The Syracuse Housing Authority board unanimously selected new interim executive director Jalyn Clifford to helm the agency the same day SHA Executive Director Bill Simmons announced his surprise early retirement.  Clifford, who has served as Simmons’ deputy since 2022, begins in her new role on Saturday amid SHA’s billion-dollar redevelopment of public housing on the city’s Southside. Clifford’s old position as deputy executive director will remain vacant while the board conducts a national search for an executive director.  Born and raised in Nedrow, Clifford has strong roots in Syracuse and Central New York. Clifford’s father worked in maintenance at SHA and lived in Pioneer Homes for a couple of years, she said. Her grandmother lived in Central Village, Clifford said. The Brotherly Love Church of God in Christ started in her great aunt’s living room. An Onondaga Central School District graduate, Clifford grew up playing lacrosse.  After graduating from Niagara University, Clifford began her first job at the Bank of New York Mellon for over six years. She also worked part-time as a sales specialist at Apple. She then obtained a master’s degree in human resource management from Stony Brook University and spent a year in talent acquisition before interviewing for a job at SHA as their human resources director.  “When I went into the position, I really didn’t expect to necessarily get it,” Clifford said. “ My mom and my family friend always say, ‘Why not you?’ So I interviewed.” Clifford joined SHA in 2017 before quickly ascending the ranks to become Simmons’ deputy.   “This area has always really meant a lot to me in some way, shape, or form,” Clifford said. “So it just felt right, and I’ve never worked somewhere where the mission was always at the forefront.” Simmons agreed to retire a year before his contract with SHA was set to expire. His last day with the housing authority was Friday. Simmons, who joined SHA in 2006 as an assistant director before becoming executive director in 2007, found himself at the center of controversies surrounding the billion-dollar redevelopment of public housing on the Southside for more than a year. Mayor Sharon Owens has long called for a change in leadership atop the housing authority.  Simmons leaving SHA comes as the housing authority is in its seventh year since announcing the redevelopment of public housing in the city’s Southside.  The redevelopment could affect residents who live in 672 units of housing in McKinney Manor and Pioneer Homes. The billion-dollar project will also result in the addition of 732 additional apartment units, which will include market rate apartments. The redevelopment was supposed to happen alongside the teardown of the Interstate 81 viaduct.  Simmons is very optimistic about the status of the East Adams project following his retirement. Clifford succeeding him will help maintain the stability of the project without spooking investors, he told Central Current.  “The money and support is there,” Simmons said. “They just got to carry on, keep doing the phases, bringing in the investors. … I think we’re in very, very good hands.” Clifford had her first sitdown interview with Central Current, a day before she started her new role. Throughout the interview, Clifford emphasized her excitement about the progress of the project on the city’s Southside. She cited record investment and enthusiasm from stakeholders and project partners, including the city and Onondaga County.  “The people who are involved in it are so excited because we see it’s happening, it’s moving forward. I love Syracuse, I genuinely do, and… there’s so much development happening around here. This entire city is going to look totally different in 10 years,” Clifford said. “When do you get the chance to be lucky enough to see that? It just doesn’t happen.” The following interview has been edited for length and clarity purposes.  Mr. Simmons was at the helm of the East Adams project from the start. How do things change now that he’s retired? I don’t necessarily think things [will] change. I think everybody’s behind the project. This project is for the area, so it’s going to continue to move forward. We’ve got a lot of really great momentum. I think it’s a continuation, I don’t think it’s a change. I think anytime you have a large development project like this, you want to make sure your investors, whoever’s involved in the project, is comfortable. And I think with the team that we have here, hopefully we’re showing them that you know there’s stability in the agency, and that it is a continuance. And while I think a lot of us are extremely, extremely sad to see Bill retiring, he deserves to retire after all that he’s done for public service. We’re also dedicated to making sure this happens. I hope that makes them comfortable, and I think it does. We’ve got a lot on the horizon, and I think our team, they’re ready for it. They’re excited, and they know what the project will do, not just for folks that live here in public housing, but beyond. It’s once in a lifetime. We’re going to make sure it continues to happen. Could you provide an update on what 2026 and 2027 will look like for this project and beyond? We’re working fast and furious to close phase three. After that, come phase eight, four and six as far as East Adams. We are going through a physical needs assessment for Eastwood Homes, [and are] hoping to do a self development project over there. It’s desperately needed. Like everything else, the roofs have reached their useful life… It needs work. We were going to redevelop that project back in 2021, but on the feasibility side, it just wasn’t there because it needed so much when it came to the HVAC [and] the mechanical systems. But with New York State making greater availability for LIHTC credits, we think that’s a great opportunity. So that’s coming. Also, we’ve got to keep units outside of East Adams going. So we’re looking at you know what other kinds of development potentially could be on the rise, whether that’s RAD … but there are other properties within our portfolio that still need work done. [Reporter’s Note: Eastwood Homes is an SHA-owned and managed property funded by Low Income Housing Tax Credit or LIHTC which is a federal incentive where states receive tax credits and subsequently provides them to builders to develop or fix affordable housing projects.]   What are you excited about in your new role? I’m excited to keep serving the residents. I’m excited to be able to just continue working at an agency that is so near and dear to my heart. I’m really, really excited for these projects to come online.  Whenever we go to conferences, typically there’s a component where you tour one of the housing authorities that’s close by, and you see these beautiful properties where there are sustainability measures, and they’re growing vegetation on the roofs, and they have these outdoor gyms for residents… I just can’t wait for people to experience the same thing here because it’s what they deserve. But we just don’t have the money to be able to give them these amenities in the buildings. When you do mixed income, it just opens up so many doors for people. I cannot wait to see a different Syracuse.  The workforce that we have here, they’re just so special. I’m excited for them to see that these are the fruits of all of your hard work because they deserve it. I’m excited for this to come to fruition for them. Mr. Simmons was in his role for nearly 20 years. Like you said, he has connections that have helped with securing funding or creating bridges necessary for the project. Given the federal government’s outlook towards often targeting public housing, are there things you’re particularly concerned about, or challenges you can foresee? I think money is always a concern. I think we have great partners, though, especially New York State, Onondaga county, and the city. So when it comes to I guess this project in itself, coming up with gap funding is important: the pre-development cash. SHA still needs dollars to keep. People always forget about the housing that exists outside of East Adams. So I guess if anything, [it] is just continuing the funding side of things, maybe that that’s kind of the concern. Just making sure that things continue moving forward in a positive manner, especially as we’re kind of ramping up. Like you see, we’re doing two phases at a time, wanting to accelerate the project to also account for the I-81 coming down. So it’s going to be a lot of moving parts.  I think that employees and our partners were up to the challenge, but making sure that it’s done in a way that people are taken care of thoughtfully, so we do avoid the mistakes of the past that have happened, you know, generations before us, because everybody’s watching. I mean, that’s always a little nerve-wracking, but I think people are up for the challenge, and they want to make sure it’s done right. [Reporter’s Note: Construction to remove the 1.4-mile long elevated portion of the I-81 highway, also known as the viaduct, will happen in stages across multiple contracts. The first spans of removal will start in the winter of 2027, NYSDOT spokesperson TeNesha Murphy recently confirmed to Central Current.] The post Meet Syracuse Housing Authority’s new interim executive director Jalyn Clifford appeared first on Central Current. ...read more read less