According to the University of Arkansas Community Design Center, developers in the U.S. will need to build 30 million new housing units between 2010 and 2030. So far, they are only meeting about 15 to 20 percent of that total. The hardest hit in that kind of housing market are those with the lowest incomes, but public housing authorities are also struggling to meet demand with less funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Fort Smith Housing Authority began adapting to that reality in the mid-2000s. Since then, the agency has changed its business model and mission, which has allowed it to become more innovative in the ways it provides affordable housing to the community.
Fort Smith Housing Authority Stands Out as Public-Sector Innovator
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A sign outside the Fort Smith Housing Authority offices.
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Nelson Hall Homes, the FSHA's last public housing development to go through RAD conversion.
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Nelson Hall Homes is made up of 288 units for the elderly and disabled.
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The homes and duplexes at North Pointe replaced a dilapidated public housing development called Reagan Homes.
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North Pointe is made up of 115 units of both low-income and market-rate housing.
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The FSHA completed its latest project, Clayton Heights, in 2013.
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Clayton Heights is also made up of low-income and market-rate housing units.
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The Clayton Heights development includes 57 units of three and four-bedroom homes.
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Willow Height is one of the public housing developments owned by the Fayetteville Housing Authority.
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The Fayetteville Housing Authority Board of Commissioners voted in 2017 to sell the Willow Heights property.
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Tenants from Willow Heights would be moved to another FHA development called Morgan Manor.
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Lewis Plaza is another public housing development owned by FHA.
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Hillcrest Towers is also an FHA-owned public housing development for the elderly and disabled.
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