A quality home is the foundation
of society & community

A quality home is the foundation of society & community

Slide Integrity, quality, leadership are just some of the values that make up RHA Slide Leadership is an achievement of trust
- Peter Drucker
Slide The secret of success is to do common things, uncommonly well.

Slide Integrity, quality, leadership are just some of the values that make up RHA Slide Leadership is an achievement of trust
- Peter Drucker
Slide The secret of success is to do common things, uncommonly well.

What is the Rockford Housing Authority?

The Rockford Housing Authority (RHA) is a municipal corporation established under Chapter 67 1/2 of the Illinois statues. It is governed by a Board of five Commissioners who are appointed to staggered five-year terms by the Mayor of the City of Rockford. Board officers are elected annually by majority vote of the Board of Commissioners. The CEO/ED serves as the Secretary for the Board of Commissioners.

The Board of Commissioners’ responsibilities include overseeing the operations of the Housing Authority as well as the review and approval of RHA policies as recommended by the CEO/Executive Director. The RHA employs a staff of approximately 64 personnel who perform a variety of functions necessary to service its residents and maintain its housing stock.

Our Mission

To continue to create strategic partnerships with community stakeholders, design a diverse housing portfolio, and leverage social service programming to unite and ensure residents are provided with safe and nurturing environments that lead to self-sufficiency, responsibility, and individual empowerment.

Our Vision

RHA provides pathways for people to enhance their quality of life through inclusive, affordable, and innovative housing initiatives while investing in the education, training, and personal development of our residents through strategic programming and partnerships while serving as a facilitator for neighborhood restoration by investing in our community and remaining committed to creating an atmosphere that promotes overall health, wellness, and economic growth, for a greater quality of life.

Our Core Values

Rockford Housing Authority has been working for the community for over 70 years. We have gotten to know and experience the community and its needs. Through this we have devised ten attributes to govern our business by – we call these our Core Values.

These Core Values, which are fundamental to us, is the cornerstone of the Rockford Housing Authority. We put them at the forefront of every plan, event and project we do, because we care about our employees, our residents, our strategic partners and the greater Rockford community.

Please select from the ten Core Values below to learn more about each one.

Annual Report

We envision a time when all Rockford Neighborhoods contribute to the appeal of our city:

Neighborhoods that are enriched by pride, hard work, and investment.

Neighborhoods where respect, excellence, and a sense of community ownership are evident.

For more on our progress towards this goal, view our Annual Reports:

RHA Strategic Plans

The Rockford Housing Authority has historically served the housing needs of persons whose income is low and very low in the City of Rockford through HUD funded public and HCV housing. RHA has provided “decent, safe, and sanitary” low-income public housing to Rockford’s citizens for decades. Throughout the decades the needs of our community have changed, and our agency needs a strategic plan to meet the changing needs proactively.

The Rockford Housing Authority is in transition from a provider of decent safe and sanitary housing to the leading provider of housing that meets a higher community vision. This transition involves the disposition, demolition, redevelopment, or conversion of obsolete developments that no longer meet the RHA and City of Rockford viability and community standards.

In order to accomplish this challenging and ambitious agenda, RHA will pursue leveraging all of its limited resources and creative intelligence to plan, fund, and execute the change. We must do something we have never done before.

Achievement of our new vision will result in the delivery of high quality affordable housing for our residents and applicants; and establish a new Asset Management Group (AMG) to oversee the assets of the Rockford Housing Authority. The AMG will operate more as a private sector firm, enhance partner opportunities with developers and property management companies in the community, and become financially stronger and less dependent on unreliable HUD funding. This is one of the principle purposes of our Strategic Plan.

The Board of Commissioners, CEO, and staff of the RHA, envision a new affordable housing product to best serve the modern needs of the Rockford community. The older “Public Housing” product has served the needs of our community at ever declining levels to the point that it no longer services the needs of our family residents.

Meeting the needs is a challenging objective that significantly impacts the lives of our residents and the future of the community.

To systematically transition our housing assets from the current “Public Housing” centric product to a mixed-income affordable housing product will take the coordination and cooperation of the RHA, residents, City of Rockford and the federal government.

Rockford Housing Authority (RHA) understands that open, honest and ongoing communication with each other and with our community is essential to building relationships.  These relationships are the foundation of a strong RHA. This communication plan was designed to establish a comprehensive and integrated process for effective communication.  The plan aligns with our agency’s goals and helps us achieve them.

The Five-Year Plan represents a pivotal moment for the RHA and the community it serves. It is a catalyst for transformation, enabling the agency to redefine success, elevate its commitment to redevelopment and workforce education, forge strategic partnerships, and engage in external affordable housing initiatives. By embracing this plan, the RHA is poised to solidify its position within the community and leverage collective action to create better neighborhoods, enhance resident well-being, and contribute to the overall social and economic fabric of the region.

RHA Strategic Plans

The Rockford Housing Authority has historically served the housing needs of persons whose income is low and very low in the City of Rockford through HUD funded public and HCV housing. RHA has provided “decent, safe, and sanitary” low-income public housing to Rockford’s citizens for decades. Throughout the decades the needs of our community have changed, and our agency needs a strategic plan to meet the changing needs proactively.

The Rockford Housing Authority is in transition from a provider of decent safe and sanitary housing to the leading provider of housing that meets a higher community vision. This transition involves the disposition, demolition, redevelopment, or conversion of obsolete developments that no longer meet the RHA and City of Rockford viability and community standards.

In order to accomplish this challenging and ambitious agenda, RHA will pursue leveraging all of its limited resources and creative intelligence to plan, fund, and execute the change. We must do something we have never done before.

Achievement of our new vision will result in the delivery of high quality affordable housing for our residents and applicants; and establish a new Asset Management Group (AMG) to oversee the assets of the Rockford Housing Authority. The AMG will operate more as a private sector firm, enhance partner opportunities with developers and property management companies in the community, and become financially stronger and less dependent on unreliable HUD funding. This is one of the principle purposes of our Strategic Plan.

The Board of Commissioners, CEO, and staff of the RHA, envision a new affordable housing product to best serve the modern needs of the Rockford community. The older “Public Housing” product has served the needs of our community at ever declining levels to the point that it no longer services the needs of our family residents.

Meeting the needs is a challenging objective that significantly impacts the lives of our residents and the future of the community.

To systematically transition our housing assets from the current “Public Housing” centric product to a mixed-income affordable housing product will take the coordination and cooperation of the RHA, residents, City of Rockford and the federal government.

Rockford Housing Authority (RHA) understands that open, honest and ongoing communication with each other and with our community is essential to building relationships.  These relationships are the foundation of a strong RHA. This communication plan was designed to establish a comprehensive and integrated process for effective communication.  The plan aligns with our agency’s goals and helps us achieve them.