Public housing staff counters stereotypes | The Columbia Daily Tribune - Columbia, Missouri

Public housing staff counters stereotypes | The Columbia Daily Tribune - Columbia, Missouri

Public housing staff counters stereotypes

By Andrew Denney

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Public housing programs and the people who depend on them are not always cast in the best light, Columbia's top public housing official said.

Columbia Housing Authority properties are sometimes perceived as breeding grounds for crime or a haven for those who prefer to depend on public money, and a lack of understanding of how public housing operates can even be found among local social service workers, Phil Steinhaus said. Steinhaus is the CHA's chief executive officer.

He said social service agencies commonly have high turnover rates, and new social service staffers often will refer someone in need of housing to CHA without understanding the rules. CHA staffers Gay Litteken and Lee Radtke gave a presentation yesterday for staffers of social service agencies at Oak Tower, a CHA facility for low-income and elderly residents, in hopes of preventing what Steinhaus described as a “wild-goose chase” for those trying to find housing.

Regarding some widely held perceptions about public housing in Columbia, Steinhaus said they do not come without their reasons. But CHA staffers and residents in the agency's five locations say the perceptions are often more misconception than truth.

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