There is a better way to handle the issues that plague residents in public housing that can ultimately create affordability and self sufficiency. No one wants to see what happened in McCormick Heights happen to the people and community of Lee Walker. 1. Reform and create greater transparency by restructuring the selection process of the Board of Directors of HACA to include selection by the entire Asheville City Council and the Residents’ Council from a pool of candidates based on qualifications and experience, alone. 2. Provide technical assistance to charter a duly constituted Residents’ Council – train, empower them to be involved in planning, budgeting and policy-making in all affairs of HACA, including project-based management, and TA to include linkage to National Residents’ Councils. 3. Establish one-to-one replacement for all housing which is demolished and establish land trusts or make them affordable into perpetuity. Establish written assurances for tenants who are displaced from any public housing project due to construction, to return, without being re-screened or re-qualifying. 4. Explore cost savings and cost efficiencies with independent audits (both performance and financial) of HACA expenditures, current operating deficits, if any, contracts with double payments to police, sanitation, consultant, and legal fees from maintenance and court costs. 5. Establish a plan to train, hire HACA residents for staff positions on all sites- new and existing. 6. Reduce landfill costs - training support for resident-led re-cycling and composting programs. Written by Dee Williams and Company Incorporated and DeLores Venable