The Washington Housing Authority is no longer associated with the Mid-East Regional Housing Authority.

Jeannie Neal, executive director of the Washington Housing Authority, discussed the change with the Washington City Council last month. Neal has worked for the WHA for a little more than 30 years. The Mid-East Regional Housing Authority, once housed in the same building with WHA, has relocated to Williamston.

“The housing authority is undergoing some changes at this time. The Mid-East Regional Housing Authority has decided to split from the Washington Housing Authority. So, we are undergoing some changes, but the housing authority is alive and well and will continue to be alive and well in the future,” Neal said.

The change is bringing about reorganization of the WHA, said Neal.

“A difference in opinion between the boards on right many issues,” Neal replied when asked what caused the two housing authorities to split. Neal did not elaborate on those differences.

“We went from an organization that operated in seven counties. We had 41 or 42 (employees) down to an organization that’s operating in Beaufort County with a staff of 22,” Neal said. “A lot of the upper-level staff had been shared between the two organizations. Now, the two organizations split, and actually there was no employee that lost their position at all.”

Thomas S. Payne, a WHA board member, said the Mid-East Regional Housing Authority sought the split. Payne concurred with Neal that the split is the result of difference between the two organizations.

“The boards had different opinions, different visions. … We did a resolution that we were against the split. I think there’s a resolution on file that the Washington Housing Authority was on record against the split,” Payne said.

“Our basic concern for us in the City of Washington is the current job that the Washington Housing Authority does for affordable housing. So, naturally, our emphasis is always going to be on those local citizens here. Even though we’d like to be in a regional concept, I understand it, but if it’s in our best interest that we have a separate entity, I’m going to do what the board I was appointed to wants to do,” Washington City Manager Bobby Roberson said. Roberson has served on the WHA board.

WHA helps provide affordable housing to low-income and moderate-income people. It has programs that promote home ownership and family self-sufficiency. It also administers the local Housing Choice Voucher program, formerly known as Section 8 housing.