COLUMBIA, S.C. - The organizer of the
Midlands' effort to help people left homeless in this year's Gulf
Coast hurricanes said none of the victims living in Palmetto State
will get tossed to the street, despite the federal government's
decision to stop hotel room reimbursements Dec. 1.
Sam Tenenbaum, who organized South Carolina Cares to help
evacuees from hurricanes Katrina and Rita, called the federal
government a "Scrooge" for its memo this week that set a deadline
just two weeks away.
"We're coming into the holiday season," Tenenbaum said. "It's the
wrong message."
The Federal Emergency Management Division said Tuesday it would
stop reimbursing states at the end of the month for hotel rooms for
evacuees. Spokesman Michael Widomski said the government is shifting
payments from states to individuals. He said evacuees can still
receive a check for three months worth of rent for an apartment or
home and if needed, can apply for an additional three months,
Widomski said.
"That type of housing is much better for them," he said. "Hotel
space is more cramped without amenities."
Columbia Mayor Bob Coble said FEMA doesn't realize the real-life
impact of its decisions. Some evacuees in Columbia have yet to
receive any money from FEMA. Coble said there's a big gap between
what's said and what's received.
"It must all look good on some chart in Washington," Coble
said.
In Columbia, evacuees can get $787 a month for rent and utilities
on a three-bedroom home. The amount of assistance decreases for
smaller families or individuals, said Nancy Stoudenmire, director of
Columbia Housing Authority.
She said most hurricane victims are choosing to find jobs and
make South Carolina their new home. Tenenbaum said most are staying
at least through the end of the school year. More than 350 children
ages 5 to 17 are in public schools across the state. New Orleans
schools remain closed.
South Carolina Cares initially put 2,053 evacuees in hotel rooms
who were either flown into Columbia or arrived on their own,
Tenenbaum said. Many have already found homes, but more than 300
families remain in hotels - 235 in Columbia, 32 in Charleston and 46
in Greenville, said Ron Osbourne, director of the state Emergency
Management Division.
South Carolina's congressional delegation has asked for an
extension of the Dec. 1 deadline, Coble said. He said the state
needs at least another month to get everyone into homes.
If the extension isn't granted, South Carolina Cares will pay for
rooms through donations it receives, Tenenbaum said.
Coble said it costs $32,700 to pay for a month's worth of nights
for families still in hotels. Tenenbaum said that, as of Wednesday,
South Carolina Cares had collected $23,000 more than what's already
budgeted to spend in December. He said he has no doubt the
organization can raise the money necessary to house evacuees however
long it takes.
"We're not going to let anyone fall through the cracks," Coble
said. "We don't want any rule from Washington to increase
homelessness anywhere."
A report released Thursday by the Midlands Area Consortium for
the Homeless shows that more than 6,500 people are homeless in South
Carolina. Officials said they expect the numbers are actually much
higher than a Jan. 27 statewide count by volunteers found. Richland
County and Horry County each account for nearly a quarter of the
state's homeless, according to the report.
Tenenbaum has been named interim chairman of a new regional
commission on
homeless.
