Owner Update “Question of The Month”

Q: What is TMHA’s response to Hurricane Katrina / Rita, and are we helping any evacuees locally?

A. Shortly after hurricane Katrina hit and the U.S. became aware that thousands were without food and housing, the HUD e-mail information system began to heat up. Guidance would be issued one day only to be amended the next. It was a part of the process to figure out just how to handle a massive problem.

HUD first polled HA’s across the country to see who had vacant public housing units that could immediately house families. About a week after Katrina but before Rita we had news that 500 families were to be air lifted to Columbus, and that Columbus HA would need extra help to process these families. That air lift never happened because many of the displaced families did not want to relocate so far from what they had called home – even though it wasn’t any longer there. What did happen is that displaced families began to gravitate – usually on their own - toward Ohio and other states where people had some family. Some private efforts also occurred – and are still occurring – such as a bus load of 12 – 15 families that chose Lima, Ohio as a destination. Through community efforts and with some help from the housing authority there, those families were all housed.

Shortly after the hurricanes, the TMHA Board of Commissioners passed a resolution to issue Vouchers to Katrina / Rita displaced families when no other assisted housing was available locally to house them. This action is intended to help those who have been displaced while still protecting the eligibility of our local families who need assistance from TMHA.

Here at Tuscarawas MHA we have had two families request help who have said they are hurricane displaced families. HUD has now issued guidance to help us verify that a family is indeed displaced, and in special need of help. With the assistance of a specially organized HUD help line, TMHA was able to verify that one of two families was displaced from public housing at a gulf coast HA. This family has been issued a TMHA Voucher and is looking for housing while temporarily living with relatives.

We expect this trend of families trickling to Ohio to continue. In the aftermath of the hurricanes, families who had been uprooted were too traumatized to make decisions about where to go. Some families had been split up when evacuated and were afraid to leave the coast area for fear of never finding relatives. Thousands are still without homes, and as time goes on, these families will have to determine their next step.

HUD has authorized some temporary housing funding called K-DAP. It will benefit families who are displaced from HUD-assisted housing OR were homeless before the hurricane. TMHA does not frankly think we will use much of this funding. More likely, HA’s located near the hurricane coast areas will absorb those most-at-need families, and make use of the K-DAP funding to house them.

At time goes on, a bigger problem will emerge as those families who have lost everything – their life sustaining job AND their housing – start to rebuild. They will be looking for help with housing until they can get on their feet. TMHA hopes Congress will recognize this problem and authorize enough funding to help all families – displaced and otherwise who need help with housing.


TMHA Office Closings For November

The Tuscarawas Metropolitan Housing Authority office will observe the following
holidays in the month of November and will be closed for business these days:

November 11 -  Veterans Day
November 24, 25 - Thanksgiving Holiday
 

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