Sapling Grove Apartments (SGA)

Now Accepting Applications

As everyone can see from the construction site, Sapling Grove Apartments (located on Oakview and Buckner) are near completion.  The one and two bedroom units have washers/dryers, dishwashers, range, refrigerators and much more!

Click here for the Sapling Grove Page.

Organization under construction

Dave Baldwin - Executive Director

Recently HUD published new regulations that require us to drastically change how we do business at BRHA.  These new regulations apply to all public housing authorities (PHAs) across the country – every PHA has to change.

The “regs” include a new formula for calculating operating subsidy, which is the money HUD pays to us to make up the difference between what you pay us in rent and what our actual costs of doing business are.  And the regs require us to change how we operate the authority from a centralized organization (central management, central maintenance, central purchasing, etc.) to one that is “project-based” (HUD also calls this “Asset Management”).  This project-based system splits many of these functions up so that they will be handled by staff at each separate apartment complex (Rice Terrace, Johnson Court, Mosby, etc.), not at the central office.

We want you to be aware of this for two reasons.  First, we are going to be figuring out how to do this over the course of the next 6-12 months.  Staff will be taking on new responsibilities as we convert to this project-based system.  During that time you may find that staff members are doing different things than you have been used to.  So don’t be surprised if you are referred to a different staff person than usual to deal with some matters.

Second, we are not at all sure how much operating subsidy this new formula will provide for BRHA.  Indications right now are that there may be some drastic cuts in our funding.  We will do everything we can to maintain the kind of service we have been able to provide in the past.  But if we receive 20%-25% less than we have been getting it will have an impact on our ability to continue operating as we have been.

The news is not all bad.  We have been able to get some grants during the past year to help us offer some new services to residents.  Hopefully, you have heard about our “YouthBuild Program” and are now hearing more about our “Find a Way Program.”  Both of these programs help residents improve their financial situation by getting training and education to get a new or a better job.  These special programs will continue to operate as long as we can keep getting grants.

But our core services, like taking applications, doing annual recertification's, providing timely maintenance service, doing unit turn around, and so forth, will require some adjustments as we comply with these new regulations.  Please bear with us…