Public housing residents call for better representation in Winston-Salem

Public housing residents in Winston-Salem are pushing for better representation on the housing authority's board of commissioners.

Around two dozen residents and advocates gathered outside Crystal Towers on Oct. 21 to make their voices heard. They want to see someone who is currently living in public housing appointed to the board.

Crystal Towers Resident Council President Mike Douglas said he feels none of the commissioners can express to others what he and his fellow community members experience.

"We are being neglected by the people that have been put in places to represent," he said. "This is not going to continue."

Douglas listed inadequate security and better lighting in the parking lot as issues yet to be addressed.

The Housing Authority of Winston-Salem Board of Commissioners is appointed by Mayor Allen Joines, who did not respond to a request for comment.

Executive Director Kevin Cheshire said in his 11 years with HAWS there has never been a public housing resident on the board, but at least one member has always been a Section 8 voucher recipient during that time.

"I certainly don't see this as a circumstance where residents and resident representatives don't have a direct line of communication to me, or to city leadership," he said. "I feel strongly that we've been very responsive, that we've been very communicative."

Cheshire said there are currently two vacant seats on the board.

In 2025 he plans to have a quarterly agenda item where presidents of public housing buildings will be able to directly express their concerns in a meeting.