December 03, 2009

EL PASO – The Housing Authority of the City of El Paso, Texas, (HACEP) is pleased to announce the appointment of David Hoicka to the role of Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Hoicka will be responsible for the strategic and operational leadership of HACEP’s affordable housing initiatives and programs, including Development and Capital Projects, Public Housing, Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, and Low Income Housing Tax Credit and Non-ACC.

“I look forward to serving the 40,000 residents of the Housing Authority and the good people of El Paso in this new capacity,” said Mr. Hoicka. “I am impressed by the positive and forward thinking of HACEP to expand the availability and diversity of affordable housing at a time when it is most needed.”

Since 2006, Mr. Hoicka has served as housing advisor for the government of Bahrain to develop multi-cultural affordable housing and community development policies. He reviewed the development of North Bahrain New Town reclamation and development planned for 100,000 mixed-income residents and 10,000 affordable homeowner units worth $3.5 billion.

Prior to this, Mr. Hoicka served as Branch Chief of the Housing and Community Development Corp. of Hawaii in which he managed about 10,000 assisted families, a $50 million annual budget and 350 employees. As a manager with the Housing Authority of New Orleans, Mr. Hoicka managed Public Housing and Section 8 Programs and reviewed capital budget modernization and construction plans. He has also certified housing managers and taught regulations of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) across the United States for the National Center for Housing Management of Washington, D.C.

Mr. Hoicka spent 10 years as a Housing and Community Development Attorney specializing in affordable housing regulatory programs and finance, particularly as they pertain to Federal statutes, code of federal regulations, procurement and contract compliance. He is also a former Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston and is the author of three published handbooks on HUD housing programs.

“Mr. Hoicka brings innovative thinking that has been tempered in an international venue,” said Chief Executive Officer Gerald Cichon. “His employment builds a capacity for HACEP that will allow us to transform public housing in El Paso.”

Mr. Hoicka earned two Bachelor of Science degrees in Civil Engineering and Design from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a Doctorate in Law (J.D. Cum Laude) from the Suffolk Law School in Boston, and a Masters in Theology from Boston University. He is certified by the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) and the National Center for Housing Management as Senior Professional Housing Manager, Public Housing Manager, Manager of Maintenance, Voucher Specialist, Occupancy Specialist and Site-Based Budgeting Specialist. Mr. Hoicka is a member of the U.S. Federal, New York and Massachusetts Bar Associations and has served a number of boards of directors for Boston community organizations.

ABOUT HACEP – The Housing Authority of the City of El Paso (HACEP) provides high-quality affordable housing to 40,000 low- to moderate-income El Pasoans. Established in 1938, HACEP is the 20th largest public housing authority in the country and the second largest in Texas. HACEP’s $80 million annual budget supports approximately 450 employees who manage 6,500 federally-funded public housing and new construction units, 5,300 Section 8 housing choice vouchers and 1,000 tax credit and non-subsidized units. While the Mayor of El Paso appoints members to the HACEP Board of Commissioners, HACEP is not a department of the City of El Paso. Instead, HACEP is an independent government organization authorized by city statute and regulated and primarily funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Shane Griffith - Public Information Officer
sgriffith@hacep.org
(915) 849-3710