JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A single mother waiting for housing assistance calls the lack of affordable housing in Jacksonville a crisis.
“The crisis is there are single mothers, single parents out here trying to make it and it’s just, it’s getting harder and harder by the day,” she said. ”Even with me working full time, and I’ve applied for like food stamps, I only get like $100 a month and I have three kids and myself. And that’s with like I stated before the inflation of groceries alone, it’s not enough to cover everything.”
During an emergency meeting Monday, the Jacksonville Housing Authority (JHA) Board of Commissioners offered the CEO a contract extension and a $20,000 bonus all while the Inspector General is investigating JHA.
The single mother and JHA applicant has asked New4JAX to remain anonymous because she’s still hoping to get help but she is voicing concerns about the lack of responsiveness from JHA staff. She thinks more money should be spent on hiring more staff.
“I feel like that maybe they don’t have enough staff, I’m assuming because no one answers the phone. And I want to really make sure that it’s clear, they never answer. Then they have voicemail boxes that I assume they don’t even so much as listen to, because I’ve left multiple messages and nothing, nothing from them ever,” she said.
Rising prices and a sick mother to take care of are some of the reasons she turned to JHA for help. She has been on the waiting list since 2021 and said she received little communication from JHA about her status as an applicant during that time.
That is until she received an email in that her intake certification was canceled. The reason for the change in her status makes little sense and reads only “valid prospect.”
“I was canceled, because of the fact that I was a ‘valid prospect.’ And they told me to call in, and I never, never got any type of answer from them. No one ever answers the phone there, honestly. And I’ve sent emails, and I’ve gotten nothing back from them,” she said.
She’s worried about how much longer she can keep a roof over her kid’s head.
She’s not alone in her struggles as 98,000 people are on a waiting list right now for housing assistance. The city estimates Jacksonville needs at least 35,000 more affordable housing units to meet the demand.
On Monday, the CEO of the housing authority, Dwayne Alexander, said he’s working to fill that gap.
“We plan on acquiring more properties and making an impact on the affordable housing crisis here,” Alexander said.
Nearly a thousand new low-income apartments are coming to Jacksonville soon as the board of commissioners approves plans to build or buy existing units.
That includes the Downtown East apartments on Franklin Street, Westwood Apartments on Lane Avenue, and the Tre Bel Housing development near the I-10, I-95 interchange.
“Very few people are building low-income housing,” Alexander said. “The Jacksonville Housing Authority is digging their cleats in the ground taking charge by trying to put back some low-income housing into this community.”
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As the Jacksonville Housing Authority is being investigated by the inspector general and Alexander has been called on to resign, several staff members spoke up in support of the CEO during public comment Monday.
“He is the best president this agency has had in the last 10 years. Nobody at this job can say anything but good things about him. So, I’m letting y’all know if anything comes up against this man, it’s all false. Only thing he did was gave people opportunities to take care of their family,” said a man who identified himself as a maintenance worker for JHA.
Public comment was largely focused on supporting Alexander, but a written letter was also read to the board that highlights a major problem: the threat of homelessness for many families in Jacksonville waiting for help.
A JHA housing assistance applicant wrote in part to the board:
“Over a number of months, I have made multiple attempts to get my questions answered and the status of my case or any communication whatsoever in relation to my Section 8 voucher. I’ve gone through an eviction, became homeless, and am scared beyond words about my future security.”