HACC History
Clayton County Board of Commissioners created HACC in 1982
- 1982 - Company Start Up
In 1982, the Board of Commissioners of Clayton County created HACC to act as a conduit of federal, state, and local funding devices, providing tax-exempt financing for developers to build affordable, multi-family housing units. The approximately 275,000 Clayton County residents continue to benefit from this quality housing stock that is maintained at the highest standards economically possible. The breadth of HACC's work has changed over the years, but the vision has remained the same - to make a difference in the community, one family at a time. Through the administration of federal programs and partnering with like-minded organizations, the evolving role of the Authority should benefit the community for years to come - evident in the number of families assisted to date and the need for continued service in the rehabilitation of an aging housing stock. - May 4, 1982 - The early years - a financial conduit for multi-family housing development
On May 4, 1982, the Clayton County Board of Commissioners created the Housing Authority of Clayton County (HACC) to help stimulate the economic growth of the community. Clayton County Government established HACC primarily to act as a "conduit" financing vehicle to provide tax-exempt financing to private developers for multifamily housing developments designed to deliver quality, affordable rental housing to the County's citizens. For the first 10 years or so of existence, the Authority operated in this fairly narrow band of activity. The Authority received no federal, state, or county funding and had no financial resources other than the limited amount of revenue it received from fees on bond issues. As a point of reference for the limited income obtained from developers paying bond issues fees, in 2009, the bond fee income from 11 projects was budgeted at $166,000 for the year. - 1994 - Expanding through participation in federal housing program administration
Upon the time of its founding until June of 1994, when its administrative office was opened, HACC was a paper authority with a Board of Commissioners that usually met quarterly. Because the Jonesboro Housing Authority administered the Section 8 program, HACC leadership looked at other ways to meet the housing needs of the citizens of Clayton County. The state of Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) had a program for the rehabilitation of homes (the HOME Program), with federal funding appropriated to the state and local levels. At this time, the state DCA's jurisdiction included Clayton County since the county had yet to be qualified as an entitlement community. HACC made an initial application to administer HOME Program funds for substantial rehabilitation efforts, and the Authority was granted $200,000 to administer the HOME Program initially. This was the beginning of the Authority's transformation into the role of local administrator for federally funded rehabilitation programs. - 1995 - Ownership and opportunity for expanded oversight of quality housing
In late 1995, the Authority, acting through a non-profit subsidiary corporation, purchased the Advantage of Atlanta Apartments, an RTC affordable housing property. The Advantages (later renamed Premier Garden Apartments) is a 432-unit project located on Garden Walk Boulevard in College Park, which is managed by a third-party property management firm - JMA Properties. A few of the amenities of the complex include 12 swimming pools, a fitness room and club house, a fire place in each individual unit, with each unit wired for an alarm system with a panic button in the bedroom. Recently, the occupancy rate has been as high as 94%. Per the requirements by HACC that the project provides affordable housing for the community, 25% of the Premier Garden units are rented to families that fall below 80% of the Metropolitan Atlanta Area Median Income (AMI), and 25% are rented to families that fall below 50% of the AMI. The purchase price for The Advantages/Premier Garden was approximately $6.5 million dollars. - 1997 - HACC purchased the property to locate its headquarters at 732 Main Street in Forest Park, Georgia.
In 1997, HACC purchased the property to locate its headquarters at 732 Main Street in Forest Park, Georgia. The Authority renovated the house next door (currently the administrative office) that was originally built in 1903. The Housing Authority also owned an office building off of Tara Boulevard at that time; - 1999
In 1999, under the direction of HACC Executive Director Linda Valentine, the Authority was able to find a buyer for that building and, in turn, use the proceeds from the sale to construct the conference center the Authority has today - next door to its administrative headquarters building - to provide a suitable meeting place. - 2012 - The Authority created another non-profit subsidiary and purchased the Pointe South Apartments located in Jonesboro.
In 2012, the Authority created another non-profit subsidiary and purchased the Pointe South Apartments located in Jonesboro. This 161-unit complex, consisting of all three-bedroom units, had been foreclosed upon by HUD. By purchasing the property, the Authority not only helped to prevent blight and downward pressure on surrounding property values, but it also provided an opportunity to serve larger families than Premiere Gardens, which only contained one and two-bedroom units.