Chester Housing Authority executive director quits amid agency turmoil

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Steven A. Fischer has resigned as executive director of the Chester Housing Authority (CHA). His departure ends a nearly 20-year tenure as the city of Chester’s top housing official.

Neither Fischer nor CHA immediately responded to a request for comment Monday morning. Messages sent to Fischer’s CHA email address trigger an automatic response acknowledging his egress.

It is unclear when Fischer resigned or who will run the agency in the interim. The board has the power to appoint a replacement.

“I’m just being made aware of this resignation of Monday morning from a source outside of CHA and city government,” first-term Chester Mayor Stefan Roots said in a statement. “I’ll have no further comment until I have facts.”

Fischer’s exit comes as the housing authority grapples with how it will shake off the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s “troubled” designation. HUD handed CHA paltry scores due to the poor physical conditions of its buildings. CHA has until 2025 to improve.

HUD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In 2005, U.S. District Judge Norma L. Shapiro appointed Fischer to lead the embattled agency following years of corruption, mismanagement and subsequent receivership. Fischer previously oversaw the Kingston Housing Authority in New York. His bio says he brought “30 years of housing management and development experience” to CHA.

The University of Florida alum brought stability to the troubled authority. Today, 2,500 Chester individuals and families live in CHA-managed properties or receive housing vouchers. However, allegations of misconduct and fraud have returned to CHA in recent years.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania slapped two CHA supervising employees and an outside contractor with bribery and fraud charges.

Prosecutors alleged the contractor bribed the employees in exchange for work and that the employees operated a contracting business to fraudulently bill the CHA, costing the housing authority nearly $500,000 in revenue losses. All three defendants pleaded guilty. A U.S. District Judge Wendy Beetlestone handed down a sentence in May.

CHA currently runs 800 units across 15 locations and properties, which are a mixture of family developments, senior buildings, rowhouses and twin homes.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.