COLUMBIA, S.C. — Columbia Housing CEO Yvonda Bean has announced she is leaving the Midlands and heading to Indiana after more than five years with the organization.
“I’ve made a decision to resign from Columbia Housing to join another organization that happens to be troubled and in HUD receivership,” Bean said.
She’ll have her work cut out for her. The agency is reportedly several months and thousands of dollars behind on rent payments, which has led to mass evictions from those the agency serves.
Bean is no stranger to turning agencies around.
She started as Columbia Housing Authority’s COO in August 2019, just seven months after a gas leak led to the deaths of two residents and the eviction of 400 others at the now-demolished Allen Benedict Court development.
Bean said the authority has ambitious plans to build a new community on the vacant property, but gaining the necessary resources has been challenging.
“(We want to) build new housing and even more housing than was on the property previously. But our plans were somewhat stifled," she said. "There were some decisions made at the state level that impeded our ability to move it forward as quickly as we would like.”
Despite fewer federal and state funds, the housing authority has progressed on several large-scale projects, including Oak Terrace and Oak Park, Oaks at St. Anna’s Park and Haven at Palmer Pointe.
Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann praised Bean’s service to the community, releasing a statement that said, “The fruits of her leadership are evident in Columbia Housing’s developments. More than 400 new, affordable housing units were contracted during her tenure. We appreciate her leadership and know she will continue to do great things.”
Bean said she is proud to leave a legacy of always trying to be transparent and honest in the face of controversy.
“One of the things I pride myself on is taking responsibility when something happens that we should assume responsibility for, just because it’s the right thing to do,” she explained.
Barry Hill has been appointed interim CEO of the Columbia Housing Authority. The search for Bean’s replacement has not yet started, so the authority does not have a timeline for her replacement.