HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) – The Huntsville Housing Authority (HHA) hosted its annual State of the Authority Monday morning to share accomplishments of the past year and give a preview to the year ahead.

Antonio McGinnis, the Authority’s Executive Director, spoke alongside Mayor Tommy Battle and other HHA board members. A common theme they all spoke on was the need for community members to support HHA’s initiatives.

Huntsville Housing Authority was created in 1941 to provide safe, affordable housing for low-income families. Currently, the organization houses more than 7,000 community members across Huntsville in 3,000 units.

As the city grows, so does the need for affordable housing. So, looking ahead, McGinnis’ goal is to educate the remainder of the community on what they can do to help HHA provide more housing for those in need.

“Our community needs to understand the need for more affordable housing, right now we don’t have enough,” McGinnis told News 19. “I think we can communicate to the public and educate the public on the need for more affordable housing, then I think the community will do its part in helping us build, renovate, remodel, whatever we need to do to get more people into some nice affordable housing.”

McGinnis also told News 19 that their ultimate goal is to help people reach a point of self-sufficiency where they no longer need Huntsville Housing Authority to help them with housing.

More on what HHA does and their housing options available can be found here.