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Biography of Carl R. Greene
Carl R. Greene believes in one thing above all others: results. And that is what he has brought to Philadelphia. Since taking over as executive director of the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) on March 9, 1998, he has overseen an incredible transformation of the agency and an unprecedented building boom. About $1.3 billion dollars is being invested demolishing outdated high-rise towers and similar housing and replacing it with modern low-rise high-quality homes.
PHA is above all else a property management company, and residents have certainly noticed another of the improvements instituted by Mr. Greene. When he arrived, the average wait for a home repair was 209 days. Now the wait is about ten days. And emergency repairs are made within 24 hours. The incredible improvement is the result of a special preventive maintenance team created by Mr. Greene. Also, in a federally mandated survey, more than nine out of ten PHA residents report they are satisfied with the condition of their homes. Mr. Greene has also overseen a sweeping upgrade of PHA’s technological capabilities and he has streamlined contracting and procurement operations.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development acknowledged PHA’s superior performance under Mr. Greene’s leadership by making the agency one of only a handful to receive the Moving To Work (MTW) designation. That gives PHA great flexibility in the way it shapes its programs and determines how to best use the federal funding it receives.
Mr. Greene encourages tenants toward self-sufficiency. He established the Pre-Apprenticeship Program, the first in the nation. Here, local unions work with PHA to move residents into the building trades. Mr. Greene has also brought major changes to the Section 8 housing voucher program, now called Housing Choice. Applicants now undergo criminal background checks and then must take tenant responsibility training before moving in. Landlords attend a full-day mandatory property management course and are taught the rules of the program. PHA has also won national recognition for its rent assessment system, which ensures that the rents PHA pays landlords match the private market. Finally, PHA has hired a representative who advocates for the community when residents have complaints about housing voucher tenants or properties.
Mr. Greene was achieving great results long before he came to Philadelphia. As executive director of the Detroit Housing Commission, he more than doubled that agency’s housing approval score in just three years. Before taking the helm in Detroit, Mr. Greene held management positions with the housing authorities in Washington, DC and Atlanta.
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