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Robert L. Reyna
Former Beaumont Housing Authority Executive Director, Robert L. Reyna, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023 in San Antonio, Texas.
A memorial service will be held on Feb. 24, at 1p.m. at the Resurrection of the Lord Catholic Church located at 7990 W. Military Drive in San Antonio.
BHA offices will be closed on Feb. 24 to allow staff to attend the service.
Reyna was always proud to tell people that he was a product of public housing at Elmer Scott Place in West Dallas. It was there that he earned his first job with a paper route, delivering papers to customers at three different segregated projects. As a teenager, Reyna joined ROTC and would serve as an usher at the Cotton Bowl.
During his time in Dallas, he credits an Outward-Bound mentorship program with Southern Methodist University with keeping him out of trouble and putting him on a path to success. That experience is what motivated him to establish a similar program at BHA called “Bound for Success”. This program helped guide youth living in public housing through their senior year in high school. The program was a huge success, winning national awards.
Upon graduation from high school, Reyna enrolled at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio to study pre-law. It was there he met his bride, Rosemary. During their 50 years of marriage, they had four children, Jennifer, Jacqueline, Robert Jr. and Christopher and were blessed with 12 grandchildren.
Reyna began his career in the housing industry in 1973 as a maintenance man with the San Antonio Housing Authority. He moved up quickly, becoming a Resident Services Representative connecting residents to social and supportive services.
In 1979, Reyna moved to San Diego to help the city establish its very first public housing program. His career has also taken him to Ft. Worth where he served for 10 years as a Housing Operations Administrator, and Houston, where he worked for 12 years as the Director of Housing Management, and later as the Director of Communications, Community Relations and Grants.
In 2003, he was selected by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development to assume the role as Executive Director at the Beaumont Housing Authority. At the time, the agency was under HUD receivership due to mismanagement. Public confidence in the agency’s ability to manage its programs effectively was non-existent.
Under Reyna’s leadership, the agency was returned to local control within 18 months. Public trust in the agency was restored, as Mr. Reyna worked to build partnerships in the community.
Shortly thereafter, Beaumont was hit by Hurricane Rita, which did significant damage to Magnolia Gardens, BHA’s oldest and most dilapidated public housing property. BHA competed for, and won, a highly coveted HOPE VI Revitalization grant, which brought more than $54 million dollars of investment to the North End of Beaumont. Magnolia Gardens was razed, and over 400 units of affordable housing were built. The final component of that program was an 87-home subdivision that brought homeowners back to the neighborhood.
In 2009, Reyna was recognized as the Executive Director of the Year by the Texas Chapter of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials for his outstanding achievements and leadership.
Reyna created public/private partnerships which resulted in the construction of over $35 million in new development primarily funded by private investors. Evidence of these partnerships include The Crossing, a beautiful property for senior citizens on East Lucas, and Azure Pointe, a property in the far North End that provides affordable housing for families. He was especially proud of the multitude of social and supportive services programs that BHA offers to help our residents achieve self-sufficiency and improve the quality of their lives.
Reyna’s ability to think outside of the box brought the agency a long way in a short period of time. Through his 15 years at BHA, he earned the admiration and respect of not just local, state and national leaders, but more importantly of the staff who stuck with the agency through its darkest days. He fostered an environment of teamwork and respect that has made BHA a place where employees are excited to go to work.
Reyna truly left a lasting legacy at BHA, as evidenced by the BHA Central Office being renamed the Robert L. Reyna Administration Building following his retirement in 2018.