The Orange Housing Authority welcomed state and local officials to honor Maria T. Maio-Messano, newly appointed Director for the New Jersey State Office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in Newark. A welcome reception was recently held at the Walter G Alexander complex.
Before assuming her role as Newark Field Director, Maria Maio-Messano served as the executive director of the Jersey City Housing Authority. During her tenure, Maio-Messano managed a $65 million budget, overseeing all fiscal and administrative functions at the public agency. She was responsible for the operation of 2,300 apartments in public housing, 4,000 Housing Choice Vouchers, and 130 apartments in Assisted Housing Programs.
She currently is responsible for the allocation of $1.7 billion to more than 100 public housing authorities in New Jersey. Maio-Messano is charged with managing the Housing Choice Voucher, Community Development Block Grant and Multi–Family Programs which serve more than 100,000 households in New Jersey. More than a dozen public housing authorities participated in the event, which took place on December 16. Those agencies included Newark, Camden, Long Branch, Irvington, Jersey City, Orange, Pleasantville, Union City, East Orange and Paterson.
The event was organized by Dr. Walter McNeil, Executive Director for the Orange Housing Authority (OHA) and executive directors from Irvington, Pleasantville, Paterson and Long Branch housing authorities. He addressed the crowd by underscoring the importance of such an assembly. “It is important we collectively recognize the accomplishments of Maria Maio-Messano,” he said. “As a former Executive Director, Maria possess a depth of knowledge and understanding of our work. The State of New Jersey has gained a true fighter for the lower and middle class.”
Orange Mayor Dwayne Warren commended Maio-Messano for her service in affordable housing. He described her as a trailblazer in every part of the state where public housing exists.
Orange Housing Authority Commissioner Ernest Williams emphasized the importance of this day. “It took an event like this, and a person like Maria Maio-Messano, to bring all these housing authorities together under one roof,” he said. “I believed we used this day effectively in learning about work as public agencies and sharing best practices so we can move forward from here.”
Patricia Madison replaced Maio-Messano as the acting Executive Director at the Jersey City Housing Authority.
Learn more about the Orange Housing Authority at www.haconj.org