The Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority (GHURA) opened it’s doors 40 years ago with a lofty mission in mind – to establish a redevelopment program for the revitalization of deteriorating neighborhoods, and to provide “ … safe, decent and sanitary housing” for Guam’s people who need it most – people of low to moderate income.
Needless to say – the Agency has achieved this goal – to put it simply … the staff, management and Board of Commissioners of GHURA have spent the last four decades … “Strengthening Families and Building Communities.”
Since it’s humble beginnings GHURA has evolved into a lot more than just a housing agency. Over the years, GHURA has funded and constructed a variety of community facilities that increase the morale and welfare of each village on the island of Guam. In fact, GHURA’s mission and goal encompasses almost every person in our island community, whether they are young, homeless, at risk youth, disabled, low to moderate-income families, single mothers trying to become self sufficient or manamko (elderly), GHURA has a positive impact on their lives. The following highlight a select few of our projects completed over the last few years.
SENIOR CITIZENS
GHURA constructed an Elderly Rental housing complex for Catholic Social Services, a non-profit organization. The building has 10 one-bedroom units. Since the facility was completed, all units have been occupied.
To help meet more of the needs of our manamko, GHURA also partnered with the Department of Public Health and Social Services Division of Senior Citizens to identify villages where the present senior centers were not big enough to accommodate the manamko population. GHURA personnel initiated the planning phase, renovation and construction of senior centers, in the following villages: Yigo, Mangilao, Dededo, Tamuning, Astumbo, Yona and Inarajan.
YOUTH AND FAMILIES
GHURA partnered with Sanctuary, Incorporated to a Youth and Family Leadership Program to provide public housing youth and families with alternative activities to drugs and crime programs to help improve our community. As part of this program, GHURA constructed a Youth Center and Basketball Court in Pagachao, Agat. Since this program began, Sanctuary has served over 2,000 youth and their families. Sanctuary activities include: community outreach, educational workshops, youth development activities, crisis intervention, referrals to health, educational, vocational and substance abuse, consultation and program development with GHURA residents, tutors and mentors for public housing youth and parent workshops.
GHURA partnered with Sanctuary, Incorporated to develop a micro-business program for homeless youth in the Transitional Living Program Shelter. Through the Economic Self-Sufficiency Project, Sanctuary provides youth with life-skills instruction on securing employment and job maintenance in preparation for independent living. Homeless youth living in the shelter will participate in job-preparation workshops, learn to develop and manage a micro-business and participate in internships with private businesses. These workshops teach youth business plan development, mission statement, bookkeeping, marketing and networking. The program also provides counseling to youth on the following subjects: anger management, conflict resolution, and budgeting and good communication skills.
GHURA partnered with Sanctuary, Incorporated to expand its family supportive services programs for low and moderate-income families under the Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY). The HIPPY Program teaches parents parenting skills and age-appropriate activities for children age’s three to five. Sanctuary expanded its crisis-intervention activities in our community to over 500 youth and families. The program provides supportive counseling services, mediation, parenting classes, support groups, anger management classes, support groups, anger management classes and referrals to other community resources.
GHURA constructed seven Head Start classrooms to accommodate increased enrollments in the following Elementary Schools: Astumbo, Machananao, Upi, Carbullido, C.L. Taitano and M.U. Lujan. Presently, there are six more classrooms under construction at the following elementary schools: Merizo, Chief Brodie (2) and Maria Ulloa. Each classroom can accommodate up to 20 children. This program helps children learn skills that prepare them to enter school, such as the alphabet, reading writing and numbers.
Public Safety: To help ensure public safety, GHURA built two fire stations: one in the village Astumbo and one in Inarajan. We also purchased state-of-the-art fire fighting vehicles. These two fire stations and trucks are valued at close to a million dollars.
Affordable Housing: Among its many commitments, GHURA also helped low to moderate-income families achieve the dream of home ownership. These two projects located in Astumbo and Asan were turnkey programs designed specifically for families that under ordinary circumstances would never be able to afford their own homes. This project, was funded through a Community Development Block Grant, provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The first-time homeowners were selected through a lottery of qualified low and moderate-income applicants who succeeded in securing mortgage loans with local banks and lending institutions. In fact, one of the applicants was a public housing family who made the move from tenancy to homeownership.
Group Homes: GHURA partnered with Guma Mami to provide disabled individuals two group homes to live in. This enabled the individuals to have a certain level of independence while still receiving the quality health care and monitoring they needed.
Continuum of Care: GHURA spearheads Guam’s Continuum of Care Coalition, which maps out a plan of action for our island community to be able to help any homeless individuals and/or families by offering temporary and permanent shelters. GHURA conducted Guam’s first point-in-time homeless street count and homeless shelter survey. The Agency also updates Guam’s homeless priority needs, vision, goals and gap analysis through monthly meetings and yearly conferences. In fact, GHURA applied for and received the only Continuum of Care monies given to the United States Insular areas by HUD.
These have been a few examples of the strides GHURA employees are willing to go through to make sure Guam’s people have the best public housing programs and community facilities. Be assured that GHURA personnel will continue to uphold this tradition throughout the next 40 years.
HOMEOWNER’S REHABILITATION LOAN PROGRAM
With funds made available by HUD under the HOME Investment Partnership Program, in Fiscal Year 2001 the Authority successfully launched its Homeowner’s Rehabilitation Loan Program. This program provides loans to qualified homeowners for the purposes of rehabilitating their substandard homes. The home to be rehabilitated must be the primary residence of the borrower.
The program was implemented with a priority focused on homeowners that are elderly or persons with disabilities. Qualified persons can receive a loan up to $25,000 to rehabilitate their home. Under the existing priority the loan repayment is based on the homeowner’s occupancy of the rehabilitated home. This means that for every year the owner occupies the home, one-fifteenth of the amount borrowed is forgiven. Therefore if the homeowner occupies his or her home for a period 15 years, the entire amount of loan will be forgiven. Actual repayment will be applicable if the home is sold within 15 years or if the owner does not fulfill the occupancy requirements.
