New improvements make Morganton public housing a home

When Victoria Smith drives through Morganton’s Public Housing neighborhoods, she notices the small things: fresh sidewalks where there used to be mud, flower beds where residents once only saw bare dirt, and a bit of life and laughter where silence used to linger.

“For a long time, it felt like we were just keeping up,” Smith said. “Now we’re seeing our communities grow and full of life.”

After nearly 25 years with the Housing Authority and three years as its director, Smith has helped guide a quiet transformation. What was once a small, overstretched staff of three has grown into a full team: housing managers, front staff, a Resident Opportunities and Self-Sufficiency (ROSS) Coordinator, and six maintenance workers, all of whom have reduced average work-order turnaround from months to less than three weeks.

That growth “has allowed us to finally do the things we’ve always wanted, to focus on people, not just enforcing policies,” Smith said.

Smith lights up when she talks about the programs that have helped bring residents together, and standing in the hallway of the office, ROSS Coordinator Barbara Narten can’t help but smile, too. The two trade stories and laughter as they recall a calendar of events for residents, like a potluck for National Mac and Cheese Day, a Mother’s Day Tea, and the weekly walking club that’s grown to more than 30 participants across three housing sites.

“They’re simple things,” Smith said, glancing at Narten, “but they bring people together. Some of our residents hadn’t had a reason to leave their apartments in years. Now they’re walking, laughing, making friends.”

With pride in her voice, Smith talks about the major renovations taking shape across the Housing Authority’s properties, including a $2.3-million flooring project and new sidewalks, fresh landscaping, and drainage improvements.

Work is also progressing at the Steven B. Andrade Center, a space Smith envisions as a community hub, where residents, partners, and local groups can come together.

“We set a high standard for our residents, and we’re trying to show that we hold ourselves to the same bar,” she said. “We want people to be proud of where they live, and to see that we are a resource that cares about these communities, not just an agency of enforcement.”

For Smith, this work is deeply personal and guided by her faith.

“There were days in the past few years that I’d leave here feeling defeated,” she admitted. “But then I’d walk out another day and think, ‘This is my purpose.’ I really believe God placed me here for a reason. Seeing tenants and staff caring for each other, that’s what it’s all about.”

That sense of purpose, she said, shapes the way she sees the people she serves. Smith often speaks about helping residents recognize their own worth, a message that, for her, comes from both experience and faith.

“A lot of people don’t realize what they’re capable of,” she said. “If you think you’re nothing, you’ll live like you’re nothing. We want our residents to know they’re something, that they have value and potential, just like anyone else.”

Smith is quick to shift the spotlight away from herself. She gives full credit to her team, especially the maintenance staff, who she says have turned the whole place around through their tree removal project and landscaping.

She also praised the Housing Authority’s Board, whose encouragement and trust have carried her through some of the hardest days.

“Our board has been incredible,” she said. “They don’t just show up for meetings, they come to family days, they talk with residents, they give of their time. To have leadership from the community that genuinely supports what we’re doing here makes all the difference.”

Now, she hopes that same spirit will draw in others. The Housing Authority, she said, is eager to partner with churches, nonprofits, and local organizations that want to love on the neighborhoods her team has worked so hard to grow.

“We can only do so much on our own,” Smith said. “But when the wider community gets involved, and when people see these neighborhoods as part of their own, that’s when real change takes root.”

Looking ahead, Smith hopes the improvements at Morganton’s housing sites will ripple outward, inspiring investment and care in neighborhoods that have long been overlooked.

“If we start here, it’ll spread,” she said. “Our goal is to build communities through making connections. And I really believe we’re doing that.”