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During the LaGrange City Council work session on Tuesday morning, the LaGrange Housing Authority provided an update on their housing stock.

Rena Boykin, Housing Director for the LaGrange Housing Authority, shared information related to how much housing is currently available with LHA and some ongoing projects.

“As far as our vacancy rate, we’re currently overall at 96% [occupied] for all of our properties,” Boykin said. “We have less than 15 vacancies right now.”

LHA currently has 1203 on a waiting list waiting for a place to stay. Boykin said they refresh their waiting lists every year to make sure people are still interested.

Boykin said they have initiated a new work requirement to be eligible for housing assistance from LHA. She said they have 248 able-bodied residents that can go to work, with 140 employed and 108 that are unemployed. 

“We have put in a new work requirement policy where it states that each able-bodied adult wants to go to work at least 30 hours a week, at least minimum wage,” she said.

Boykin said LHA has been working with the Goodwill Career Center in LaGrange to help people get jobs to meet the requirement.

“Right now, we’re working with almost 108 residents that will have to be employed,” she said.

Future developments for LHA include the planned Phoenix Crossing development, which would create 20 single-family units. 

“We are in the closing stages, so hopefully we’ll see that groundbreaking soon,” Boykin said.

The project was paid for using $5.5 million in funds received from the governor’s office.

LHA also received a $1.6 million grant with the support of Senator Raphael Warnock’s office, which is in the bidding stages for a development on Revis Street. 

Boykin shared one last piece of exciting news. LHA has recently become a Certified Developer with the Department of Community Affairs.

“That means we can be our own developer and don’t have to go through a third party,” she said. “We are excited.”