“On A Mission” showcases leaders who are going the extra mile each and every day. Each of the people we interview is on a mission to serve, inspire and educate. Our hosts highlight their impact and explore what motivates, engages and fulfills individuals and teams to be more productive, more effective, better at what they do, and happier to do it. Today our hosts, Della Sellers spoke with Oche Bridgeford.
Oche Bridgeford
President/ CEO at Palatka Housing Authority
Website Address: Palatkahousing.org
Short company description:
The Palatka Housing Authority (PHA) is more than housing—we’re building pathways to stability, opportunity, and generational wealth. Serving families across Palatka, Crescent City, East Palatka, Interlachen, Pomona Park, San Mateo, Satsuma, and Welaka, we provide quality housing and programs that empower residents to thrive.
Through our Public Housing and Housing Choice Voucher Programs, we currently manage 422 public housing units and administer over 400 vouchers—but our work extends far beyond bricks and mortar. We are re-imagining housing as a launchpad for community building, financial resilience, and long-term success.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned over your career?
Know when to fold em. Never stay too long.
What nonprofit do you have a heart for and how do you support it?
PHDMC builds affordable housing no one else can afford to build.
What’s your favorite way to get involved in the community?
I love connecting people directly to opportunities to produce improve their well-being and quality of life.
If you could be remembered for one thing, what would it be?
Caring and turning concern to not impact.
Transcript
Della
Welcome to On a Mission. I’m Della Sellers, and today I get a chance to meet with Oche from the Palatka Housing Authority. Almost messed that up. Okay, nice to meet you. Welcome.
Oche
Great to meet you, Della, and it’s great to be here.
Della
Wonderful. Well, thank you so much for taking some time to meet with us today. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and the Palatka Housing Authority?
Oche
Yes. The Palatka Housing Authority really specializes in providing affordable housing solutions to low-income, extremely low-income, and even mid-income individuals in Putnam County. We run two primary programs. One is a voucher program, where we issue vouchers for people to find affordable housing. The other is public housing, where we own and manage those properties.
We are also at a transition point in our organization where we’re really beginning to focus on homeownership and wealth creation, and we’re very excited about that.
Della
Well, I know just in my experience within Duval County housing and all throughout the First Coast, housing is a challenge for a lot of us. So tell us a little bit about what you’re doing that makes you different from some of the organizations out there.
Oche
Yeah. We have a program called the River Program, and it’s a resident investment vehicle for economic resilience. The idea behind the River Program is how do we really create wealth through homeownership? In the United States, it’s often quoted that homeownership is the number one way to build wealth. But many times, people get locked into mortgages on homes that don’t appreciate in value.
All of the wealth creation happens in that value appreciation through the homeownership buying process, as well as the equity that’s created in the home. When homes don’t create equity, you just don’t create wealth. So we’re developing a program that actually addresses many of those issues.
Della
That sounds exciting for the people of Putnam County. So tell us a little bit more about how people can find you, get involved, and get connected to some of the resources.
Oche
Yeah. We have a lot going on as an organization. It’s an exciting time. We like to say it’s a great day because so many things are happening. We have many cool events, and individuals who are interested in the organization can come volunteer or just show up to one of our events.
You can learn more about us at palatkaha.org. You can go straight to our website and learn more about us and all the things we have going on.
Della
That is so exciting. As we close out, is there anything else about what you have happening for 2026 that you want to make sure people know about?
Oche
Yeah. One of the exciting things we have going on is a series of open mics at a couple of our different locations, where people can come out and express themselves through musical talent, comedy, or poetry. It’s been a great opportunity for us to connect the community and build excitement about what we’re doing in Putnam County.
Della
Okay. Are you getting up there with an instrument or a poem?
Oche
Well, you may or may not see me hosting from time to time. So if you like to have a good time, and you like an all-ages show that’s family-friendly and clean, it’s a great opportunity to come out and have a good time with us.
Della
My personal goal for 2026, which is continued from last year, is to learn how to play the guitar. I am nowhere close to public display at this moment, but maybe one day.
Oche
Well, keep plugging away. In the end, we’d love to see you on stage at one of the openings.
Della
Awesome. It was so nice to meet you. We appreciate you joining us on On a Mission today. You got a chance to meet Oche with the Palatka Housing Authority, who is really working to help establish additional housing opportunities for the community.
Thanks for tuning in to On a Mission. We’ll see you again next time.
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