Escanaba Housing Commission

Escanaba Housing Commission, doing business as Harbor Tower Apts, is a local government housing authority in Escanaba, Michigan that receives formula grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Public and Indian Housing Office to fund capital improvements and operating expenses for its public housing portfolio. The Commission operates exclusively as a federal grant recipient, not as a contractor or subcontractor.

Escanaba Housing Commission is a U.S. local government entity structured as a housing authority serving low-income residents, elderly individuals, and persons with disabilities across its service area. The Commission's federal activity centers entirely on two HUD grant programs: the Public Housing Capital Fund (CFDA 14.872) and the Public Housing Operating Fund (CFDA 14.850). Capital Fund grants support modernization, infrastructure improvements, energy efficiency upgrades, and development activities that add to or reconfigure housing units within the Commission's inventory. Operating Fund grants cover day-to-day operational and maintenance expenses, property management, routine and preventative maintenance, anti-crime and security activities, energy costs, resident supportive services, insurance, debt service, and administrative program implementation. Both programs operate as formula grants, calculated by HUD based on characteristics of the Commission's public housing inventory — unit counts, building age, and construction cost indices — rather than through competitive application processes.

Recent representative grants include a $399,762 Capital Fund award effective April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2030 and a $105,845 Operating Fund award effective January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2032. The Commission also holds overlapping Capital Fund and Operating Fund grants spanning award dates from 2022 through 2026, with ultimate completion dates ranging through 2032. The Commission's entire federal footprint — 38 awards totaling $9.3 million in obligated dollars across the past two decades — derives from the HUD Public and Indian Housing Office. Four awards reach ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, reflecting the rolling formula-grant structure under which the Commission receives annual or multi-year allocations. As a Public Housing Agency, the Commission does not subcontract; all awards are held in its capacity as prime recipient.