Information from Southern New Mexico Homeless Providers Coalition Meeting's Panel Discussion- Preventing Homelessness-reasons for eviction and instability in housing...
The following information was taken from the March 10, 2009 minutes of the homeless provider's meeting. The opinions are not necessarily those of Las Cruces Gospel Rescue Mission.
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NOTE: When some of the panelists mention housing units...these are housing units they manage or have built. These are not the number of housing units that are open and available for rent.
Resources
Housing Units:
Jesse Padilla stated that the Las Cruces Housing Authority offers low income/public housing and vouchers. They have apartments for veterans only, and their own housing developments. Public housing units will be available on April 20, 2009. They have 0-5 bedroom units, but the 4-5 bedroom units are seldom filled.
Robert Pirtle stated that E&H Properties has 123 units, most of which are one bedroom apartments. They accept Section 8 vouchers. They serve low income, SSI, SAA, and their apartments are very affordable ranging from $400-$425 for a one bedroom, and $500-$525 for a two bedroom.
Kim Gregory stated that Dona Ana Properties has 150 houses, 225 apartments and storage units. They are more strict that some of the other property management companies. No sex offenders or felons are allowed. Tenants can spend no more than one-third of their monthly gross income on rent. Credit status and previous landlords are checked.
Merced Jasso stated that the Border Fair Housing & Economic Justice is a civil rights organization that helps inform about the Title VIII Fair Housing Act. They assist tenants with discrimination issues such as gender, race, ethnicity, family size, ancestry, domestic partnership, disability, etc. and mediate with landlords/tenants to avoid evictions.
Jerry Nachison of the City of Las Cruces said that the city is developing a new system to track incidences of housing concerns, and the landlords/tenants need education about housing rights and responsibilities. For a pamphlet by the City of Las Cruces describing Landlord and Tenant Rights and Obligations, please follow the link: http://www.las-cruces.org/PDFs/07landTenantBrochureEnglish.pdf - English version or http://www.las-cruces.org/PDFs/07landTenantBrochureSpanish.pdf -Spanish version.
Reasons for Eviction
The number one reason panelists gave for eviction was failure to pay rent and default of the rental agreement. Another reason was eviction due to criminal activity or drug activity. A need for tenants to understand they need to put repair requests in writing for landlords was discussed, as some people have spent money for repairing rentals themselves and do not have money to pay rent. Another problem that has faced some tenants has been that the property owners have themselves had financial difficulties and have defaulted on their mortgage payment. When the property goes into foreclosure, the tenant has to find a new place to live. Ralph Kapansky of Southwest Counseling Center offered the Mobile Crisis Response Team services to landlords who notice someone who is displaying symptoms of mental illness as a resource to intervene before problems get too bad.
What I learned:
Finding a place to live for someone who is on a fixed income and cannot work...like someone who is disabled and receiving SSI can be problematic. First of all, the income from SSI is roughly $670 a month. When I asked the panel about how much to expect to pay in rent for a one bedroom, the amount was $400-$450 a month. This does not include utilities. Utilities can run, depending on the type used and the time of year up to $100+ a month. People who receive SSI do not qualify for very much money in food stamps....usually only $70 a month. So, after a person pay rent and utilities, they may only have $120-$170 for remaining food, cleaning supplies, transportation toiletries, etc. What becomes difficult is when people have been homeless and finally qualify for SSI. When people have very little to begin with, they must come up with the deposit and first month's rent. For some people, this is practically impossible. Unless they receive help, or stay at the Rescue Mission and save their money, it can be problematic when starting all over again. This is perhaps why many people stay in extended hotels where they can pay by the week. Although these are more expensive and can cost up to $575 a month, they are the most available option. Another concern I saw was the new policies nationwide that are being considered. Some rental agencies like Dona Ana Properties require that a person can show they will spend no more than 30% of their monthly income in rent. Right away, this would disqualify anyone on SSI because in the cheapest apartment, they are already paying over half of their monthly income. I got to speak to a landlord in the area who has some of the cheapest apartments available. They are efficiency apartments and the utilities are included in the rent. He has only one or two available. He has seen a growing trend of families with children searching for smaller, more affordable places to live because of the tough economic times. I hope that these notes have been helpful to better understanding the issues in our area and the resources available. ~ LuAnne Burke
