Tenants at Roosevelt Gardens fear homelessness despite HUD officials claiming to help moving process

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Dozens of tenants at Roosevelt Garden Apartments fear becoming homeless in the next few months.

Action News Jax first told you last month when HUD terminated its housing assistance program at the Section 8 housing complex.

Now tenants only have until September to find a new place to live.

Action News Jax reporter Courtney Cole spoke to tenants who say the moving help they’ve receive isn’t enough.

"Just pushing and throwing us out there isn't going to cut it! We're going to be homeless!" exclaimed Tiona Foster.

Foster told Cole she’s been living at the Section 8 housing for the last 2 ½ years.

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“It takes time to build progress. That's why when you're in an apartment complex like this, some people may have gotten comfortable, but other people are trying to build themselves up to stability so they can get out there and be able to maintain a full rent,” Foster explained.

Now tenants, just like Foster have until Sept. 8 and Sept. 9 to move out of the Roosevelt Garden Apartments.

"There's a lot of women with children out here that's not going to have anywhere to go,” Foster said.

Last month, Action News Jax told you HUD held two relocation meetings to talk to tenants.
Media wasn't allowed inside those meetings.

HUD told me tenants were supposed to get answers to all of their questions and receive their housing choice vouchers.

Foster said it wasn't that simple.

"Some of us have received vouchers, and others like myself have not,” said Foster.

Those who have received vouchers say they aren't really that helpful.

"The vouchers are very low,” Kenya Watson told Action News Jax. She’s lived at Roosevelt Gardens for about seven months now.

A list, given to me by a tenant, shows how much each voucher is worth — in each ZIP code.

Some voucher values are as low as $589.

HUD says they plan to help pay for travel, application and moving fees up to $1,250 for those who are eligible.

But tenants say this doesn’t help if they already can’t find anywhere affordable to live.

One tenant told Cole the amount their receiving from HUD only allows them to move into an environment that's even less safe – and less clean — than Roosevelt Gardens.

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"I speak out for them, because they're afraid,” said Foster.

Foster told Cole a lot of tenants are suffering silently.

“We want help, just because some people live how they live out here, doesn't mean that we don't want better.

We just need the opportunity and now the opportunity has come. We really need people helping and not just saying it,” said Foster.

Cole contacted HUD to find out how they plan to help tenants without benefits. She’s still waiting to hear back.

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