CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – The Lincoln Homes public housing community could be on the path for a major renovation, or even a rebuild, following a unanimous decision by the Clarksville Housing Authority to restructure under the federal Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program.

While the exact ramifications of this decision haven’t been decided, RAD conversion could mean major changes for the Lincoln Homes community, up to and including complete rebuilding.

Lincoln Homes, with 261 units, hasn’t had a significant renovation since being built in 1951 and has been in need of major repairs for some time.

Interim Executive Director Dawn Sanders-Garrett believes the RAD program to be just the opportunity needed to change Lincoln Homes for better, allowing for the renovation and rehabilitation of homes.

“I have a lot of experience with the RAD program, and in my experience, just knowing what I know about your housing authority, some of your properties are older and in need of some significant repair. The reason why the RAD program was created in the first place was to address the capital need backlog and the need for housing authorities to do major overhauls of their inventory that the capital needs program could not fund,” Interim Executive Director Sanders-Garrett said at this week’s CHA meeting.

“Working with the commissioners and the staff, I believe we will be able to get to where we need to be to get these sorely needed dollars for the Clarksville Housing Authority.”

What is RAD

According to documentation provided by CHA, Rental Assistance Demonstration is a program that, “seeks to preserve public housing by providing Public Housing Agencies with access to more stable funding to make needed improvements to properties.”

The program provides additional funding by allowing Housing Authorities to act as a developer. Under RAD, the Clarksville Housing Authority would have the ability to purchase property and rent to a wider array of clients, both residential and commercial.

Only the beginning

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development approved CHA’s request for RAD funding in a letter sent to CHA Deputy Director Keith Lampkin in September.

The accepted application covers the conversion of 261 housing units in the Lincoln Homes area, and allows for, “the conversion of public housing to a form of project-based housing.”

Many questions remain as to what RAD conversion will look like in Clarksville, and how residents of Lincoln Homes will be affected; however, HUD has released documentation assuring those on housing assistance that they will not lose their assistance or need to be rescreened due to the RAD conversion process.

In order to move forward with RAD conversion, the CHA Board of Commissioners will be required to take a number of additional steps and make several key decisions, all of which will happen over the coming months.

“With that reward comes a series of milestones that the Housing Authority will have to meet in order to push forward with the RAD conversion,” said Sanders-Garrett “The RAD program is a marathon, not a sprint.”