Q&A
Elizabeth Mackey expands on her experience with the CityFHEPS voucher program
1:23:22
ยท
4 min
Ms. Mackey highlights issues with apartment inspections, paperwork processing, communication between agencies, and interactions with landlords.
- Ms. Mackey describes problems with apartment inspections, including issues with heat and windows that were not properly identified.
- She discusses delays and errors in paperwork processing between shelters and the Department of Homeless Services (DHS).
- Ms. Mackey reveals that some landlords may attempt to collect additional rent from tenants, unaware that HRA has already paid several months in advance.
Diana Ayala
1:23:22
who wants to Yeah.
1:23:24
Mic.
1:23:25
The mic.
Elizabeth Mackey
1:23:27
Sorry.
1:23:28
So regarding the inspection, I'm not sure if the inspection was done.
1:23:32
And may have been because I did have a housing specialist there and I think that was back then when DHS had the housing specialist to do a video, and then I guess a check off list.
1:23:45
But, again, if you're not trained in how to do a home I mean, a apartment inspection, then they don't need to have the whole housing specialist to do it because if they did, I would have heat.
1:23:57
Even though I moved in the spring, They would see that something was wrong with the valves.
1:24:00
They shown that we're seeing that when all the windows was open up in the apartment, that was something wrong with that.
1:24:06
So when I actually moved into that apartment, windows was open, but when I went to put them down, cut.
1:24:12
And so I contacted the landlord.
1:24:13
So he had to send someone within maybe 2 weeks and had to give me new windows because they because HRA, DHS, or wherever they get their funding money, they paid this landlord $18,000 for the time when I got out of the shelter to get into this apartment.
1:24:31
And that's from the the months that was being held because I was supposed to move in that apartment in that February.
1:24:37
I didn't move in that apartment until April.
1:24:39
Regarding the paperwork that goes through, I think that the the the the shelter because I I hear it a lot from other people with these little minor mistakes, which how you get my last name all of a sudden messed up?
1:24:51
How you not sending my budget letter that I gave you to them?
1:24:55
They supposed to have a whole list of documentation that they supposed to send to DHS so DHS could look at the application.
1:25:04
So when the commission have mentioned 24 days, it could be much more than the 24 days of of them actually processing it.
1:25:12
Because if the shelter doesn't process it properly, then it go boot it back, and then they'd be asking us, the clients, for more information.
1:25:22
And then when you go down to HRA and you're asking a weird process regarding the checks, they give you the running around.
1:25:30
They don't wanna tell you nothing.
1:25:31
So I really feel that the client need to be be in that process of making sure all those documents is available for us to read before they submit because they're submitting wrong stuff and they having us wait.
1:25:48
One thing that I realized, we're going in the shelter, they want you to stay for that beginning of the month because if you look at it and take data, no one really move out of the shelter beginning of the month.
1:25:58
They always move out either the middle or the end.
1:26:01
Why?
1:26:01
Because they wanna get paid they full amount for us to be in that shelter.
1:26:06
Period.
1:26:07
So they they they linger around to keep us in there and they come up with so many excuses.
1:26:13
So now you have to deal with HRA to find out what is going on because the shelter system, like, oh, well, your your packet has been submitted.
1:26:20
There's nothing that we can do.
1:26:21
Then give me a phone number so I can make my phone calls.
1:26:24
They don't give you the the resource to call no one.
1:26:27
You go to HRA, you're standing there all day just to say, oh, they're processing it.
1:26:32
But what is the process?
1:26:33
A signature?
1:26:34
Because when they processed those checks for that landlord, I wasn't aware of it until I had got and I'm not on public assistance because I received disability.
1:26:44
But I looked on my app because the worker said, build the app so you would know
Diana Ayala
1:26:49
Mhmm.
Elizabeth Mackey
1:26:49
When the checks are being processed.
1:26:51
So that's when I found out when the checks was being processed.
1:26:54
When they gave this landlord, it was 17,890 something dollars.
1:27:01
So I didn't have to literally pay my rent until, like, literally September because they already which was a good thing because they paid it all up to September.
1:27:11
And when the landlord thought I didn't know, he gonna ask me where his where his 30%.
1:27:15
I said, you already got your 30% with and with that money that they gave you, which they told me.
1:27:20
So a lot of the landlords don't let well, we as clients is not aware of that.
1:27:26
And so many people that came out of the shelter, the landlord been bamboozled.
1:27:31
A lot of these clients asking for more money when HRA already had paid them their rental all the way up to maybe 4 months in advance, which give us a little safety cushion to save for the future month so we won't get in a risk.
1:27:48
Yeah.
1:27:48
Because sometimes too, having that 30% that you have to take out of your income can be a little, you know, steep because you've been in the shelter for so long, so now you don't even know how to keep up paying your bills or whatever.
1:28:00
But they give you a little leeway, but these greedy landlords, they thinking that you're dumb and you don't know how to read and they come to people like me and I told my landlord, you got the wrong person.
1:28:12
Yeah.
1:28:13
Because I know the amount that they gave you.
Diana Ayala
1:28:15
So we we have to move on.
1:28:16
We have But thank you.
1:28:17
A couple of other panels, but thank you so