Although many who pass the Framingham Housing Authority family developments on the historical former muster field site may see rows of townhouses, a closer look reveals the FHA is about more than bricks and mortar -- it is about working daily to provide improved quality of life for each of its family, elderly and handicapped residents.

Formed in 1946, the Framingham Housing Authority is led by a dedicated five-member Board of Commissioners. Together with Executive Director Kevin Bumpus and a supportive staff of 30, the FHA maintains over 1000 units of public housing and administers rent subsidies for over 800 units of private housing, in cooperation with federal, state and local authorities.

"Our aim this past year, as always, has been to enhance the life-quality of our residents, and in doing so, to better the lives of all who live and work in the Greater Framingham community," notes Bumpus, who joined the FHA in 2007 after 15 years of public housing leadership in Somerville and Boston.

With that as an agency goal, two key developments have marked FY2007 at the Framingham Housing Authority - state funding for a two-phase $50 million comprehensive modernization of the Pearl Harbor and St. Lo family developments, and renewed emphasis on services for FHA residents.