As evacuees leave S.A.shelters, they become hard to track (who's the racist? just asking)

The Marie McGuire Apartments are basic downtown public housing. For New Orleans evacuee Diane Porter, who this week moved out of the KellyUSA shelter and took possession of unit No. 405, it's air-conditioned heaven.

Among her few possessions, Porter has vivid memories of harrowing post-Hurricane Katrina moments: sleeping on a freeway overpass, walking through putrid, chest-high water to the degraded Superdome and pushing her way onto a bus out of the flooded nightmare city.

"Thank you God for getting me out of that town," Porter said. "I don't see anything to go back to. I'm tired of running from storms."

Evacuee Debbie J. Madison, 45, is resigned to staying in San Antonio indefinitely with her family — four children and two grandchildren. She qualified for a federally subsidized $1,200-a-month Section 8 housing voucher, but admitted she really doesn't want to leave the shelter. She has no income.

"I'm not satisfied with my options," said Madison, who expressed fear about not having a job, not having transportation, no food and about being in an unfamiliar city. "I don't want to be stuck somewhere."

The two women are examples of the myriad possibilities of what could occur as evacuees make decisions about leaving local shelters. After two weeks in San Antonio, evacuees continue to vacate the emergency housing — from the nearly 13,000 people processed on the first weekend to 3,814 on Thursday.

But public officials can't answer exactly where Katrina evacuees are going after they leave area shelters. The answer is complicated, they said.

Some will be in San Antonio for a long time. Others won't. Many will disappear. That's a reality officials are facing.

"The numbers fluctuate but it doesn't mean the people got permanent housing or that we're getting new people in the system," said shelter information officer Gary Lehnhausen, a U.S. Forest Service official with the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team, which is overseeing local shelters.

"Some of them are going out and spending the night in a motel so they can take showers and then coming back with a taxi," he said, adding that many are ending up with family members, in foster homes, assisted housing, going to another shelter or simply on their own.

Lehnhausen said some evacuees likely will evaporate as they receive federal financial assistance, such as the $2,000 FEMA debit card. They're in the minority, but identifying more permanent residents and dealing with their future plans is the real challenge.

Tracking the fluctuating number of displaced folks is proving to be a Herculean task. It's a process that is being developed on site at the shelters.

"It's all on the fly," software application expert Brett Elmendorf said. "We're building this (database) stuff here, now."

He's one of several computer experts working for Rackspace, a private Internet and computer support company aiding in the American Red Cross effort at the Windsor Park and Levi shelters, that's tracking evacuees. However, many of the people who left in the first few days weren't accounted for or tracked.

According to Rackspace, the free will of the shelter populations adds to the complications of knowing what the people are doing.

Some of the African American evacuees have expressed concerns about living among so many Latinos.

New Orleans resident Tywanda Major and her family have been staying with friends since before the hurricane hit and plan to stay in San Antonio.

"I'm really scared," Major said. "I've been in New Orleans all my life and never been outside of New Orleans or around other people that aren't black."

Hurricane Katrina displaced 1.2 million people on housing assistance in the Gulf Coast region, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. More than 40,000 of them are from New Orleans. Many of those are believed to be in San Antonio, but the numbers aren't solid.

At the San Antonio Housing Authority, the tracking issues are mind numbing since HUD housing vouchers are portable and can be used anywhere in the country.

"We track vouchers not places," a SAHA spokesman said about the difficulties in pinpointing where voucher holders ultimately could go.

Of 1,073 evacuee families — many of which are large and extended — that arrived here and had received federal housing assistance prior to Katrina, 256 have been issued a Section 8 housing voucher in San Antonio. Most haven't taken possession of a housing unit.

SAHA spokesman Mark Kinkade said placing residents in Section 8 housing is slow and intensive. SAHA has little public housing inventory available — fewer than 75 units. SAHA personnel have been taking Section 8 residents apartment and house hunting and putting together home starter kits and distributing furniture.

In addition to those families, another 2,100 displaced families that never relied on federal housing assistance are in San Antonio and have been identified by SAHA.

Those 3,200 evacuee families here could translate to 15,000 people or more, experts say.

That's just one issue. Families lucky enough to move from a shelter to permanent housing also need basic necessities.

"They go from sleeping in a cot to sleeping on a floor. It's not a real step up," said David Mann of Community Bible Church, which is assisting SAHA's "adopt-a-family" relief effort that is reaching out through faith-based groups.

The nonprofit Alamo Area Mutual Housing Association, an affordable housing organization, owns nine apartment properties in San Antonio. Its executive director, Sandi Williams, anticipates that about 50 of its 1,300 apartments will be made available for Hurricane Katrina victims.

"They're in a really distressed frame of mind," Williams said, describing the desperate straits of the evacuees, especially the impoverished ones.

Williams, a former housing expert for the city, expects evacuees living in public housing to be here one to three years. Developing new housing units in stricken gulf areas will take that long, she said.

Despite not yet knowing how many people are leaving or staying, officials know they have to make decisions now.

