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The Housing Authority of the City of Eureka (HACE) is seeking public input on its ambitious plans to redevelop and expand access to affordable housing in Eureka. The housing authority will host a virtual community meeting next week to discuss its plans to add over 150 new public housing units to the local housing stock and redevelop nearly 200 more over the next decade.

HACE, a public housing agency that operates under the authority of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, owns nearly 200 public housing units across its 12 properties in Eureka. Many of those units were built way back in the early 1950s and require substantial capital investment and repair. 

HACE is in the first stages of “repositioning” its Eureka properties to convert them to a Section 8 platform. (Section 8 refers to a federal government assistance program that subsidizes rent for very low-income individuals and families.) Doing so would “bring more stable and increased revenue to properties” and allow the housing authority to upgrade and expand existing sites, according to HACE’s Repositioning Plan.

“The repositioning plan create[s] a roadmap for how to tackle a significant issue – addressing aging housing stock that is underfunded but is also on underutilized land,” HACE Executive Director Cheryl Churchill told the Outpost. “[O]ur goal is to rehabilitate units that are newer and closer to full density at their individual sites, considering what local zoning will allow, and redevelop sites that are underutilized, bringing more and newer affordable housing to Eureka. … We know our community needs more housing at all income levels, so we’re continuing to do what we do best, and filling our role of serving the low-income households here.”

HACE plans to redevelop or rehabilitate almost all of its public housing units over the next decade but for now, the housing authority is focused on the “25-1 Site” on Burill Street, near the Eureka Winco.

“We are working on preliminary plans to do a first phase on Hiler Street, between Everding and Burrill Streets,” Churchill explained. “Currently, there is a park and eight units adjacent to that site. We’re starting here because it would allow us to bring 44 new units of housing while displacing only eight households, which builds in capacity to transfer tenants when we redevelop subsequent sites. We’ll be assisting tenants with relocation, whether they transfer between our units or find private rentals with voucher assistance.”

HACE staff are looking for feedback from the public on design options, including specific features or amenities that people might want to see in the upgraded facilities. From there, the housing authority will go through design review and entitlements with the City of Eureka and work with HUD to get the financing in order. 

“The requirements to bring affordable housing from concept to reality are numerous, but I look forward to bringing greater affordable housing options to our community,” she said. “Many of these households are made up of seniors, or working families with children – people like you and me who are just trying to live their lives in our little slice of Humboldt heaven, which also happens to be in one of the most expensive states to live in, in our country.”

The virtual meeting will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, March 6 at 6 p.m. More information can be found in the flyer below.

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