Picture the Homeless

Alicia Jackson

My name is Alicia Jackson, in March of 2004 I was working for CAMBA serving the homeless population when I found myself in the same situation due to domestic violence. I went to the EAU (Emergency Assistance Unit) and they placed me into a shelter for pregnant women which also had domestic violence cases also. While in this shelter the case manager didn’t inform me that I had to apply for Public Assistance in order to get Section 8. This postponed my Section 8 application. I didn’t know I needed to be on Public Assistance because I was working, so my application was sent off in mid August of 2004. After I had my daughter in July, they moved me to a Tier II shelter named the Arbor Inn. Then there was another delay in my Section 8 application due to my youngest son not having a social security number, for one month. After this month the caseworker for Section 8 took an extended vacation and sick leave for two months, and no one else would take this case.

I met Tyletha Samuels of Picture the Homeless and Horris Brown of DHS by attending a DHS Advocacy Meeting. Mr. Brown called a Housing Specialist to see what was going on with my Section 8 application. The specialist called section 8 and we were told that the morning of October 19, 2004 the caseworker was going to sign off on my section 8 application. If I didn’t have a lease signing date my application was dead. Because this didn’t go through Mr. Brown pushed through my HSP application and I signed off on this not knowing that I would lose some of the benefits of HSP once I was accepted.

I was told that I had 3 months to find an apartment that accepts the HSP program or we would be sanctioned and sent back to EAU to start all over again. Then if I didn’t accept the first available apartment that takes HSP we would be sanctioned and sent back to the EAU. In the shelter I was bitten by something that swollen up my arm and also had an accident in December. I slipped and fell and had to have a MRI and I must have another one soon. I still go for therapy for this injury. They would give us a plate of food for two to share and say that we should be grateful because they give us this food P.A. doesn’t pay for it.

Currently I’m in an HSP apartment, but my case was closed in the early part of March and than re-open in late March. In May the landlord complained that HRA was late paying the rent. He than said he got the rent for May and part of June. I then found out that they wouldn’t be paying anymore rent because I was said to make too much money on my job. I depleted my savings, used up my credit cards and is now in debt. The landlord said he has given the welfare (HSP) enough time to pay, now he has to take action in having me removed from the apartment in the form of an eviction. I want people to know that if you have the HSP program you can’t take a job with the Parks Department.