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• News • Calendar of Events |
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Granite State Sends Housing Aidmerissa.green@theledger.com WINTER HAVEN -- After Hurricane Jeanne damaged 48 of its apartments, the Winter Haven Housing Authority was faced with a dilemma: how to make repairs with a small five-member maintenance staff in a short period. Help has arrived. Four maintenance workers from public housing agencies in New Hampshire arrived Friday and will work here for 10 days at no cost to the Winter Haven agency. "I was elated," said Mack Horne, executive director of the Housing Authority. "It was a godsend to know that other people care about our residents." Officials from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development visited the Housing Authority after Jeanne struck Sept. 26 to help Horne assess the damage. It was the third hurricane to hit Polk County in six weeks, starting with Charley in Aug. 13, followed by Frances on Sept. 5. Jeanne created a hazardous situation. Wind and rain damage to roofs had caused ceilings to be pushed down, Horne said, adding it is important that residents move as soon as possible so they won't be exposed to breathing the insulation and mold. HUD officials recommended just after Jeanne that he enlist the help of maintenance staff from neighboring public housing agencies to do the repair work. But the housing authorities in the surrounding area, such as Lake Wales and Lakeland, had their own problems caused by the hurricanes. As news spread about what Florida's public housing agencies were being faced with in the aftermath of the three hurricanes, agencies from the north responded to the call. They contacted the Florida Housing Authority Association and offered to send workers, Horne said. Jeanne damaged 48 apart-ments at Lake Deer, Lucerne Park and Orrin Circle public housing complexes -- residents of which had to move temporarily. In some cases they received housing vouchers and in others they were moved to another Housing Authority property. As of Friday, two damaged apartments have been repaired, eight families have been moved to other apartments owned by the Winter Haven Housing Authority and two families are moving to the Lakeland Housing Authority, Horne said. The status of the other 36 families is uncertain because they still have access to their apartments, officials said. Once the damaged units are repaired, the Housing Authority will allow the displaced residents to return, Horne has said. Merissa Green can be reached at merissa.green@theledger.com or at 863-401-6968.
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