Weston to serve as HUD director

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

— The board of the Decatur Housing Authority held a barbecue and community meeting on July 6 to introduce residents to new director Debbie Weston.

The board recently hired Weston to oversee the housing authority, and she is tackling the project with energy and imagination.

Weston was raised in Oklahoma. She has 25 years of experience in housing and most recently worked as a Housing Case Manager and a Family Self Sufficiency and Home Ownership Coordinator in Plano, Texas.

Weston said she decided to move to Decatur to be closer to family in Tulsa and Little Rock. Outside of her work, Weston enjoys fishing, gardening and spending time with her three dogs.

The Decatur Housing Authority is part of the department ofHousing and Urban Development. HUD provides housing for the elderly and disabled, as well as low income families. The Decatur Housing Authority has two apartment complexes, one on West Main Street and another on 9th Street.

HUD provides basic housing, and looks at health and safety, and standards of living, to make sure people have their needs met, according to Weston.

Weston was pleased with residents reaction to the community meeting. She hopes to make use of the community room at the Housing Authority’s office for more pot-lucks and social events for residents.

“Where people live is more than a building; it’s a community,” Weston said.

The Housing Authority has hired a full-time maintenance man to make sure the apartments and grounds are well kept. Weston said having a fulltime employee dedicated to the job will make a tremendous difference, even though they will be working on a tight budget.

“There is a lot that can be done and this can be turned into a viable part of the community. This is a good location;it just needs some TLC and some imagination,” she said.

Weston hopes to apply for grants to start a Family Self-sufficiency Program in Decatur.

The program helps families increase their income and set goals. They are required to submit a five-year plan and sign a contract.

At the end of the program, the families are self-sufficient and paying their rent.

HUD manages a matching fund for the family, and at the end of the program the family can use the fund as a down payment on a house.

Weston said she is looking for two community members to fill the open slots on the HUD board. There are five seats on the board, but currently there are only four board members and one is planning on leaving, she explained. Board members serve four year terms and meet quarterly, although Weston said they may begin meeting monthly.

News, Pages 1 on 07/14/2010