Rental Assistance Demonstration Program

The Housing Operations Management Enterprise (HOME), formerly known as the Housing Authority of the City of El Paso (HACEP), is participating in a program offered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) called the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program. The RAD program seeks to preserve public housing by providing public housing agencies access to more stable funding to make needed improvements to properties.

HOME is the largest public housing authority in Texas and the 14th largest in the United States, serving 40,000 low-income El Pasoans. Utilizing the RAD program, HOME renovates or rebuilds substantially all its portfolio of about 6,000 public housing units in a program.

Since 2015, JMT (formerly ECM International) has been the owner’s representative on HOME’s $1.2 billion RAD program, a complex endeavor with a strict budget and schedule guidelines. JMT has closely collaborated with HOME staff, design architects, developers, and contractors to complete more than 45 communities and over 1,230 individual buildings for 5 million SF to date, with more than $600 million in construction contracts. These buildings include one, two, and three-level buildings and high-rise buildings. Some examples of this program include:

Haymon Krupp Community – This is a 96-unit, $13.6 million multifamily housing community divided into 12 two-story buildings with two, three, and four-bedroom units. The reconstruction project began with a complete demolition of the almost 40-year-old infrastructure. A new community layout enabled a more walkable and safer community by connecting the two cul-de-sacs with a road providing emergency vehicles access to all residential buildings. The project also has on-site stormwater management for flood control, xeriscaping to promote water conservation, new utility infrastructure, and energy-efficient appliances in each unit. Our success on the Krupp project led HOME to hire JMT to lead program management services for the entire RAD program. Project examples for the RAD program include:

Blue Flame Building – The 18-story high-rise in downtown El Paso is nominated for the National Register of Historic Places. The rehabilitation is an adaptive reuse project for HOME to reprogram the building to a mixed-use project, offering 120 affordable and market rate apartments, commercial and office lease spaces, and an observatory at the rooftop level open to the public. The work for the Blue Flame Building project encompasses selective demolition and adaptive reuse to reconfigure one floor for retail space, twelve floors for apartments, three floors for office space, and one floor for a rooftop observatory. Work includes restoration of exterior and selected interior materials and components.

Sun Plaza High Rise and Cottages – Built in 1966, this complex is in a prime real estate location in downtown El Paso and has been nominated for the National Register of Historic Places overseen by the Texas Historic Commission. This rehabilitation project includes a nine-story high-rise building with 208 units and 22 adjacent cottages that provide another 122 units. The facility offers one, two, or three-bedroom options, including some that are ADA-compliant. The building caters specifically to the elderly population and offers amenities such as bi-weekly health checks, activity classes, and transportation. The Sun Plaza project also encompasses selective demolition and adaptive reuse of exterior and renovations including new mechanical and safety systems, and new exterior and interior finishes.