committee members welcomed her and said they looked forward to continued coordination; several members noted follow-up meetings already scheduled.
No formal action was taken. Chair Antoinette Mosley and staff said they will coordinate future briefings with Santos as specific projects and partnership opportunities develop.
