Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 6-12-20

Feature
County Commission Votes 6-1 To Approve $647,000 To Help Tampa Park Residents Relocate
BY MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Feature Writer
In early 2021, 12.5 acres of the land where Tampa Park Apartments, Inc., now sits will be owned by business- man, Darryl Shaw. The Tampa Park Board approved the terms in late 2019 and in early 2020 the due diligence process was completed that cleared the way for the sale. After 52 years of providing af- fordable housing to low-in- come residents, the management of the property was charged with notifying its tenants that they would need to move by November 1, 2020.
Once the residents were notified in mid February, Shaw hired a management company to assist the resi- dents with the pending move. Shaw also, generously allo- cated $1,500 in funds per household, plus moving sup- plies to residents who were in good standing.
Prior to Shaw’s actions, County Commissioner Chair, Les Miller contacted Tampa Park Board Vice Chairman Kay Andrews and commit- ted to having the County’s Housing division led by Cheryl Howell to see how much funding the county would allocate to help the res- idents. ‘The call came a week or two before the COVID-19 shutdown’, according to An- drews.
“Commissioner Miller
told me the County Commis- sion agreed to have the hous- ing division look into the funding for the residents, however, they would have to wait for the outcome of the re- port by Howell’s office, and then it would have to go back before the Board to be passed.’ The Board did not meet for weeks, with this as an agenda item because of the pandemic.
“In the meantime, ‘Darryl announced publicly his com- mitment to the residents, that led many to believe the resi- dents would be okay, includ- ing Comm. Miller, the county administrator and housing director. So, the item was on hold,” Andrews said.
“However, our residents were not only facing a pan- demic, but the re-locator found that many of the resi- dents were required to provide ‘first and last’ months rent as well as a deposit to move into a new apartment. The $500 that the residents got up front to pay application fees, and then the $1,000 given to them on moving day was not enough to help them move.
According to Commis- sioner Miller, those talks became more urgent after the pandemic hit. “The City wasn’t going to be able to do any- thing. They simply did not have the dollars,” he said. Comm. Miller went back to Director Howell and asked
LESLEY ‘LES’ MILLER County Commission Chair
CHERYL HOWELL, Affordable Housing Director, Hillsborough County
LATORIA ‘TORI’ BOYD President/Owner Signature Properties
her to revisit the original dis- cussion and come up with a program and budget. The pro- posal was brought before the Commission on Wednesday, June 3, 2020, and passed 6-1. Comm. Stacy White was the only commissioner to vote ‘no’. Hillsborough County has allotted $647,000. The money will come from a countywide general fund.
“I was thinking about those people who have lost their jobs, having hard times and not being able to pay for deposits or moving. They are from my district and through discussions with Ms. An- drews and Director Howell, I thought it was the right thing to do,” states Comm. Miller.
Affordable Housing Direc- tor Howell has a sense of ur- gency and concern for the well-being of the residents of Tampa Park Apartments. Her department began assessing the needs of the residents as talks began with the Com- missioner Miller and Ms. Andrews. With the grant of $647,000, Howell will bring on a counseling agency to work with the residents, un- derstanding any barriers to re- location, and discussing possible locations so that resi- dents will not be spending ap- plication money on many different properties. The
TAMPA PARK APARTMENTS
agency will spend 10% of their budget on counseling.
The remainder of the funds will be used for actual housing placement.
“We want them to gain a better understanding of the money involved. The agency will focus on education and funding to pay for deposits, and up to three months of rent,” according to Howell.
Howell also addressed the issue of moving residents away from such a central loca- tion. She wants to alleviate those concerns so that clients are in an area where they are close to their social support system and public transporta- tion, despite the tight housing market. There will be a variety of different types of housing to replace the affordability of Tampa Park Apartments, while still addressing needs such as affordable childcare and being close to work.
Howell is looking to start moving households in July with most being moved by Oc- tober.
While Director Howell deals with the county end of the relocation, Latoria “Tori” Boyd, Presi- dent/Owner of Signature Property Services, has been tapped by Shaw to handle their relocation. Boyd, a Fort Lauderdale native and gradu-
ate of Morris Brown College, has been in Tampa for several years.
Her biggest job will be turning this situation into a positive for the residents. She emphasizes the terms ”fresh start” and “new beginnings,” saying residents will have the same or better quality of life in their new homes.
Ms. Boyd states, “A lot of people are excited and looking forward to their new adven- ture.”
Her team consists of a re- altor, a mortgage broker and lender, and credit repair ana- lyst. She urges her clients to let her know of any potential problems like prior evictions or felony convictions so that they can start working on find- ing the right community for that person. She encourages open discussion and will work with the county’s Affordable Housing agency to provide the best outcome for the resi- dents.
“The Tampa Park Board especially thanks Commis- sioner Miller, as well as Commissioners Kimberly Overman, Sandy Mur- man, Pat Kemp, Mariella Smith and Ken Hagan for their votes to help the people who need it most,” says An- drews. ‘This was huge’.
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