HUD removes Chester Housing Authority from ‘troubled’ list

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The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has removed its “troubled” designation from the Chester Housing Authority in Delaware County.

HUD’s Public Housing Assessment System measures each housing authority’s performance in four categories: capital fund, financial stability, management practices and physical condition. An authority is defined as “troubled” when it receives an overall score below 60 out of 100.

In 2023, HUD gave the Chester Housing Authority a score of 53, primarily due to the poor conditions of its properties. HUD negotiated a recovery agreement with the housing agency in 2024. HUD recently completed its evaluation.

Earlier this month, the Chester Housing Authority was notified that it received a 77 out of 100 — meaning HUD now considers it a “standard performer.” Cindy Thompson, executive director of the Chester Housing Authority, notified the authority board of improvement in a letter dated Sept. 16.

“The Authority’s commitment to providing quality, safe, and affordable housing for low and moderate-income households without discrimination remains at the center of this work,” Thompson wrote in the letter provided to WHYY News. “We look forward to continuing our progress and keeping our communities informed.”

The Chester Housing Authority, which was established in 1937, serves approximately 2,600 families through a combination of public housing properties and voucher-based programs. Thompson told WHYY News that the effort to improve the status of the authority was an “all hands-on-deck effort.”

She credited residents for patience in accommodating unit visits and allowing a series of pre-inspections before HUD took a final look.

“That was the primary contributing factor to what helped us increase the score,” Thompson said.

Going forward, she said adequate funding remains the authority’s main hurdle. Thompson said it will continue improving its properties, regardless.

“There are some things that just can’t be … rehabilitated without actually repositioning the properties,” Thompson said. “So we will be moving forward with an [request for proposals] process for at least three of the sites which we hope to have on the street before the end of the year. Of course, the priority being those that have the most physical obsolescence.”

Mayor Stefan Roots said news that the authority had shed its “troubled” status was a surprise to him, but he called it a promising milestone.

“I’m excited to hear the good news,” Roots said. “It’s definitely a testament to the new leadership at Chester Housing Authority.”

In 2024, the Chester Housing Authority’s board appointed Thompson to replace former Executive Director Steven Fischer without consulting Roots.

“I will say my day-to-day involvement and understanding of their operations is still very, very minimal, but I do trust in the leadership of [Cindy] Thompson,” Roots said.

He told WHYY News that he hopes the improvements will attract investors. With that in mind, Roots said he’s looking to reduce the profile of subsidized housing in the city.

“The city of Chester should not be home to 50% of all of Delaware County’s public housing,” Roots said.