Page 9 - Florida Sentinel 11-13-15 Edition

Group Rallies To Stop Toll Lanes On Interstate Highways
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
On Tuesday, the Metro- politan Planning Organiza- tion (MPO) hosted a public meeting for residents on the proposed construction of toll lanes along I-275.
The meeting was held at the County Center downtown and the chambers were filled to capacity, forcing some res- idents to listen from outside of the room.
Lena Young-Green, who has been adamant in her opposition of the project, said she arrived late and was unable to actually get inside the chambers, but she did talk to some of those in atten- dance.
“Some people said they think the MPO is finally starting to at least listen to the residents. There is still a lot of opposition to the proj- ect.
“We’re trying to put to- gether all the information we can on the impact this project will cause, and our elected of- ficials need to pay attention and learn more about the project and what it means to the community, especially those who’ve been around for decades.
“I want them to have due diligence and make sure the residents have all of the in- formation.”
Ms. Young-Green said this is a $9 billion project they are proposing and is very unique.
“There will be a financial impact on the surrounding community with this project, because the engineering will use a lot of area that goes against the growth we’ve ex- perienced in the area with new home construction, and new businesses opening up.”
LENA YOUNG-GREEN
Mauricio Rosas, who is part of a group called Sun- shine Citizens said Com- missioner Kevin Beckner attended the meeting and said he would bring the issue up again with his colleagues.
“The MPO group has scheduled more meetings next year at the downtown li- brary.
“We oppose the project because it will annihilate the African American heritage of Tampa Heights. We also feel the expansion will be so
great, it will also impact the Seminole Heights commu- nity.”
Rosas said using the pro- posed toll road would cost the average citizens $8,000- a-year and that’s too high. He also said wetlands and other vital areas will be lost if the project moves forward.
“More people want to live within the urban core of Tampa and that’s hard when vital areas are being de- stroyed for the sake of this project.”
Councilwoman To Seek State Office
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Ms. Lisa Montelione
filed documentation officially declaring her intentions to run for a state office on Tuesday. She is challenging incumbent State Representative Shawn Harrison for the Dis- trict 63 Seat.
Ms. Montelione is cur- rently serving as the District 7 Representative for the City of Tampa City Council. She was unopposed to complete a sec- ond term earlier this year.
A native of Long Island, New York, Ms. Montelione graduated from the University of South Florida with a B. A. Degree in Interdisciplinary So- cial Sciences concentrating on Urban Policy and Social Work.
She was elected to the posi- tion of City Councilwoman in 2011.
By law, Ms. Montelione will be required to resign from
LISA MONTELIONE
her City Council post to pursue the State Representative Seat. The City will be required to hold a special election to fill her seat.
Incumbent, Attorney Shawn Harrison served on the City Council from 1999 to 2007. He was elected to the House of Representatives for the 2010-2012 term and re- elected in 2014.
HUD And VA Team Up To Provide Permanent Homes To Homeless Vets
The U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Develop- ment (HUD) awarded an addi- tional 20 HUD Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) rental assistance vouchers to the Housing Authority of the City of Tampa to increase its capacity to provide affordable, permanent housing to home- less veterans.
The award is part of more than $6 million to provide a permanent home to 821 veter- ans experiencing homelessness nationwide. The HUD-Veter- ans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program com- bines rental assistance from HUD with case management and clinical services provided by VA.
These vouchers are being awarded through the HUD- VASH Project-based Voucher Set-Aside competition, an- nounced in June 2015. These vouchers will enable homeless veterans and their families to access affordable housing with an array of supportive serv- ices. The Set-Aside in 2015 also provided funding to 52 housing authorities nationwide that have borne “extraordinary administrative expenses” asso- ciated with the start-up or op- eration of their VASH programs, including hiring temporary staff to expedite processing, conduction pre-in-
spections of housing likely to be used by VASH recipients and conducting recruitment outreach with landlords and other partners in the VASH program.
Florida housing authorities serving Alachua and Pinellas counties, and the City of Stuart, received $138,579 of the $5.4 million awarded to authorities for extraordinary administra- tive expenses.
The funds cannot be used to cover costs associated with such things as security deposits or payments made directly to veterans such as transportation reimbursements.
Last month, HUD and the VA announced a demonstra- tion to expand HUD-VASH into Native American commu- nities to assist Veterans who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness.
Through this demonstration, HUD is offering $4 million in grant funding to Indian tribes and Tribally Designated Enti- ties (TDHEs) to fund this rental assistance and associ- ated administrative fees. HUD and VA anticipate awarding ap- proximately 600 vouchers to Indian Tribes and TDHEs to help house and serve an esti- mated 600 Native American veterans who are experiencing homelessness or at the extreme risk of becoming homeless.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 9-A