Introduction

With nearly 1,900 units of assisted housing,the Columbia Housing Authority (CHA) represents approximately 9% of Columbia’s rental market.

CHA’s two major housing programs are subsidized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD):

• 719 Public Housing Units
• 1,100 Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers

A History of the Columbia Housing Authority

A public housing authority in Columbia, Missouri was originally proposed in 1950.

After five years of community debate, the Columbia Chamber of Commerce took the lead in supporting the successful City of Columbia referendum to establish a local housing authority.

Due to the leadership of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce and the Columbia City Council, and because of the backing of Columbia voters, the Columbia Housing Authority (CHA) was formally established in 1956.

A federal urban renewal grant provided money to replace dangerous and unsanitary residences in Columbia’s central city with safe and clean dwellings at rents in which low-income persons could afford.

While housing authorities are legally independent of local government, strong and cooperative working relationships exist between CHA and the City of Columbia. The Cooperation Agreement between CHA and the City serves as the legal foundation for the relationship between the two entities.

CHA Low-Income Services

CHA Low-Income Services (CHALIS), CHA’s 501(c)(3) not-for-profit coporation, was created to increase and diversify funding sources for the expansion of its Resident Services programs because they have historically been 100% dependent upon annual competitive government grants.

Donations to CHALIS are tax-deductible, and many grant funding opportunities are available to CHALIS as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit that are not available to public housing authorities.

SOURCE: www.columbiaha.com

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