The city of Brenham, Texas, is located in the rolling hills and rich ranch lands near where the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed. With a current population of fewer than 20,000 people, Brenham typifies traditional, small-town Texas.
In the 1970s and 1980s, city leaders had the vision to invest heavily in public housing. By 2014, however, it was evident that the housing stock was deteriorating more quickly than it could be repaired, and the Brenham Housing Authority (BHA) had no readily available source of funds for major capital investments.
Brenham turned to HUD’s Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program and was able to finance rehabilitation, demolition, new construction, and temporary relocation of residents in order to transform its depleted housing into a beautiful and sustainable public resource for current and future generations.
A Small Town with Big Vision
Since its founding, the BHA has had a singular goal: to create affordable housing for Brenham’s low-income families and individuals. In 1971, Lieutenant Colonel L.T. Ray, a retired Air Force officer, spearheaded the town’s first public housing development, Sunny Side Terrace, with 60 units. By 1982, BHA had developed 300 single-family units, housing more than 500 people — a truly significant feat for a town of Brenham’s size.
But the BHA’s housing units, especially the hard-to-maintain standalone buildings, fell victim to the typical forces of time, extreme weather, and the same financial realities experienced by many public housing systems across the country. After several decades of service, units were beginning to be taken offline. Although some of the newer units were candidates for rehabilitation, Brenham realized that demolition and replacement was the best, most cost-effective solution for most of its buildings.
“Our funding was going away, and our facilities were in disrepair,” says Ray Daugbjerg, then Chairman of the Board of the Brenham Housing Authority. “When people are living in something that’s in disrepair, they don’t take pride in it.”
To find a solution for this problem, Brenham would return to its tradition of visionary leadership. The BHA’s new executive director, Vince Michel, learned about RAD at a conference and recognized the power of RAD conversions to provide the needed capital for public housing while preserving affordability. However, he says, “my initial reaction was that [RAD] was only for large public housing authorities — how could a small-town PHA like ours try to bite off something like that?” He answered his own question with bold decision-making and relentless hard work.
“We, fortunately, have a board — decades-long service, mission-driven — who were certainly aware of the predicament we were in with respect to the condition of our units, but obviously … did not have the opportunity to do anything about it. So [RAD] wasn't much of a hard sell.”
Apprehension & Community Engagement
When RAD was first proposed in 2015, many in the community were apprehensive about the changes the program would bring; others feared tenant displacement. BHA staff worked tirelessly to speak directly to those concerns, fanning out to religious organizations, local businesses, and service clubs. They spoke to civic leaders and elected officials, seeking buy-in from any possible source of opposition to the project. Ultimately the community was swayed by RAD’s built-in tenant protections and the fact that nearly all the new and rehabilitated housing units would be occupied by existing BHA residents or current members of the Brenham community on a waiting list for affordable housing.
Benefitting from the conversion of Housing Choice vouchers to project-based vouchers through RAD, and the award of nine-percent low-income housing tax credits, BHA was able to negotiate with a development partner to split developer fees, providing a significant source of cash. Ultimately, they were able to invest nearly $10.5 million into new affordable housing.
Ben Menjares, executive director of Brenham Housing Authority, remembers that before the RAD conversion, “these units were still inhabitable, but quite a few of them had foundation problems at least beginning. They had cracks, movement over the years due to our soil here, and dry and wet spells."
"A lot of the foundations had some movement and the plumbing infrastructure in particular was cast iron and over the years the two-inch sewer drains had begun to fail. Probably over 30 percent of the houses had reroutes of the plumbing system where we had to externally run new piping. So, kind of an eyesore on that end. And, our fear was, if we were to rehab the units, 10, 15 years down the road, a lot of the plumbing infrastructure was just going to get worse.”
Parklane Villas
Through RAD, BHA rehabilitated 60 units, but 80 homes built in 1971 needed to be demolished and replaced. For those replacement units, the BHA bought an adjacent property that would become the site of Parklane Villas. The purchase would make it possible for residents to only move once, into their new homes — rather than experience temporary relocation before and after construction — and the old property would eventually create space for an additional phase of development.
Today, Parklane Villas features abundant open space, a community center, a workout facility, a communal room for events, a daycare facility, and a business center with computers. Units feature modern bathrooms and kitchens, ample storage, and in-unit washers and dryers. BHA also installed a perimeter fence which created an improved sense of safety for residents, restricting foot traffic through the property and creating a barrier between the property and the adjacent highway. Within walking distance, there is a local library, grocery store, three major parks, and running trails.
From the Residents' Perspective
Wanda Cooley, a tenant commissioner on the housing authority board, moved to Brenham in 2008 to care for a granddaughter with special needs. When she became sick herself, she and her granddaughter moved into a BHA property.
Years later, Wanda began to hear about plans for a new development. Like many of her neighbors, she was concerned that rent prices would go up and did not know how the transition would impact her and her granddaughter. Her fears were addressed by the transparency and constant communication from BHA. When she expressed concerns about moving because her granddaughter required a special electronic bed, the staff sent movers and paid for a specialist to set up the bed during her relocation.
“The housing in this RAD development has really encouraged everybody – it gave the people something to be proud to live in. They take care of it better and we pull together as a community.”
Lillian Pollard, a friend of Wanda’s and a colleague on the housing authority board, evacuated New Orleans with her family during Hurricane Katrina. She brought to Brenham her concerns about safety and crime based on previous experiences with public housing, but those stereotypes were quickly dispelled.
Lillian is actively involved in various aspects of the community. As part of the tenants’ board, she has been able to take a direct role in decisions affecting her community and those of other BHA developments. Like Wanda, she also volunteers for the Brenham Housing Food Pantry, which provides weekly food for residents and members of the surrounding community. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she helped the food pantry deliver food to people who were sick or homebound.
Lillian often finds herself hearing stories from other residents that mirror her own initial anxiety and fear. Although the longtime residents were skeptical of the renovations and reconstruction, fearing what the change would bring, she describes how the developments gave the residents a similar sense of belonging and community. “They feel at home,” she says, “and they enjoy the way the place became. Some people don’t like change, but they know it changed for the better, and that means a whole lot to them.”
Investing in housing developments impacts everyone who lives in them — but the transformations can have a profound impact well beyond the properties. “[RAD] can not only be part of a redevelopment program, but it can actually spearhead the redevelopment of a community,” says Vince Michel. “This was probably the most substantial revitalization that Brenham has ever experienced, dollar-wise.”
What is RAD?
The Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) is a program of the Office of Recapitalization in the Office of Multifamily Housing Programs at HUD. Authorized in 2011, RAD allows public housing agencies and owners of other HUD-assisted properties to convert units from their original sources of HUD financing to project-based Section 8 contracts. These new contracts provide a more reliable source of operating subsidy that enables property owners to leverage private and public capital, such as debt and equity, to finance new construction and/or rehabilitation of rental housing. Meanwhile, residents benefit from consultation prior to conversion, have a right to return after any construction, and maintain ongoing rights guaranteeing the affordability of the housing.