SAN ANTONIO – A group of organization leaders and locals have called for the reinstatement of Ed Hinojosa Jr., the now-former president and CEO of Opportunity Home.
Hinojosa had his contract cut by the housing authority’s board of commissioners on Wednesday, citing “a need for fresh leadership to propel the organization into a new direction.”
During a demonstration outside City Hall on Friday morning, a coalition urged Opportunity Home to reconsider, saying Hinojosa advocated for residents in low-income housing during his tenure.
Hinojosa became president and CEO in 2021, before the San Antonio Housing Authority changed its name to Opportunity Home. He previously served as the CFO.
“It has devastated our community, it has devastated the residents, because he is the only person, so far, that has been within the Housing Authority as a leader, that has listened to tenants, that is compassionate, that is caring, that puts tenants first,” said Layla Miranda, a local advocate and director of Coalition for Tenant Justice.
Miranda said people in power are typically not kind to residents in low-income housing, but she said Hinojosa “cared, not with just his words and things he would say, but with his actions.”
The press conference included representatives from the Coalition for Tenant Justice, Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, Coalition for Dignified Housing, Pueblo Over Profit, Historic West Side Residents Association, Oppressed Revolutionaries for Worker Power, Westside Preservation Alliance and Domesticas Unidas, as well as tenants of Opportunity Home and community members.
Watch the full demonstration in the video player above.
District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo, whose district includes the Alazán-Apache Courts, spoke at the demonstration and said she’s “struggling to understand why the board made the decision to remove Ed Hinojosa, who has been a visionary leader in leading the City of San Antonio out of a housing crisis.”
A news release from her office states Opportunity Home received $24.9 million in funding through the City of San Antonio’s first Affordable Housing Bond and $801,000 in HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) federal funding.
The City of San Antonio also allocated FY 2024 General Fund budget dollars toward the Opportunity Home Access and Operations Fund for the first time in the city’s history.
In an emailed statement from Opportunity Home, the board said it appreciated Hinojosa’s service and “his championing of increasing affordable housing opportunities in our city.”
The statement further cites the city’s housing crisis as something that “requires steadfast and hands-on leadership that consists of innovative approaches that are built around the people we serve and our long-standing partnerships which are key to increasing affordable housing options and ensuring the financial sustainability of the organization’s efforts.”
Opportunity Home said the board unanimously appointed Michael Reyes, formerly their public affairs officer, as acting president and CEO, effective immediately.
The board expects the acting president to take bold action and devise creative solutions to counter the organization’s challenges.
“We know we have the most dedicated public servants working at the organization and residents full of promise. We are confident and excited about the future of Opportunity Home,” the statement read.
Acting President and CEO Michael Reyes sent the following statement to KSAT on Thursday afternoon:
“To protect our residents, all pending, eligible Notices to Vacate (NTV) issued last month to public housing households will be rescinded immediately. All households under the $3,000 current repayment policy will be automatically eligible for a repayment agreement. Additionally, the organization will propose to the Board a one-time repayment policy adjustment to double the allowable arrears balance of up to $6,000 for pandemic-era (post-March 2020) balances to protect additional households. Therefore, the eligibility criteria for this directive would be households with active NTVs and a total household balance of up to $6,000. This action will protect more than 80% of affected NTV households and 100% of yet-to-be issued NTV households, which would have consisted of more than 500 additional households in arrears under one year. We must do all we can to protect our vulnerable households, particularly those who are still reeling from the effects of the pandemic,” said Acting President and CEO Michael Reyes. “This is the right thing to do and we will continue to find ways in the coming days and weeks to further protect our residents.”