District 5 Councilmember Responds to Opportunity Home Board Decision
Published on June 14, 2024
District 5 Councilmember Responds to Opportunity Home Board Decision
SAN ANTONIO (June 13, 2024) — This week, Opportunity Home’s latest board meeting included the decision to remove CEO Ed Hinojosa Jr.
Hinojosa’s tenure as head of Opportunity Home was highlighted by a reversal of the proposed demolition of the Alazán-Apache Courts preserving some of the oldest and affordable public housing in District 5. That decision successfully primed Opportunity Home to receive $24.9 million in funding through the City of San Antonio’s first Affordable Housing Bond and $801,000 in HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) federal funding.
Then, in close collaboration with the District 5 Office, the City of San Antonio successfully allocated FY 2024 General Fund budget dollars toward the Opportunity Home Access and Operations Fund for the first time in the City’s history.
“I am struggling to understand the Board’s decision to remove Ed Hinojosa considering his successful work toward San Antonio’s stated housing goals,” Councilwoman Castillo said. “Our housing authority cannot afford to regress or retreat from producing and preserving our only permanently affordable housing stock. We must work toward housing the 113,000 people on the waitlist rather than add to the number of evictions and our unhoused population.”
The District 5 Office, Opportunity Home, and the Neighborhood Housing & Services Department recently held a community resource fair for Opportunity Home tenants who received notices to vacate (NTV) after the Opportunity Home Board voted in favor of issuing the NTVs.
After the decision, Public housing tenant Jeannette Rico stated “I'm deeply devastated and hurt. I've been a public housing tenant, since 2020, and for once, I felt like there was hope for public housing. It is heartbreaking this happened to Ed. He is not just the CEO – but our advocate. He means a lot of us here. I’m scared for the future of my children and scared of what is going to happen to public housing. I was crying last night because we don’t know what is going to happen. I’m scared for my children's future.”
Notably, Hinojosa’s tenure as CEO saw Opportunity Home receive funds toward the housing authority from San Antonio Congressional representatives across the aisle, from Representative Tony Gonzales (TX-23) to Representative Greg Casar (TX-35), resulting in $5.8 Million for San Antonio residents.