‘Serve more people’
Executive director finds balance with housing authority
Ten years ago, when David Gates was interviewed for the position of executive director for the Lonoke County Housing Authority, one of the things that stood out about him was his confidence and his knowledge of the county.
“I believe he was finishing up his master’s degree, and he was real knowledgeable about the housing authority and building issues,” said Mary Abshure, who serves as chairwoman for the Housing Authority’s board of directors but was also on the hiring committee.
“During school, he had traveled to different places, and he presented himself well. He had knowledge of maintenance and buildings and things we deal with. He has done an awesome job with our housing authority,” she said.
“I have always been interested in the mission field, helping neighbors and just taking care of people — it is just a passion of mine — so this seemed like a natural fit from my perspective,” Gates said. “I have a background in construction with my dad’s electric company, and I work with the construction side of things, and I also like to help and serve those who are in need.”
Gates said the Lonoke County Housing Authority has provided housing assistance to low-income families since the mid-1960s. He said that currently, the county has 121 public houses spread out among Cabot, Ward, Lonoke and Carlisle. He said there are public-housing units in all four communities, and there is a waiting list for those.
“We have public-housing programs, units that we manage and maintain, and we also have a Section 8 program, which is the housing-assistance payment program,” Gates said. “It is there where we sign a contract with the resident and landlord to provide rental assistance to that resident by paying a section of the rent.”
Section 8 is a program for low-income residents who wish to live in privately owned housing and receive rental assistance.
Right now, about 225 residents are receiving Section 8 assistance, and Gates said the program could help up to 243, but the funding is based on how much rental assistance is provided for each resident. He said the program might not be able to fully fund 243 residents because if the average half of the rent amount is up, the program isn’t able to assist as many residents.
Gates said the current COVID-19 pandemic has not affected the number of applications for rental assistance, which was somewhat surprising because officials expected an increase.
“Since the beginning, all of our services were maintained during the pandemic. We did not see an interruption of services. Everyone has worked remotely, and we did everything we could to protect our residents, our employees and their families,” he said.
“We didn’t provide any additional assistance, but we kept our waiting list open and continued to accept applications,” Gates said. “We did have voucher sessions throughout the closures so those who were ready to be housed would be able to get a voucher.
“Even through the pandemic and shut-down period, we were still conducting business and allowed families to move in and be protected.”
Alan Turnbo, who has been executive director of the Cabot Housing Authority for 43 years, said Gates is a hardworking, good guy who cares about his tenants and his staff.
“He wants to grow his program so he can serve more people,” Turnbo said. “He has really streamlined its operations, and he is real technical-savvy. That office had been troubled and really in a hole before he took over.
“He didn’t come from a housing background — I believe he had a business degree — so he was able to look at it different than a lot of us who had been in it for so long that we weren’t able to see.”
Gates was born in Arkadelphia but has lived in Cabot since 1992, graduating from Cabot High School in 2000. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in 2004 and received a master’s degree in business in 2012 from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. He is a former board member and chairman of the Lonoke County Safe Haven nonprofit.
Not only does Gates manage the Lonoke County Housing Authority, but he also oversees the DeValls Bluff Housing Authority, as well as Newport, McRae, Jacksonville and Searcy. Turnbo said that from what he has seen of Gates’ management skills, he is great at picking out key people to put in a position that will help the operations grow.
“Housing authorities are a lot like small school districts that have had to consolidate and make ends meet and not duplicate services,” Turnbo said. “He has been on top of that.”
“I was aware there was a need [for affordable housing], first and foremost in Arkansas,” Gates said. “I have been on a number of mission trips through the Ozark Mission Project, and I have worked closely with low-income families and shut-ins.
“So I have seen the need and was aware of it. I don’t have a full background of the housing industry per say, so I was somewhat surprised, but I was aware of the need.”
He said it has been an honor to be able to assist families and is something he and his staff take pride in.
“We are making sure we are taking care of the citizens we serve, and it is enjoyable to go to work every day knowing you are making a difference,” Gates said.
He said he hopes to expand the number of houses available by actively going after tax-credit properties for new development or rehabilitating existing property through partnerships with developers and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
“We do realize and recognize that housing for the elderly is something that is needed, and some of our efforts are to explore that option as well,” Gates said.
In Jacksonville, Gates said, the housing authority put in an application to redevelop the old elementary school into 62 units of housing for elderly disabled residents. He said that by next month, he should know if the authority was awarded the low-income-housing tax-credit program to begin work on the housing.
For more information on the Lonoke County Housing Authority, visit its website,
www.lonokepha.org, or call (870) 552-3554.
We are making sure we are taking care of the citizens we serve, and it is enjoyable to go to work every day knowing you are making a difference.”
David Gates EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR THE LONOKE COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY