Highlands Residential Services preparing to submit its annual and five-year plans to federal officials to address the ongoing need for affordable housing throughout Putnam County.
Highlands Residential Services Executive Director Chris Cassetty said the agency must submit these strategic summaries to the Department of Housing and Urban Development by October 15. Cassetty said the documents outline intended capital fund expenditures for public housing units, including routine maintenance such as roofing, painting, and appliance replacements.
“I’ve said in board meetings, I’ve said publicly, if we had 200 more units tomorrow, we’d get them filled up,” Cassetty said. “Has it changed my job? In some ways it has changed my job a lot because my job is much more focused now on development, on how is there a way we can help?”
Cassetty said the agency has not performed a comprehensive remodeling of its units in several years. The current focus remains on status quo operations and meeting the 75-day submission deadline required before the December 31 fiscal year end.
The Highlands Residential Services Board of Directors will meet next Thursday at noon to consider a resolution approving the plan.
Cassetty said the agency is currently working to convert its remaining properties through the Rental Assistance Demonstration program. This federal initiative transitions public housing to a multi-family funding model without changing how tenant rent is calculated.
“We have converted about half of our properties and are working through the rest right now and we’re going to continue to work on that in the next year,” Cassetty said. “Our desire is to be fully converted within the next two to three years.”
Cassetty said the five-year portion of the plan utilizes a broader approach to give the agency flexibility for future development activities. While some specific HVAC and improvement projects are already scheduled, the long-term plan serves as a placeholder for potential options that may arise.
“We can’t fix the affordable housing problem in Cookeville, in Putnam County, in the Upper Cumberland, but how can we eat our piece of the pie?” Cassetty said. “I’ve had conversations with the city, I’ve had conversations with the county, I’ve had in the last year, I’ve had conversations with people that 20 years ago we would have never not that we didn’t talk to the city then, but specific conversations about affordable housing because it’s an issue on everybody’s mind now.”