"I've heard everything from I'm staying right here in San Antonio to I have relatives elsewhere," Kinkade said about what evacuees are saying at shelters he's visited. "Some people were talking about going elsewhere, but they didn't know where. Most of them were still in that 'find my family' mode and not into that into the future thing."

Evening Katya,
I hate to burst your translucent bubble, but I am a Republican.

I asked for a definition of what a section 8 entails?

Can you not provide the specific details of the delineation of a(Section 8)?

Please be advised I am a retired civilian/military policeman. I also had a very successful career in federal law enforcement(retired) So I do not have it in for professionals who Protect and Serve the public.

I do detest quitters and Peace Officers who, 1. throw their badges down, 2. loot, 3.flee and 4.violate their sworn oath as a police officer to Protect and Serve the citizens of their towns, boroughs, cities or localities.

FYI I grew up poor and a high school dropout. The military turned my life around from zero to a hero. I obtained a M.S. in Admin C.J and B.S. in Psychology. I have retired from two careers in law enforcement why???

Well I applied myself and never thought the world owed me a free ride. Simply put, I woke up! Everyone else who has the fire within can do the same thing in life.(Applying instead of Relying)

In closing Katya, maybe you misunderstood what I posted. I will never be against my bother or sister peace officers, unless they break the law or mistreat/abuse other(s) with the powers they are invested with in the law enforcement profession.

P.S. you are quite welcome to private post me.

Live today what you to want become tomorrow,
Cordially Your's
NSNR-NRALM

I know of lots of people that would vote for Zell.. and they are true blue conservatives..I just don't think he would every run for president...Anyway that would be the only democrat around I would vote for..

I am kinda getting tired of these republicans that don't seem to stand up to the bullies..What I wonder is who hild the majarity in the senate and congress not the democrats but the way things are going I couldn't tell that..Makes me wonder what the dems are holding over these mens heads that they seem to get their way..To many RINO for my taste now a days..

Morning Beth,
I have been wondering about that for the last 12 years. The Repubs have the majority, but elitist thugs like kennedy, kerry, pelosi, boxer, heid, leahy, durbin, murray, waters, conyers jackson and waxman run rough shod over them.

It reminds me of people who are scared to discuss racial, unpleasant, touchy, issues and any thing controversal. The truth will stand on it's own merit and educated/civilized people understand this concept.

Possibly there is much more involved in the background. I wonder could it be unreported tax dollars being diverted to house and senate members private bank accounts?

Maybe fear of some of their memeberships in the adult sex club being exposed? Lastly, maybe they are in nominal type positions doing the bidding of the invisible empire who actually runs the government.

I have seen this type fear in many federal employees who would turn their backs on the truth and let other good employees be harrassed, hazed and eventually terminated.

I get sick of hearing those so called Repubs always stating, " We will not stoop to that level of attack."

When the bully knows you are pushover, the badgering will only get worse.

I myself am not a violent person, but when the bully knows he will receive some good licks in a fight, instead of always giving them, he will back off.

I say that is a very rudimentary explanation of how to combat bullying, but it does work.

In reference to Zell, at one time I did not like him on his issue with Confederate Flag. The left and P.C. preaches the flag stands for slavery and hatred. The reality is it is symbolic of Southern History, which blacks, whites and many others races share.THe flag in reality represents one(s) heritage and roots.

"Heritage not Hate," for how could one hate someone if one does not know them. The lefts/communists will spin anything to suit their,(Communist Manifesto Agenda)

If the left, thought they could incite a total black vs white race war in America and win, they would.These are the very same people trying to block and harass John Robert's for the CJOUSSC postion.

It is a shame to see this debacle taking place in America and goes against what our "Founding Fathers" intended.

"When God is forbidden to be said in praying or public schools, when the pledge of alligance is omitted from the start of the school day or patriotic gatherings."

"Then America, will be living by the laws of the jungle and not the laws of the land."

In closing, we should all remember they following quote.

"Evil Only Triumphs When Good Men & Women Do Nothing"

Alright Beth, may fifeen seconds of fame on the Patriot(s) Of America podium has now ended.

Every journey begins with the first step,
NSNSR-CSAOTL

Simply stated, section 8 vouchers are paid for by HUD to allow low-income wage people, (which unfortunately includes many civil service people in large expensive urban areas) to lease/rent housing. As some cities also have enacted their own rent control districts, I don't know how this effects HUD funding.

Perhaps we have both misread each others commentary....it's just too simplistic to state that people should have better educated themselves to not have to use certain govt programs. Some cities, like New Orleans actually require their Emergency and Police force to live in the city, which means some personnel will opt out of working for a force if forced to live in dangerous neighborhoods.

Evening Katya,
Thank you for the information on the Section 8 vouchers.

I actually view it as a cola benefit to allow a working person to have a place to live. Like the the military has a cola allowance, for service members living in high cost areas.

Well I learned something new today, Katya.
In reality it is nice to see some money (section 8)vouchers going to help our working Americans instead of the third world foreign aid/give-away programs.

I graciously comend you for enlightening me on the (section 8) vouchers.

I remember many years ago in the military, the acronym or term meant, a (nut case)

In closing, Katya your are cool with me, and I wish your family/you the best always.
Sincerely,
NSNR

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.