Lighting the spark: Bozon creates a sense of community
Photo by Becky Stinehour
Barbara Bozon understands the importance of people having a sense of community. Creating it is a big part of her job.
Barbara is the executive director of the Central Texas Housing Consortium. She makes it a point everyday to see that her residents feel like they are part of a community and that they live in clean, affordable housing — something more than just a roof over their head. She wants to give them a hand up to a better life, education and job training.
A certified public accountant, Barbara is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of 1,183 units scattered throughout Temple and Belton that house low-income residents. As the number of people needing help increased over the years, so did the number of apartments. Recently, the CTHC had a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the opening of the French Crossing 12-unit apartment building. Built in 1952, it offers newly renovated one-bedroom apartments.
“We don’t provide luxury housing,” she said. “But everyone deserves a decent, well-maintained place to live. Affordable housing is available throughout the county, based on need.”
And different people have different needs. “We do an assessment to see where they are and what else they need to do to improve their lives,” Barbara said.
Barbara oversees six departments: accounting, maintenance, housing, residence services, contracting and administration as well as the deputy director of procurement. She makes sure the housing units meet the CTHC standards. The CTHC also manages Rose Hall in Temple, a place where residents can interact with their neighbors or learn a new skill.
CTHC partners with 82 organizations to serve residents, including United Way, H-E-B, Rotary Club, area churches, Feed My Sheep, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, Temple College and the Veterans Administration. With so much to manage she makes it a priority to keep things “neat and organized.”
“I think providing this type of environment is more pleasant for employees and shows respect to our customers. Plus, I am calmer and focused when everything is organized and neat. It keeps things on an even keel,” she said. “People respond well to that. It allows you to focus on what’s important.”
Prospective and current residents are expected to meet lease requirements. There is a zero-tolerance drug policy. Residents are also responsible to keep their units clean and orderly and be courteous to their neighbors.
Her biggest challenge: Funding.
“It tends to be sporadic,” she said. “It has its ups and down. The federal government doesn’t know five to six months in what it will be. We are fortunate to have relationships throughout the community.”
International roots
Barbara is a native of Belgium. Her parents were a young married couple when they moved to the Belgian Congo in the early 1960s where her father, Dr. Ed Bellens, a house doctor in Belgium, decided to attend school for tropical medicine. The family returned to Belgium when civil war for independence erupted in the Congo. But it still wasn’t the life Dr. Bellens wanted for his family. “He was attracted to America where he could live free and become a success in whatever he chose,” Barbara said.
Dr. Bellens decided to move his family to the United States. Barbara was a child when she crossed the Atlantic with her mom and sister, Martha, on a cargo ship carrying the family’s household goods. They first settled in Florida where her father specialized in otolaryngology (ENT). After a short time in Richmond, Virginia, the family moved to Temple in the 1970s when her dad took a position at Scott & White Hospital. Barbara was just 9 years old when she entered the fourth grade at St. Mary’s Catholic School. Her father felt the quality of health care was better in the United States. It wasn’t unusual for him to get calls from overseas to ask his advice.
But Barbara was never too far away from her home country. Every summer the family traveled to Belgium for a six-week holiday to visit with family and friends.
Back home in the states, her dad loved the outdoors and took the family for annual vacations to state and national parks. “Dad took us camping to Big Bend, Yellowstone, Teton and Estes Park,” she said, recalling some of the places they visited. She has traveled to 27 states.
A world of numbers
Despite her father’s influence, Barbara did not want to be a doctor. She chose business and finance. She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration-Finance from Texas A&M University and graduated summa cum laude.
In a sense, accounting is the family business. Barbara’s husband, Carl, is senior vice president and audit manager for South Star Bank in Harker Heights. Their son, Brandon, is a CPA and the director of finance for the City of Belton.
Their daughter, Brianna, also a CPA, is a senior associate with KPMG in Dallas. And their daughter in-law, Brandon’s wife, Jessica, is a CPA at Brockway, Gersbach, Franklin and Niemeier, P.C., a public accounting firm in Temple.
With a passion for “working with numbers,” Barbara began her career in the banking business. She started with the CTHC in 1991 and became its executive director in 2005. This is her first time leading a housing authority where she helps people with affordable housing.
“All through growing up people are encouraged to do the right thing and get a job, or go to school. When a person loses a job, we need to be compassionate about that. Life can be very challenging,” said Barbara, a graduate of Leadership Temple, member of the Rotary Club of Temple and board member for several organizations. She sees her job at the CTHC as a way to help people get through some of those challenges.
“There are things we take for granted. Minimum wage can break down people, maybe they lost their job; their life goes downhill. They need self resistance from taking the wrong path,” Barbara said. “We hope we can light that spark.”
