The future of Gloucester’s Advisory Board on Housing may be in jeopardy.

The Gloucester County Board of Supervisors discussed the future of the housing board during a work session Feb. 21 and is expected at its regular meeting Wednesday night to either find a way to keep the board and fund a staff position for the housing initiatives the board may wish to explore, or suspend or eliminate the board altogether.

Gloucester’s housing department formerly served as a fiscal agent for the Section 8 voucher program administered through the federal government for the region. That program has now been transferred to Bay Aging and the housing department in Gloucester was eliminated.

The housing board then existed as an advisory board without any staff, according to county administrator Brenda Garton. Now, the housing board needs direction. "They have asked what you want them to do and you have asked what they’d like to do," she said.

At this point, Garton said the county does not have the staff or the money to implement any programs in the housing area. Therefore, she suggested eliminating the housing board or suspending it until there are funds to implement any programs.

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