{"id":702293,"date":"2026-04-03T15:59:18","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T15:59:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/702293\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T15:59:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T15:59:18","slug":"sparks-fly-as-san-antonio-housing-authority-switches-to-new-federal-funding-model","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/702293\/","title":{"rendered":"Sparks fly as San Antonio housing authority switches to new federal funding model"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Opportunity Home\u2019s board met at an East Side apartment complex Wednesday to vote on moving forward with the changes. Credit: McKinley Thompson<\/p>\n

San Antonio\u2019s public housing authority, Opportunity Home, this week approved a controversial change to its operations that tenants, activists and at least one city councilwoman warn could lead to displacement and a rise in homelessness.<\/p>\n

During a Wednesday board meeting, Opportunity Home approved a plan to begin converting its 6,000 or so Section 9 units \u2014\u00a0traditional government-owned public housing projects \u2014\u00a0to a different form of subsidized housing via the federal government\u2019s Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program.<\/p>\n

Facing another multi-million budget deficit and $550 million in deferred maintenance, Opportunity Home maintains moving to RAD \u2014\u00a0which relies on longer-term contract-based subsidies tied to the federal voucher system instead of annual government appropriations \u2014\u00a0will bring in more money and allow easier financing for needed repairs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe housing model is broken,\u201d Aiyana Longoria, Opportunity Home\u2019s chief strategy, data and innovation officer told City Council\u2019s Planning and Community Development Committee on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Longoria continued: \u201cWe cannot sustain what we have, and without taking a new approach, we will, regrettably, probably lose these communities. Rather than lose the housing that we have, we want to be able to preserve it and preserve the affordability.\u201d<\/p>\n

Opportunity Home officials maintain that existing tenants won\u2019t be displaced under the transition to RAD, adding that those families will continue to pay just 30% of their incomes toward rent.<\/p>\n

Loopholes and limits<\/strong><\/p>\n

However, housing advocates and District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo warn that the shift to RAD could allow Opportunity Home to convert public housing into Section 8 voucher-based housing, thereby displacing some of San Antonio\u2019s most vulnerable residents.<\/p>\n

\u201cLoopholes exist, allowing housing authorities to permanently eliminate apartments, especially those left vacant due to disrepair, which reduces the overall supply of affordable housing,\u201d Castillo said in a statement. \u201cAt the same time, the program allows assistance to be moved to new locations, forcing residents to relocate far from their communities, jobs, and support systems.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, Opportunity Home\u2019s plan includes a cost-cutting clause that allows the housing authority to transfer its existing properties to a private tax-credit entity. <\/p>\n

Doing so could limit tenants\u2019 rights to organize since the units would become privately owned, according to critics. What\u2019s more, they argue, tenants could lose privileges available in public housing such as the ability to have additional keys made for friends and family who don\u2019t live in the unit.<\/p>\n

Despite those concerns, Opportunity Home officials told council\u2019s Planning and Community Development Committee that they don\u2019t plan to privatize the properties, even though RAD technically allows such a move. Further, they said the authority plans to keep and maintain its public housing units.<\/p>\n

\u2018Shady\u2019 maneuvers? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Tenants remain skeptical about those promises. <\/p>\n

They said they don\u2019t trust Opportunity Home and allege the authority has engaged in \u201cshady\u201d behavior to avoid criticism of its plan, including a last-minute venue change for the Wednesday board meeting where RAD was up for discussion. <\/p>\n

At first, the meeting was to be held at an Opportunity Home\u2019s downtown headquarters, 818 S. Flores St. However, the venue was changed to the East Side\u2019s Sun Park Lane Apartments, 4523 Lavender Lane, without explanation.<\/p>\n

\"\"Demonstrators protest against Opportunity Home\u2019s proposed changes on Wednesday. Credit: Michael Karlis<\/p>\n

Organizers from housing advocacy group Pueblo Over Profit allege Opportunity Home relocated the meeting because officials found out about a planned protest and didn\u2019t want concerned tenants to attend a public comment session.<\/p>\n

Prior to the start of the board meeting at Sun Park Lane, a guard from Vets Securing America, a private security firm contracted by Opportunity Home, threatened to arrest demonstrators for trespassing, even though they were protesting on public property in front of a public meeting.<\/p>\n

Inside the complex, Opportunity Home security guard Domingo Ibarra told a photographer for the Current that she couldn\u2019t take photos of the board meeting. However, a Bexar County Sheriff\u2019s Deputy eventually corrected the matter, telling the guard that members of the press are allowed to photograph public gatherings.<\/p>\n

Pueblo over Profit organizer Robert Hernandez described Opportunity Home\u2019s behavior prior to and during the meeting as \u201cdehumanizing.\u201d\u200b He suggested the authority\u2019s actions show it has something to hide. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe organized people to go attend a meeting and have a protest downtown, and they changed the location on us,\u201d Hernandez said. \u201cThat\u2019s not right, and they won\u2019t let some of us speak.\u201d<\/p>\n

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