ARHA Reports Progress After Year of Rebuilding

Alexandria's public housing authority told City Council its new leadership has corrected rent ledgers, inspected all properties and resumed maintenance.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Apartments

Red-brick public housing apartment block with a freshly raked lawn and newly trimmed tree in the foreground under overcast daylight. — Alexandria's public housing authority told City Council its new leadership has corrected rent ledgers, inspected all 1,100-plus properties and resumed resident maintenance. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Do you trust your local public housing authority to treat residents fairly?

The Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority, under new leadership, reported progress to City Council after a year of rebuilding. The agency says its rent ledgers are now correct, it is handling resident maintenance issues, and it has inspected all of its more than 1,100 public housing properties in the city.

Why it matters

The update follows a period of turmoil that included a demand that the board resign and the firing of a CEO, and it addresses residents' concerns about rent accounting and property conditions. For Alexandria, the outcome affects the stability of public housing for many households.

ARHA reports that 100% of its more than 1,100 public housing properties in Alexandria have been inspected, and a fundraising effort led by Mayor Alyia Gaskins and Alfred Street Baptist Church paid off more than $1 million in tenant back rent. The Board of Commissioners now meets 11 times a year, but the agency has had five CEOs over the last five years and remains under a hiring freeze.

The players

Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority (ARHA)

The city's public housing authority, which manages more than 1,100 public housing properties and reported its rebuilding progress to City Council.

Alyia Gaskins

The mayor of Alexandria, who led a fundraising effort with Alfred Street Baptist Church to pay off more than $1 million in outstanding ARHA tenant back rent.

Mark Jinks

The newly installed chair of ARHA's Board of Commissioners, who will present the agency's budget to City Council.

Roy Priest

ARHA's interim CEO, who is leading the agency until a permanent chief executive is hired this spring.

The details

City Council demanded that ARHA's nine-member Board of Commissioners resign after then-CEO Erik Johnson was fired for living in a public housing unit. Mark Jinks was installed as the new board chair, and interim CEO Roy Priest tracks customer service by counting resident requests about service quality.

Last fall: City Council demanded the ARHA board resign after the CEO firing.
Earlier this year: A fundraising effort paid off more than $1 million in tenant back rent.
Saturday, Nov. 7: Jinks and Priest present the new Capital Improvement Program budget at City Council's annual budget retreat.
December: ARHA's year-over-year budget is expected to be approved.
This spring: A permanent CEO is expected to be filled.

Season Trajectory

The rebuilding follows the firing of CEO Erik Johnson and City Council's demand that the nine-member board resign, a sequence that marks a sharp break from the agency's prior governance. Its five CEOs in five years mean the new interim leadership must demonstrate stability before the permanent hire expected this spring.

Residents of ARHA public housing can expect corrected rent ledgers and resumed maintenance handling, and the completed inspections cover every property in the city's public housing portfolio. The December budget approval will determine funding for property upkeep and capital improvements affecting Alexandria households.

The takeaway

Stable leadership and transparent accounting are the foundation residents need from a public housing authority, and ARHA's progress will be measured by whether the permanent CEO hire and December budget hold. Residents facing rent or maintenance issues can raise them directly with the agency's service channels.

What happens next

Jinks and Priest will present ARHA's Capital Improvement Program budget at City Council's annual budget retreat on Saturday, Nov. 7, and the year-over-year budget is expected to be approved in December.