Astrodome: Danny Smith
This is Danny Smith. Danny saw my media badge and asked if I could listen to his problem. He is homeless evacuee staying inside the Astrodome. He got a check (debit card? credit slip?) from FEMA today that he is looking to trade in for free rent with an apartment or house, as arranged between FEMA and local housing agencies.
He called the Oak Brook Apartment complex in Houston (Link to GMaps) and was told they have an open apartment. They then asked if he was a felon. Danny had a conviction in 2001 (I didn't ask for what) and told them he did. He was told that he would not be allowed to move in because they did not accept felons.
I'm at a loss. If this is a Houston-wide issue, it will affect many people—people who have commited a crime in the past, but are now on the street, having served their time. If this is the individual policy of the Oak Brook apartments, then I think they're making a big mistake.
I told Danny there wasn't much I could do, but that I would write about it. At the moment, I don't really have much of a chance to confirm or disconfirm if this is an official policy at FEMA. I did call Janet at Oak Brook Apartments. She confirmed this is their policy.
He called the Oak Brook Apartment complex in Houston (Link to GMaps) and was told they have an open apartment. They then asked if he was a felon. Danny had a conviction in 2001 (I didn't ask for what) and told them he did. He was told that he would not be allowed to move in because they did not accept felons.
I'm at a loss. If this is a Houston-wide issue, it will affect many people—people who have commited a crime in the past, but are now on the street, having served their time. If this is the individual policy of the Oak Brook apartments, then I think they're making a big mistake.
I told Danny there wasn't much I could do, but that I would write about it. At the moment, I don't really have much of a chance to confirm or disconfirm if this is an official policy at FEMA. I did call Janet at Oak Brook Apartments. She confirmed this is their policy.
Having just relocated to Houston from Austin about a month ago, I can confirm that in addition to the standard credit check, apartments now require rental applicants to submit to a criminal background check. We only looked at a few places before we found one that matched our needs, but each of them required a criminal background check. All this is just to say that this is not a new policy that has been put in place overnight, nor is it unique to the complex in question.
Apparently this is a city-wide thing that pre-dates the evacuation.
I have been told that at least one place doesn't mind a past record. It is: boxer park plaza 713-780-0080
Mr. Rakesh Patel own several hotels and fast food at Williamsburg VA, and he is very generously to offer deep discount to help Katrina impacted families so that they will have an affordable temporary housing before they can be on their feet again.
Mr. Patel's phone number is 757 220-0710. Please feel free to share this info to help Katrina impacted families or simply post this message to other Katrina related groups that you belong to.
Some friends and I created a website that lists housing available to Katrina victims. The website is http://www.MyFamilyCanHelp.com. We currently have over 2300 beds available in over 600 homes -- 52 of those homes are in Texas. Please pass this along if you ever come across an individual like this again. We're recommending that all home owners do a background check of any potential borders, but if the borders are upfront about any prior convictions (and assuming it wasn't a heneous crime) I'm sure there are some families willing to let them in.