Ripley Housing Authority (RHA) was officially founded by the City of Ripley Tennessee on August 31, 1960. RHA received their corporate charter from the state of TN on September 12, 1960.
At the time of our inception, Mayor C. Wilson Viar and the Board of Aldermen appointed a board of commissioners to govern RHA. The original commissioners were S.N. Anthony, Sr., John Stewart, James R. Fitzhugh, George P. Brown, and James W. Porter (Chairman). As a commissioner’s term expires, the mayor would, and still does, appoint a replacement and/or reappoint a commissioner. The length of service a commissioner serves is 5 years.
On June 22, 1961, RHA received grants from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to construct its first two properties, Cresent Drive and Chapel Circle. These 2 properties, consisting of 76 apartments, were completed approximately 1 year later in 1962.
Over the next 25 years, RHA would receive additional grants from HUD to expand its portfolio to 325 apartments. In total, our apartments are situated on 5 properties throughout the city limits of Ripley. They include:
In April 2022, the Board of Commissioners voted to change the name of our agency to Ripley Housing.
