DELAWARE – Wednesday Matthew Heckles was sworn in as the Director of Delaware State Housing Authority.
Heckles has spent a majority of his career working in housing, having served as the Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
He also spent several years working with the DSHA as a legislative and policy advisor, so he is no stranger to the department.
Heckles says one of his priorities will be to address the current housing crisis by continuing to invest in housing infrastructure in the state of Delaware.
He says he’s looking to do that by creating housing that is more in line with what people need and increasing density.
“The way that we plan on doing that is to work with jurisdictions all across the state to make sure that land is available through zoning and permitting processes and overall just trying to make sure we’re on the same page and have a vision for what the state needs and that we can implement that with all of our partners,” said Heckles.
When asked about how to address the housing crisis in Sussex County, Heckles said he thinks what works for Sussex County works everywhere, adding that its important to focus on making sure they’re making good investments in housing.