Beacon agency helps lower-income residents
Veronica Schetter, who started two months ago as executive director of the Beacon Housing Authority, says she’s focused on hearing from as many voices as possible while helping people navigate an increasingly complex housing marketplace.
Schetter is in a new position after taking over for Roland Traudt, who retired in August after 16 years with the agency, but the surroundings are familiar. She has been with the Housing Authority for 27 years, “quietly working behind the scenes.” It’s the only job she’s ever had.
“I hope to learn what misconceptions may be out there,” Schetter said. “I plan to open my door to the folks who participate in our programs, to hear about any barriers they’re experiencing.”
Schetter grew up in Glenham, the hamlet that borders Beacon’s east side, and graduated from Beacon High School. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from SUNY New Paltz.
The Housing Authority was created in 1964 and manages Forrestal Heights, a 175-unit complex adjacent to South Avenue Park, and Hamilton Fish Plaza, which has 70 apartments on Eliza Street. In addition, it provides rental assistance vouchers to more than 300 families throughout its jurisdiction, which is Beacon, the Town and Village of Fishkill, the Town of Wappinger and the Village of Wappingers Falls.
In 2021 the agency became part of the federal Housing Choice Voucher program, which Schetter said offers more reliable funding than the Public Housing program it had been under. Despite its name, the Beacon Housing Authority is not a city agency and receives no funding from Beacon or New York State, although five of the seven members of its board of directors are appointed by the mayor.
During her quarter-century at the Housing Authority, “there has always been a demand” for affordable housing, Schetter said, “but it seems to be increasing.”
Waiting lists for the agency’s housing options are closed, although they open from time to time (as recently as this past summer). A message is posted at beaconhousingauthority.org when that happens.
Voucher Enforcement
In August, the state Division of Human Rights sued an Albany company that manages 38 apartment complexes in four states, including two in Dutchess County, for allegedly refusing to accept rental vouchers and for requiring tenants to have a minimum income, which is illegal.
In 2019 New York State made it illegal to discriminate against tenants based on any “lawful source of income,” including vouchers.
The lawsuit against Dawn Home Management focuses on seven properties in New York, including Chelsea Ridge Apartments in Wappingers Falls and Village Park Apartments in Pleasant Valley. The state alleges that the company refused to rent apartments to tenants with subsidies from the Housing Choice Voucher program and another program for people living with HIV and AIDS.
The lawsuit was filed in Bronx County after a complaint from the nonprofit Westchester Residential Opportunities. The organization uses “testers” who pose as renters to document housing discrimination.
The state is seeking financial damages, up to $100,000 in fines, monitoring and fair-housing training for Dawn Home employees.
Schetter plans to hold an informational meeting for landlords to learn about the Housing Choice Voucher program. Any landlord can participate if an apartment is market-priced and passes an inspection. The tenant pays part of the rent based on their income and BHA covers the rest. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development sets income limits annually for the program.
To be eligible, a family must be at least “very low income,” according to the federal agency, and at least 75 percent of families admitted through the Beacon Housing Authority must be “extremely low income,” which in Dutchess County in 2024 is a family of four with a household income of $34,450 or less.
There was talk last year of adding 10 apartments at Forrestal Heights, but BHA’s board has paused the plan. That means increased participation in the voucher program is the agency’s best chance to expand its reach.
“I want to open up more doors for private landlords who don’t know that this program is available or what it does,” said Schetter.
She plans to organize resident advisor groups and BHA also will seek bids for a capital-needs assessment “to get a clear and crisp plan to move forward,” she said.
On Wednesday (Oct. 23), plenty was happening at agency headquarters on Wolcott Avenue. In one room, BHA leases space to a hairstylist who offers discounted rates for tenants, while, in another wing, the Dutchess County Office for the Aging provides on-site meals and activities for seniors and prepares meals for delivery to people who are homebound.
“There are so many amazing people and programs happening here,” Schetter said. “Each is special in their own way, with their own perspective, and brings so much to the table.”
