News

LOCAL OFFICIALS LOOK FOR WAYS TO PERMANENTLY HOUSE EVACUEES

By Larry Ault/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Saturday, September 10, 2005 10:43 PM CDT

Jefferson County officials are planning ways to create permanent housing for displaced victims of Hurricane Katrina who are considering staying in the area, proposing construction projects and placing them in public housing.

Meanwhile, local hotels and motels have accommodated many of the people who traveled to Pine Bluff in the early days of the hurricane disaster, offering them discounted room rates and arranging for local churches to provide meals and even pay for their rooms.

Churches have also been helping place displaced people in private homes, said Judi Norton, a spokesman for the Economic Development Alliance of Jefferson County. "People are stepping up and offering assistance," Norton said.

Jefferson County Judge Jack Jones said long range housing needs are being explored in an effort to place people in permanent homes.

"A vacant motel could be turned into apartments really easily," he said. The Arkansas Department of Correction could provide personnel such as carpenters to build homes, he added.

"We could build some prefab houses."

An estimated 150 housing units are available in the county, said Lee Turner, administrator of the Jefferson County Department of Human Services.

Pine Bluff Mayor Carl Redus Jr. said the Pine Bluff Housing Authority has 100 vouchers available that could be used to provide housing. "It's been a tremendous effort all week," he said. The Red Cross and other agencies involved in caring for the evacuees have been "doing the job they can do best."

The housing issue is "still in process" but the authority will have 100 vouchers available that are good for a single family unit, which may be an apartment or home in the private sector, said Rita Conley, Redus' administrative assistant.

"The landlord will be paid through HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development)," Conley said. "They are waiting on approval."

The city of Pine Bluff has set up tables at the Pine Bluff Convention Center, which is the site of a Red Cross emergency shelter. Pine Bluff's Economic and Community Development Department and the housing authority are handling the housing situation.

Jeannie Epperson, director of the housing authority, said she couldn't put a number on the number of vouchers she will have available, but said, "I may have up to 100 vouchers.

"I'm still waiting on the paper work," she added.

Epperson said she and Donald Sampson, director of Pine Bluff's Economic and Community Development Department, conducted a survey at the Red Cross Shelter at the Pine Bluff Convention Center and they are "trying to determine what the needs are. By Tuesday, we should be issuing some vouchers."

The amount that the vouchers will pay towards rent depends upon a person's income, she said.

"They'll go out and find their own," she said of the rental units.

Jim Crider, president of the Alliance, said a job fair could be easily organized to arrange for people looking for work to find jobs. "There might be opportunities in the school system for teachers," Crider said.

County residents have been reaching out to the displaced evacuees.

"We've had a few of them out here," said Olen Bearden, manager of Thunder Lanes Bowling Center. "I gave a lady a few games. I've had a few come in."

Bearden said he notified the bowling leagues last week that displaced people in Jefferson need lodging, asking bowlers if they have apartments or homes that could be made available.

"We started last week," said Linda Sheehan, manager of two Holiday Inn Express motels in Pine Bluff. "We knew this would be a long term ordeal for these people," she said.

"Church families in Pine Bluff have just been fantastic to these people," Sheehan said, explaining clothing and food have been donated. She estimated about 40 families have been placed in temporary homes in Pine Bluff. Sheehan said they are looking for houses that are for rent, furnished apartments or a spare bedroom.

"The whole community is really opening up its heart to these people," she said. "People who checked in last week, they are just coming to grips with this thing.

"These people don't have jobs. They don't have paychecks coming next week," she said.

"Some of these guests may not have any option but to file for bankruptcy," Sheehan said, noting that one family staying at the Holiday Inn Express at Watson Chapel "ran out of money the day they hit the door."

"We still have about 50 people," she said. "Some are finding relatives even if they are distant relatives."

"I'm not going to turn them out," she said, explaining Holiday Inn has a Priority Club and "millions of points have been donated" by customers that can be "turned in for free nights"

If nothing else works, "we'll just do the room complimentary," she said. "I've got very compassionate owners. We won't turn them out."

"A number of churches adopted a motel," said the Rev. Gordon Topping, pastor of First Baptist Church in Pine Bluff, explaining the churches brought meals to displaced people. He said the churches were "helping folks, just visiting with the folks. There was a lot of good stuff going on."

First Baptist is one of 40 churches that are part of the Harmony Baptist Association, an association of Southern Baptist churches in a multi-county area.

"We adopted a motel," Topping said, explaining it has been a community effort. "Many denominations are doing the same thing."

Many people who fled Hurricane Katrina last week have already left, said Sandra Robinson, manager of the Hampton Inn.

"Some went to live with relatives. We have about 30 still here," she said, noting that local churches have been providing the people with food every night."

Hotels and motels in Pine Bluff lowered their rates, Robinson added.

Some of the guests have flood insurance on their homes that will pay their costs, she said.

"In the long run, they will recover It's really sad. I wish we didn't have to charge them anything," she said, explaining that one of the churches offered to pay for a room for a family that ran out of money.

"We'll do what we have to do."

Housing opportunities for people displaced by Hurricane Katrina are being posted on the Internet at HurricaneHousing.org. On Tuesday, the site listed available spare bedrooms offered by two Pine Bluff property owners and housing for five properties in Redfield. The site also features housing that is available in other areas, including Sheridan, Little Rock and other parts of Arkansas.

Print this story   |   Email this story