About Appleton Housing Authority

Thank you for your interest in our organization. For more than 40 years, the Appleton Housing Authority (AHA) has played a key role in providing housing options for low and moderate income households. The Appleton Housing Authority was organized July 7, 1967, after the Appleton Common Council determined the need for an Authority. That need was based upon an exploding senior population that faced a shortage of adequate and affordable housing. The first Board of Commissioners appointed by the Mayor, worked hard in developing the community’s first high-rise, (opening in 1971) offering affordable housing for senior residents.

Today, this facility is commonly known as Oneida Heights. With the passage of the Housing and Community Development Act in 1974, rental assistance funds became available under the Section 8 Program, as did public housing scattered site family development funding. Inflation and high unemployment in the 70’s made it harder for lower income families to afford decent housing and the demand for affordable housing continued to grow.

The Appleton Housing Authority responded to those demands, and today operates 547 units under the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program, 153 Senior Public Housing Units, 57 Scattered Site Family Housing Units, 70 units under the Section 8 Substantial Rehab Program, an Affordable Homeownership Program, and an active Family Self-Sufficiency Program.

The Housing Authority is an independent governmental agency governed by a five-member board, which is appointed by the Mayor of Appleton. The AHA requires no municipal tax dollars to operate and receives it’s funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and from the rents, it collects each month from housing owned by the Authority.

Since the Authority’s primary source of funding is government revenue, HUD is responsible for the ongoing monitoring of the operations of the agency. Management and financial reporting & reviews are conducted periodically by HUD, as well as an Independent Audit each year in accordance with the Federal Single Audit Act.The Appleton Housing Authority is very active in the community and as we move into the 21 century, it is the spirit of cooperation and partnership between residents, management and other local agencies that make housing programs work against increasing odds. Given the rising cost of rental housing, subsidies are essential for the future of our programs and the people who depend on them for survival. Dwindling resources, increased need, budget cuts and the absence of new federal dollars have made the AHA expand its deep commitment to residents by increasing efficiencies and offering better services targeted to self-improvement and independence.