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The Housing Authority of the City of Brazil
The Housing Authority of the City of Brazil, IN (BHA) was established by City ordinance in December of 1968 as an independent not-for-profit governmental corporation. The first meeting of the Board of Commissioners was held on January 19, 1967 and for almost fifty years the BHA, working with other city and social service agencies, has worked to provide decent, safe and sanitary housing for low-income families and individuals. The BHA is an equal-opportunity housing provider.
Utilizing two federal housing programs - the Public Housing Program and the Housing Choice Voucher Program - the BHA is the largest provider of rental housing in the City of Brazil.
In April of 1972 the BHA opened its first public housing development - Cooper Towers, named for Stanley A.B. Cooper. This development was opened in 1972 and provided 120 affordable housing units for the elderly. In 2009 the BHA completed a remolding project that reduced the total number of rentals to 108 but allowed us to enlarge 24 units to meet current ADA and handicap accessible requirements.
In 1982, the BHA more than doubled the size of its public housing program by opening Jackson Gardens with 59 rental units, Central West Village with 60 housing units and Meridian Towers with 61 rental units.
The Housing Choice Voucher Program, commonly known as "Section 8" allows the BHA to assist low-income families and individuals with monthly rental payments in rental units owned and operated by local landlords and apartment complexes. Depending on federal funding, the Authority can assist anywhere from 70 to 115 families. While the housing lease is between the landlord and tenant, the landlord and BHA enter into a Housing Assistance Payments Contract and the landlord agrees to maintain the units so that they meet or exceed HUD's Housing Quality Standards.
As the needs of the community change and as HUD adopts new rules and regulations, the BHA has been able to adapt to these changes. While we can adapt to changes we remain committed to our primary goal and mission of providing affordable housing which meets the needs of our consumer and community.
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