About HAP

The Housing Authority of Paducah was established July 18, 1938 in accordance with the US Housing Act of 1937 and Kentucky Revised Statutes (KRS) 80. The agency obtained 501 (c) 3 non-profit status in 2004 to open further opportunities for programs and services which benefit the well-being of our residents.

The HAP has grown into one of the largest local providers of affordable housing and family services in McCracken County. The agency currently provides affordable housing for over 1,500 individuals.

We administer 855 units of traditional subsidized rental units. We also assist our residents by developing and offering programs to help them achieve self-sufficiency through education and employment. An on-site day care at the Elmwood community has been established to serve the child care needs of our residents. We have a strong elderly community and administer activity programs designed for our senior residents. The Housing Authority offers housing alternatives without regard to race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. We invite you to consider the Housing Authority of Paducah when making your housing choice.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Housing Authority of Paducah is to assist qualified, responsible families and individuals, with safe, decent, and affordable housing opportunities as they strive to achieve or maintain self-sufficiency and improve the quality of their lives while treating the residents with dignity and respect. The Housing Authority of Paducah is committed to operating in an efficient, ethical and professional manner. In its operations, the Housing Authority of Paducah is committed to revitalizing and maintaining neighborhoods and a strong urban core. The Housing Authority of Paducah will create, and maintain partnerships with its clients and appropriate community agencies to accomplish this mission.

Board of Commissioners

The Board of Commissioners meets on the third Thursday of every month in the Harvey Riley Center for Education located at 2304 Ohio Street.

John "Buzz" Vontesmar

Buzz Vontesmar was appointed to the Commission in 2021 by Mayor Bray.

He is currently the owner of American Home LLC, American Mechanical HVAC Services LLC, BVT Technical Center Inc., American Vocational Training (501C3), and Fly By Night Rentals, Inc.

He has lived and worked in Paducah Kentucky for 25 plus years, is involved with many veterans’ groups and is a disabled American veteran, US Air Force. He is the father of five children and 7 grandchildren.

He is a member of Paducah Chamber of Commerce. He was appointed a Kentucky Colonel by Governor Andy Beshear for his volunteer service to the community in regards to vocational training for high school students and for helping initiate and train for the McCracken County inmate training program.

He has been involved for years with training the maintenance personnel for many housing authorities throughout the United States. He is a published author of HVAC training materials and a video series.

Raynarldo Henderson

Mayor's Proxy

Raynarldo Maurice Henderson was elected as a city Commissioner in November 2020 with his term beginning January 1, 2021. Commissioner Henderson was born in Chicago, Illinois, on January 28, 1962, where he was educated, licensed, and ordained to preach the Gospel. He studied at Judson College (now Judson University) where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications. Commissioner Henderson also received a M.Div. (Master of Divinity) degree from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

Pastor, as he is affectionately called, has been serving as the senior servant of the “historic” Washington Street Missionary Baptist Church for twenty-eight years. Washington Street, organized in 1855, is the oldest Black congregation in Paducah and one of the oldest congregations in Western Kentucky. Raynarldo Henderson is the seventeenth pastor. He is also the founder and president of the Washington Street Community Development Corporation, a 501©(3) organization.

Since arriving in Paducah in 1992, Pastor Henderson has been actively involved in community and state affairs. He served on the Paducah Housing Authority board for seventeen years, sixteen of those years as Chairman. In 2011, in honor of his dedicated service, the community center in Blackburn Court was renamed the Raynarldo M. Henderson Community Center. Pastor Henderson was also appointed by Governor Ernie Fletcher to a Blue-Ribbon Panel to study the viability of the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights.

In 2007, Pastor Henderson’s sermon, “When God Puts You on Hold,” was published in the Fall Edition of the African American Pulpit, a quarterly journal that serves as a repository for the very best of African American preaching and provides practical and creative resources for persons in ministry.

Commissioner Henderson has been married for thirty-two years to the former Cheri Adams. They have three adult children and one granddaughter. While community is Pastor Henderson’s passion, it is his commitment to the growth of the body of Christ that remains his first passion.

In serving as City Commissioner, he serves on the Municipal Housing Commission.

Albert Parker

Albert Parker servers as the Housing Authority of Paducah’s resident appointed commissioner. Mr. Parker relocated to Paducah in 1991 from Annapolis, Maryland. Mr. Parker is a proud father of 8 children, five living in Maryland, and three in Kentucky. He is a faithful member of Ninth Street Tabernacle Ministries in Paducah where he serves as Deacon, Heavenly Seniors Ministry, Greeters Ministry and any other areas he is asked to serve. Mr. Parker previously worked for the United States Naval Exchange, McDonalds of Paducah as swing manager, and the City of Paducah Sanitation Department. Mr. Parker also serves on the Kentucky HIV\AIDS planning Advisory Council and serves for West KY Allied Services.

Melanie Nunn

Melanie E. Nunn is a retired educator who taught in the Detroit Public School system for over 21 years before retiring and relocating to her husband’s hometown of Paducah. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Education from Kentucky State University and a Masters in Biblical Studies from Andersonville Theological Seminary. She is a licensed and ordained minister.

Although no longer employed as an educator, her passion for teaching and serving others has never diminished. She continued her service to youth through her role as the Program Director for the Oscar Cross Boys and Girls Club of Paducah, Inc. for ten years and served as Superintendent of Discipleship Training for seven years at Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church where she has been a member since 1996.

She was appointed to the Paducah Housing Authority Board by former mayor Brandi Harless in 2018. She is the current president of Paducah Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; member of the Paducah-McCracken County NAACP; Leadership Paducah Class #27; Paducah Chamber of Commerce, Life Member of Kentucky State University Alumni, has worked on several community projects through United Way and supports numerous projects that encourage and promote youth initiatives.

She has received several awards and certificates of recognition throughout the years, but her most treasured accolade came from her father who, when asked to give remarks at her retirement, proudly proclaimed, “…this is my beloved daughter in whom I am well pleased.”

She firmly believes in and lives by Luke 12:48b “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required”.

Edward Hely

Staff

The HAP’s long term experience in managing public housing provides a professional workforce of administrative and maintenance employees to manage the housing needs of approximately 1500 residents. The HAP continues to build on a history of full compliance with fair housing laws, developing resident services, and building community partnerships to obtain and expand beneficial programs.