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Tenants still in shelters

Some families displaced from the Chinook Apartments still needhousing.

By JON WILSON
Published May 7, 2006

About 18 families remained as of late Friday at the Dwight H. Jones Neighborhood Center on Burlington Avenue N, said Goliath Davis, deputy mayor for Midtown.

That number was expected to be reduced soon with the addition of 16 vouchers issued by the Pinellas County Housing Authority. The vouchers will open the door for families to get into authority-approved lodging, Davis said.

Some people, like Dereise Johnson, have found temporary lodging and continue to look for a permanent place to stay.

Johnson, 34, has been staying in a motel, said her aunt, Para Johnson. Dereise Johnson's three children, ages 5, 15, 16 are staying at Para Johnson's one-room apartment on Emerson Avenue S.

"They're sleeping on the floor,'' Para Johnson said.

She said her niece's Chinook apartment had roaches and wires hanging out of the walls. There was no standard refrigerator, only a small, portable-type unit, she said.

Officials closed the Chinook after inspections showed fire code violations and no progress toward fixing the problems. The building also had 20 unresolved maintenance violations.

Residents who have been placed elsewhere have moved into various apartment complexes, said Davis. He and other city officials have been working since the Chinook closed on Tuesday to help people find lodging.

Pinellas County Human Services and the Pinellas Opportunity Council provided rent vouchers worth $600 to pay the first month's rent.

Virtually all the tenants who left Chinook were low-income people who paid $575 monthly rent. A few paid $300 every two weeks.

Catholic Charities, the Florida Department of Children and Families, the St. Petersburg Housing Authority, Boley Centers and Turning Point also have pitched in.

Individuals also have stepped forward. Several anonymous donors have tracked down officials to donate gift cards for displaced residents to buy food, Davis said, and various organizations have donated pizzas.

Residents of the Jamestown housing complex helped to prepare food for residents at the Jones center.

After some tense moments Tuesday, most residents have gone about doing what is necessary to restore their lives, Davis said.

"The residents who have been displaced, I'd like to commend them for the way they've handled the situation,'' he said.

[Last modified May 7, 2006, 10:24:18]