Bradenton Housing Authority on good path to help stem homelessness

Under the leadership of Ellis Mitchell Jr., the Bradenton Housing Authority is ramping up its oversight of a private enterprise charged with the management of public housing. Only some 13 months into his tenure as BHA's executive director, he has slashed the agency's budget, saving $100,000 this year alone after recovering from a $500,000 deficit left by the former disgraced director. Mitchell's new goal is to set aside those savings and launch a home ownership program for low-income city residents, this to lessen homelessness.

Homelessness is a plague on Manatee County, especially for parents and single adults with children. Many are either living out of their cars or staying with family or friends, their existence never secure. The Manatee County school district counts some 2,000 children as homeless in enrollment figures. That alone raises a disturbing societal issue -- one that defies a solution.

First, though, Mitchell wants to ensure that the Bradenton Village Apartments is managed professionally and properly, and residents are protected from mismanagement. Complaints about how Telesis Corp. oversees the complex have been considerable -- from mold and other problems. The city of Bradenton issued 140 exterior code violations dating back to 2009 and these were only resolved last June, but concerns remain about interior conditions and other structural issues.

The company owns most of the apartments and retains 95 percent of the rent from the BHA, but the housing authority reserves leasing rights to 160 of the 221 units of Bradenton Village for agency clients.

Mitchell came aboard as director in the aftermath of the leadership scandal that cost the former director, Wenston DeSue, and his ex-projects manager, Stephany West, not only their jobs but convictions of the theft of federal funds after the public agency descended into $500,000 in debt.

Mitchell has resurrected the agency in sound moves. His latest idea, which he announced Wednesday, is to fund a home ownership program in low-income neighborhoods to put homeless families into residences that afford stable housing.

Kudos to Mitchell for putting homelessness back into the community's collective consciousness. Turning Points, the county's lead agency on this issue and the headquarters of the Bill Galvano One Stop Center, has been beating this drum for years. Manatee County needs a concerted strategy to deal with this, but we're behind the curve.

"Housing first" initiatives, like the plan proposed by Mitchell, have been very successful in other communities -- creating affordable living space to those who cannot afford today's escalating real estate costs. This is an idea we should all support.

This story was originally published December 26, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Bradenton Housing Authority on good path to help stem homelessness ."