This story has been updated.
A majority of the roughly 600 notices to vacate sent to public housing residents in April will be rescinded immediately and rent repayment policies will be overhauled, the acting president and CEO of San Antonio’s housing authority said in statements Thursday and Friday.
Michael Reyes, the agency’s former public affairs officer, took the helm of Opportunity Home San Antonio on Wednesday evening after the board fired Ed Hinojosa Jr.
“We must do all we can to protect our vulnerable households, particularly those who are still reeling from the effects of the pandemic,” Reyes said. “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.”
Several public housing advocates welcomed Reyes’ directives, but they and Councilwoman Teri Castillo (D5) spoke out against Hinojosa’s ouster during a press conference Friday, noting his advocacy for Opportunity Home to receive more federal and local funding.
“I’m struggling to understand why the board made the decision to remove Ed Hinojosa, who has been a visionary leader and leading the city of San Antonio out of a housing crisis,” Castillo said on the steps of City Hall. “Under Ed Hinojosa’s leadership, the City of San Antonio … [started] to use bond dollars to invest in our public housing stock.”
In April, Opportunity Home issued 600 notices to vacate to households living in public housing that were in debt for more than 12 months in amounts ranging from $1 to more than $10,000. Last month, some board members publicly admonished the rollout of the plan meant to recoup rent.
It was the first time the agency issued notices to vacate for nonpayment reasons in four years, since the pandemic-era eviction moratorium.
Castillo and speakers associated with the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, Historic Westside Residents Association, Coalition for Tenant Justice, Pueblo Over Profit and other organizers blamed the botched notices on board leadership, not staff failings.
“We’re not attacking Opportunity Home or their staff — this is not their decision,” said Kayla Miranda, a public housing resident and advocate with Esperanza. “This was done solely by the board.”
Hinojosa led with compassion, Miranda said. “When you’re running a housing authority, it’s not about money, it’s not about profit — it’s about people.”
Board Chair Gabriel Lopez told the San Antonio Report that Hinojosa’s handling of the rollout was one of several issues that led to his firing.
“There were many concerns that the board had related to the deficit, services to the families … and maintenance issues,” Lopez said.
Opportunity Home’s deficit this year is approaching $19 million — possibly doubling last year’s, he said. “That’s not a sustainable model.”
Mayor Ron Nirenberg — who, in his official capacity, appoints the agency’s board members — said earlier this week he supports the board’s decision.
On Friday, Reyes outlined his respect for Hinojosa, despite the board’s decision to fire him.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ed Hinojosa, Jr. on behalf of Opportunity Home for his more than 20 years of dedicated service to the organization,” he said in a statement. “He was a great mentor to many and served with much compassion. His time with the organization led to a renewed focus on protecting income-based housing, on the families we serve and moving us toward being a trauma informed organization.”
Policy overhaul
The 625 households on the agency’s now-defunct list to receive notices to vacate owe Opportunity Home a combined $2.3 million, according to the agency. About 42% of those, or 264 households, owe less than $3,000 each, which means they qualify for repayment agreements under the current policy.
“All households under the $3,000 current repayment policy will be automatically eligible for a repayment agreement,” stated Reyes.
Reyes will propose that the board temporarily double that arrears threshold to $6,000 so that households whose balances grew during the pandemic can qualify for a repayment plan.
That change would mean 80% of the households who received notices to vacate could qualify for the repayment policy, he said.
Reyes will also propose that the board limit past-due rent balances “to no more than three months of household rent,” he stated Friday. “This action aims to prevent households from falling into financial debt and to safeguard the financial integrity of the organization.”
Opportunity Home will continue to seek repayment and possible eviction for residents with yearslong outstanding balances of more than $6,000, spokesman Brance Arnold told the San Antonio Report. “Many of those above $6,000 are three to four years past due.”
Of the 625 households identified as in arrears for more than 12 months, 600 were issued notices to vacate by Opportunity Home and 25 were still pending review for possible errors and not yet issued, Brandee Perez, the agency’s chief real estate and development officer, told the board Wednesday.
Since the notices were sent out in April, 38 households moved out of their homes as of June 3, Perez said. More than 180 have paid their debt or enrolled in a repayment plan.
Notices to vacate, the first step in the eviction process, are often interpreted as eviction notices. When Opportunity Home gives a notice to vacate, it also provides information about how to set up a repayment agreement and avoid eviction. The city has also launched public awareness efforts to address this misunderstanding.
Before Reyes announced the new plan, the agency under Hinojosa had planned to “slow down” its repayment and eviction process to a “five-tier approach” that would have prioritized pursuing households that owe more than $3,000, Perez told the board Wednesday.
The agency’s mixed-income properties, known as Beacon Communities, have been undergoing a similar tiered approach since last year, but the agency did not issue hundreds of notices-to-vacate for those residents.
The 600 public housing residents who were issued notices to vacate have all been contacted by Opportunity Home staff at least three times, Perez said. More than 200 households have not enrolled in a repayment plan or made any payments as of early June.
