This month, the Housing Authority of Picayune is opening six new public housing units.

The Housing Authority is responsible for three housing sites located in Picayune, including 282 units for low-income families, the elderly and the disabled.

Picayune Housing Authority Executive Director Toni Watts said an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony will be held for the new units on Monday, April 13 starting at 1 p.m.

The new units will be located at the Mae Williams public housing site on 111 Elmwood St.

The housing units include a wheelchair accessible one-bedroom unit, a two-bedroom unit for the hearing and sight impaired and four additional four-bedroom units.

“There’s a very high need for low-income housing,” Watts said. “We have a really long waiting list especially for the one-bedroom units, which is why we decided to build additional units.”

The future occupants of the new units will be selected from the waiting list.

“Four of our units will probably be occupied by the open house, but we will keep two free for the event,” Watts said.

She encourages people to apply at their office, and if they qualify, potential occupants will be placed on the waiting list until housing becomes available.

“We’re very excited about being able to provide this additional housing and we’ll be looking for more opportunities to do so in the future,” Watts said.

The Item previously reported that the Housing Authority was planning on submitting a grant application to the U.S. Department of Health and Urban Development to purchase new security features, like security cameras, for its public housing facilities.

Last month, they submitted the grant and should hear back in the near future, Watts said.

The Housing Authority office is located at 821 Sixth Ave.