“Facilitating the community transforms the world”

Fort Wayne Housing Authority cultivates vibrant, inclusive neighborhoods by providing safe, quality, affordable housing and a high level of life based on economic self-sufficiency under the guidance of CEO and Executive Director George Guy. The company has public, regular, and low-income housing and Fort Wayne residents with low incomes can afford to live in these units.

George has spent over 25 years helping underserved families and communities. George is the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment NAHRO's SVP. He led the North Central Regional Council, the Indiana NAHRO, and the Board of Ethics and Credentialing Trustees before becoming SVP. He is chairman of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis Affordable Housing Advisory Council, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Advisory Council on Community and Economic Development, and the Moving to Work (MTW) Collaborative Trustee (PHADA).

By modeling servant leadership, George oversees FWHA's housing and community development and has made it the nation's best. Decatur Housing Authority is one of its 4000 public, voucher, and affordable units. Job training, education, and healthcare collaborations helped him build communities. He started the Housing Leadership Academy for executives; ten administrative, maintenance, housing choice, and public housing supervisors were part of the first group.

FWHA's Homes Choice Voucher Program ensures quality homes and assists low-income families, elderly households, and disabled households to afford private housing (formerly Section 8). Participants find single-family homes, townhomes, or apartments, and they can also remain near schools, jobs, transit, and shopping.

FWHA established a center for property managers and residents to locate community programs and resources, including workshops, classes, training, and special events. Government, faith-based organizations, the community, and family and friends are all resources for residents, and each area's response is limited due to limited resources.

George has helped build $200 million in houses in Indiana and Illinois. He understands civil, human, and systemic rights. These mixed-finance buildings help AIDS, homeless, and domestic abuse families. He's also worked with local and national agencies to help homeless veterans, youth, and others. George serves on the United Way and Urban League boards. He's on Fort Wayne's Homelessness Planning Council and Indiana's Care Board.

Under his direction, agencies won 150 local, regional, and national accolades, and his team is honored for innovation, activism, and excellence in affordable housing. He has won awards for his work in the housing industry and in the community.

One of these is the Civil Rights Champions award from the Indiana Civil Rights Commission, which is given to an Indiana native whose work represents Dr. King's work for social justice and advocacy.

COVID-19 has increased employer flexibility. FWHA encouraged learning, collaboration, and innovation and saw no decline in productivity or interpersonal connection after moving to at-home work in March 2020. George thinks caring employers promote physical, mental, and emotional wellness. $23,110 in aid relief included laptops, displays, HDMI cords, keyboards, mice, headsets, Adobe Acrobat Suite, and a VPN. The pandemic affected FWHA's community service. In phase one, one staff member worked from home, except for one to two hours of paperwork per week. In phase two, they worked two days per week, and in phase three, they worked four days every other week to safeguard employees from the virus.

FWHA offered flexible compensation and scheduling. Office workers made $2/hour, and maintenance workers made $4/hour. After workers returned, they got a $50 monthly internet and energy subsidy. Fort Wayne residents sought treatment elsewhere due to COVID-19's travel limits and internet services. Allied One Solutions supplied broadband and smart tablets in November 2021. FWHA helped residents acquire Tablets and get engaged and supplied 115 smart tablets to help them move to a virtual workplace.

Families were able to access jobs, healthcare, and virtual courses online throughout the pandemic with $50 off broadband, and people over 50 and customers who didn't know much about IT were trained.

In November 2021, the FWHA teamed up with Allied One Solutions to offer an emergency broadband program to FWHA residents who qualified for services like Medicaid, supplemental nutrition assistance (food stamps), federal public housing assistance (Section 8), low-income home energy assistance, and national school free lunch.

In George’s view, tenants and landlords should know their rights. A financial literacy program taught money management. The FWHA informed landlords through handbooks, meetings, and mailings. Trainings, surveys, and 24-hour response times improved communication and tenant education helped landlords and tenants.

FWHA will digitize future documents connecting affordable housing resources and stakeholders. Future FWHA will boost staff efficiency through paperless processing, E-pay, DocuSign, and a collaborative website interface. The public opposes PHAs even when they're successful, but the FWHA will highlight its triumphs to improve its image, George added. IE