DEXTER, Mo. -- A lot of changes have taken place at the Dexter Housing Authority over the past 21 years, and Mona AuBuchon has been witness to every one of them in her role as executive director. Those days, however, are about to end. AuBuchon will spend her final day on the job on July 31.
"You know when it's time -- and it's time," she says from the office she's called her second home since December 1995.
AuBuchon's task has been to oversee the operation of 136 apartment-style units that make up the "original" Housing Authority on Sayre, Elm and Taylor Streets on the northeast end of Dexter, as well as units off of Business Highway 60, behind Taco Bell, where her office is located.
She has worn a variety of hats in her tenure with the Housing Authority, and admits that she'll miss many of those duties, but none as much as the people with whom she works and serves.
AuBuchon hired Robin Hopkins as her administrative assistant just two weeks after she was hired herself. The choice seems to have been a good one. Hopkins has been named to take over the executive director's role upon AuBuchon's departure. The fact that the local Housing Authority has been credited with the highest rating possible during AuBuchon's tenure is no coincidence. She sets high standards for her tenants, and strictly adheres to the regulations of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
"We deny -- on average -- one of every three applications for housing," she explains. "Our screening process has been extensive and includes a criminal history check, a credit history check with utility companies and a thorough check of references."
With those practices in place, the local housing units under her guidance have earned excellent audits and inspections and have the reputation of being among the best in the region.
"We're a lot more thorough than the private landlords are," she attests. Most of the tenants at both Housing Authority locations, AuBuchon notes, are elderly and/or handicapped.
Many are young single parents with children who are trying to get on their feet.
"Some of my fondest memories will always be those young women who used their stay as a transition as they were trying to recover from an abusive situation or a bad marriage. I've seen several go back to school and earn a degree to better their lives and the lives of their children. That's very rewarding," she says.
There was perhaps no one more appropriately placed in a position than was Mona AuBuchon in 1995. She was a product of public housing herself growing up.
"My family -- my parents and my four siblings -- moved from Michigan to Poplar Bluff when I was 15. We lived in public housing in Poplar Bluff for several years."
When she was 18, she graduated from Poplar Bluff High School and one month later, married Don AuBuchon -- a marriage that has lasted 44 years. She put herself through school to become a CPA, working in that field for several years before taking the position from which she will retire shortly. The background has served her well with the Housing Authority, as budgets and financial forms are commonplace.
While the greatest challenge in working for a government run entity has been following all of the everchanging regulations, AuBuchon says what she'll miss most is the relationships and friendships that have been formed over the years.
"When you work alongside the same staff for more than two decades and you see some of the same tenants you've seen for many years, leaving can be a difficult thing," she says, but history indicates she is not one to stay out of touch.
"I often go and visit former tenants who are now in the area nursing facilities," she notes. "When you know them for so long, they become like family. And, I've told the staff they can call me anytime they have a question."
The nearly retired executive director says she'll spend more time serving the needs of her church in the future, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, and will focus more on community service in other areas as well, and is looking forward to the opportunities that retirement will present. Her husband, Don, has been retired from Noranda Aluminum for more than a year, so she looks forward to more time together.
The AuBuchons have two daughters and sons-in-law, Dr. Angela AuBuchon and Mike Kersulov and Amy and Nathan Collins, and two grandchildren, Natalie and Ben Collins. They have tentative plans to sell their Dexter home which they built in the 1970s and possibly move to the St. Louis area where her grandchildren reside.
The public is invited to a retirement celebration for Mona AuBuchon to be held in the Dexter Housing Authority Community Room at 208 E. Sayre Street. The drop-in event will take place on AuBuchon's 62nd birthday, Friday, July 21, from 11 a.m through 1 p.m., with refreshments being served.