Housing Authority charges rent to tenants for apartments made uninhabitable by Hurricane Harvey

By Kelly Macias  

Friday Sep 22, 2017 · 8:01 PM EST

 

Why can't the government seem to do right by hurricane victims?

It’s almost shocking that, in this country, government at both local and federal levels has absolutely no clue how to treat victims of natural disasters. Almost. Ten years after Hurricane Katrina, people were still living in FEMA trailers—which turned out to be toxic and made hundreds of people sick from the incredibly high levels of formaldehyde found inside. From a corrupt mayor, persistent crime rates a decade-plus later and a snail-paced recovery for the many in the city, we know from the example of New Orleans alone that we routinely fail victims of hurricanes and the poorest fare the worst of all. So we shouldn’t be surprised that Houston is already failing those impacted by Hurricane Harvey.

Residents of at least one Houston public housing complex have been asked to pay September rent for flooded units deemed uninhabitable, even as Mayor Sylvester Turner has publicly condemned private landlords for similar practices.

Half a dozen tenants of Clayton Homes, which is owned by the Houston Housing Authority, said property management asked them about rent earlier this month, even though Hurricane Harvey had rendered their units unlivable. Most paid after being told they otherwise would lose their spot at the complex, one of the city's few subsidized developments.

Surprised, no. Outraged, yes. People who are already low-income, who have lost almost everything and who been displaced by this storm are being charged money for apartments they can’t even use. And the completely incompetent local and federal governments are feigning ignorance. No one seems to know what’s going on and no one has a rational explanation. But that still hasn’t stopped them from taking residents’ money.

Houston Housing Authority President Tory Gunsolley initially said federal rules prevented the agency from forgiving rent, even in a disaster.

"The regulations don't contemplate us not charging rent and just waiving rent collection," he said.

Gunsolley changed course Tuesday afternoon, however, after questions from the Chronicle prompted a call from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

"Tenants of public housing authorities do not have to pay for units that are uninhabitable," HUD spokesman Scott Hudman explained.

So which is it? Can they charge people or can they not? Why does no one seem to know? (Answer: They can’t and they shouldn’t.)

So why is this happening and why can’t they figure out how to refund people their money immediately? And where is Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson? He recently laid out a very tepid plan to reform HUD but he’s been very quiet when it comes to helping hurricane victims.

A $50 rent, which is what they took from one of the tenants, may not seem like a lot of money to some of us. But to people who are struggling, who have lost homes, belongings and employment, $50 can mean the difference between eating for several days or starving. Or the difference between getting necessary medication or going without. When you don’t have much, don’t have resources immediately available to you and have already lost your place to live, losing $50 can be devastating.

It remained unclear Wednesday how long it would take the housing authority to reimburse the residents from whom it had improperly collected rent. [...]

The housing authority called last week to ask if [LaShondra Ford, a resident of Clayton Homes,] would be willing to move to San Antonio, Austin, Dallas or Fort Worth, but her children had just started in a new school in Conroe, and she had a new job working security.

"That's too far," she said.

Next, the woman from the housing authority asked if Ford would be interested in other public housing in Houston, but again Ford worried about uprooting her children.

"Do we have options? Do we get to choose?"

No, the woman said.

Somehow we haven’t learned any lessons in the years post-Katrina or any of the other devastating hurricanes or natural disasters we’ve experienced as a nation. We are still unorganized and unconcerned with people’s well-being and expecting the most vulnerable among us to take care of themselves. What a shame it is that so many lawmakers spend their days trying to outlaw abortion, take away health care, cut taxes for the rich, fund wars, build walls and prisons but leave people stranded and needy at the most desperate times in their lives. We really need to do better as a nation and get our priorities in order.