- The law requires the Omaha Housing Authority to provide tenants with access to legal counsel when facing eviction or lease termination.
- OHA will be required to publicly post all meeting notices, agendas, and minutes—both on its website and physically inside each residential tower.
- For the first time, OHA is required to host public meetings within its residential buildings.
OHA must meet all new requirements by July 1. CEO Joannie Bualk says updates are already underway to ensure the agency is ready.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A new state law is taking aim at poverty—and the way public landlords operate in North Omaha.
The Poverty Elimination Action Plan, spearheaded by State Senator Terrell McKinney, requires a five-year, citywide strategy to reduce poverty, with progress updates every two years. But the legislation goes beyond planning—it includes specific mandates for the Omaha Housing Authority (OHA), affecting both operations and tenant support.
Under the new law, OHA must: Provide legal counsel to tenants facing eviction or lease termination, post public meeting notices, agendas, and minutes both online and inside all OHA residential buildings and host public meetings within OHA towers—bringing decision-making closer to residents.
For residents like Chauncie Calloway at Evans Tower, these changes represent a long-overdue shift.
“You can have help, there is help out there,” Calloway said. “I don’t think they really put that out there, like, ‘Hey, these are your options.’ But that is huge—it gives you leverage to deal with whatever it is that you’re dealing with.”
OHA CEO Joannie Bualk says the agency is already preparing for implementation and they are prepared for the July 1, deadline.
