CARBONDALE (WSIL) -- The Jackson County Housing Authority is naming areas of their housing district after newly retired director Tyler Young, Jr.
At a dedication Thursday morning, dozens of colleagues and family met to honor Young.
Tyler Young, Jr. Estates covers 44 existing Section 8 housing units spread across several streets in Carbondale.
Young retired from the housing authority after 45 years of service, 26 of those years as the director. Young was born in New Madrid, Missouri but graduated from Attucks High School in Carbondale.
"Any time someone names an area after you, or a development after you, it's truly an honor to have that done," Young said.
Carbondale Police Chief Jeff Grubbs presented Young with the Chief's Award of Merit, one of the two highest awards the police department offers, for his longtime service to the community.
Brigitta Mac-Rizzo, the new housing director, said that while they wanted to honor Young for his years of service, the naming is also to help remove the stigma of public housing.
"Public housing has a [stigma] for not being well maintained, or people don't wanna go to public housing. So I wanna freshen up the units and re-brand the units by giving it a name," Mac-Rizzo said.
The ceremony was originally scheduled for July 1 but rescheduled to Thursday due to rain.Â
