The Low Rent Public Housing Program was created in 1937 to own and operate housing that was built by the federal government under President Franklin Roosevelt's Public Works Administration. In Jackson County, public housing did not become a reality until 1960, when the first Public Housing was constructed after a tornado devastated much of the southern part of Murphysboro and left many people homeless. JCHA was originally created in August of 1946 to obtain grant money to improve housing conditions within the area of operation being Jackson County. The legal name of the Authority is The Housing Authority of the County of Jackson Illinois, but it is commonly referred to as the Jackson County Housing Authority (JCHA). JCHA was established to provide safe decent and sanitary housing to low-income families, elderly families, disabled families and low-income individuals in Jackson County. The Jackson County Housing Authority is a municipal not-for-profit corporation, governed by a Board of Commissions consisting of five (5) members. The commissioners are appointed by the Jackson County Board. The housing authority is funded by the Federal government through the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and by the rents that are collected from its residents.