SAN ANTONIO – Earlier this month, the San Antonio Housing Authority Board of Commissioners decided that Opportunity Home San Antonio, the city’s public housing authority, needed a change at the top.
President and Chief Executive Officer Ed Hinojosa was no longer the man for the job. The board stressed “a need for fresh leadership to propel the organization into a new direction.”
“They made a mistake, and we’re very disappointed with them,” said Kayla Miranda, who lives in and is an advocate for public housing.
Miranda said Hinojosa was fired after his administration issued notices to vacate to 625 residents at the board’s request to recollect delinquent rent.
“They were shocked that a $1 past due went out as a notice to vacate, but that was their order,” Miranda said. “They specifically ordered anyone owing 13 months or more to get a notice to vacate.”
In a statement, the board of commissioners described the change as “necessary to protect the integrity of the organization.”
“The board has a responsibility to stabilize the organization after discovering Mr. Hinojosa was not collecting rent from tenants the last few years,” the statement said. “It was Mr. Hinojosa’s sole decision to not collect rent, which led to some tenants accumulating nearly $30,000 in past due rent which put them at risk of eviction. This also has led to more than a $2 million loss of rental income which has contributed to the larger $18 million deficit organization-wide. In short, the board had to intervene into operations with the notices to vacate since Mr. Hinojosa was not exercising leadership to manage operations. This is the core of the issue.”
Hinojosa was replaced by Michael Reyes.
“My first directive the next morning was to rescind those notices to vacate and protect as many households as we can,” Reyes said. “‘Will there be evictions? Will there be folks who go through the process?’ Unfortunately, there will be, but this protected 80% of those households.”
Collecting on delinquent rent is necessary post-pandemic, Reyes said. Opportunity Home San Antonio faces an $18 million deficit.
“The rescinding of the notices to vacate means that everyone is going to be automatically placed in a repayment agreement,” Reyes said. “And what we are going to ensure is those with high balances that repayment will not exceed 40% of income to make sure it’s sustainable.”
Reyes said he is looking for ways to cut unnecessary expenses while also improving future housing opportunities.
“Let’s build housing communities around our transportation hubs,” Reyes said. “VIA is launching a green line. It so happens that Opportunity Home has several properties along that line. So people will have access to jobs, access to health care, access to employment.”
Miranda said she still has her reservations.
“Words mean nothing to me without action,” Miranda said. “I see what someone does, not what they say. Only time can tell if Michael (Reyes) will be a good CEO. We still want Ed (Hinojosa) reinstated.”
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