Watch out for Scam Sites!

Today’s technology is so advanced that oftentimes it is becoming difficult to distinguish the real thing from the bogus. The reality of such a scam or bogusness is especially true on the World Wide Web. This harsh reality was faced by me when I went to a website that I thought, at the time, was GO8 ‘s website. At this website, I was asked to pay a small fee of $8. This fee I was told at the time, was utilized as a “processing fee” of sorts or rather, if you want to look at it this way a “membership fee”. In other words, this fee entitled you to be able to qualify for a small grant from the site to assist you with groceries, utility bills, or any other household expenses you might be incurring as a Section 8 housing resident. Well, I submitted my friend’s debit card and all of that to process it because I did not have enough in my account to cover it. The thought of a little grant to help me out was like….awesome news.
 
 Life got busy with this and that. A few months later I attempted to get back to that website. I could not remember the URL entirely. I tried to type it out and was directed somewhere else. So, I decided to Google the words “Section 8”. This was when I was led to GO8. As I explored the website I began to notice that there were significant differences between sites. I thought that maybe some changes had just been made. So I tried to log in, and could not. Stumped, I sent an email off to GO8’s administration. As we passed a few emails back and forth, we realized a few things that had happened. I was faced with the harsh reality that I had been scammed at the other site. I began to be grateful that my friend’s credit card had not gone through anyway. I also felt deeply embarrassed because I had recommended the site to a couple of very close friends!!!!! Through our correspondence, my knowledge of Disability Advocacy, Housing rights/ advocacy as well as a love of writing and helping others began to shine through.
 
 The moral of this story-always double-check, and even triple-check anything and everything in life. When in doubt, ask someone you trust to look it over for a second opinion, contact support as I did, or, best of all, just simply reject the questionable decision or object.
 

Flooring choices – follow-up.

As a follow-up to an earlier post about flooring choices, a friend of mine pointed out that I had missed two key points. The first was trendy and sturdy “stained cement” flooring. I thought she was kidding. Who wants a cement floor? I would think it would be too much like living on the sidewalk under a cardboard box or in a garage or basement! It’s hardly a cozy and inviting environment for raising a family. She assured me that this was the latest trend and the paint choices were wonderful (of course all I can envision is gray garage paint) and there are clever stencils that can provide texture. Okay, so my friend may be spending too much time watching the HGTV channel and I have no intention of painting the cement in the basement (or anyplace else for that matter…) and certainly NOT in a living room or dining room. Let me know if you’ve done this with any of your interior rooms and did it really increase the marketability of your rental? I’m willing to learn…but cement, jeeze. I can just hear the little kids’ heads bouncing with a thud as they careen off the sofa or bed or … OUCH! The other thing I forgot to mention was off-gassing from some carpeting. I never had any idea how severe this could be until I worked in an office where the carpet was replaced. Three of us had headaches for a week from the off-gassing – the source was the padding and the carpet. And finally, as another friend mentioned – carpets just trap allergens, dander, hair, pollen, etc. So, give some thought before making your flooring choices. One size doesn’t fit everyone…and in the future, I’ll confer with my friends before posting…ahemm. FYI - We usually tile everything.

Public Housing Authorities….

Summer is time for swimming, camping, family & neighborhood cookouts, etc. Summer, for me, usually consists of swimming, reading books, hanging out with friends. This summer, however, is going to be so very different— looks like I will be spending the majority of the time alone, packing, and communicating with the Public Housing Authoritys (PHAs) involved in my move.
 
 My experience with housing began in 1989, when I moved into my first Public Housing apartment for Senior Citizens and Disabled residents. This first unit was maybe 450 sq ft, and was a one bedroom near Downtown Dallas, under the DHA—Dallas Housing Authority. At the time, I was attending Richland College, a community college that is part of the DCCCD—Dallas Community College District. This unit was nowhere near school—I had to get up at 4 AM, to be ready for my 5:30 AM (Paratransit) van pick up. Classes did not start until 9 AM! At first I didn’t care—it was my FIRST place of my own—I was FINALLY independent, at the age of 23. However, the early daily commutes soon took its toll. A mere 8 months after I moved to Dallas I was diagnosed as hypoglycemic. Upon learning about the extreme stress I was going through—with the early hours, my doctor at the time said I needed to live closer to school.
 
 Moving closer to school was not an easy task. My lease was not up for renewal yet, and, as I quickly discovered, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and PHA’s tend to have a lot of rules and regulations to work around! In my case, I was told I could not request a transfer to another property unless I had a medical necessity. This I had, so, no problem—got the Doctor’s letter/statement. I thought that was the end of it. Nope—I had to sit and wait, and constantly call DHA to see where they were on my paperwork. I am sure the poor workers got sick of me—I called, utilizing a Teletype Device for the Deaf (TDD) and a relay service, every week! Sometimes, I would call more than once. Often I would have to wait on hold, or go through several transfers to different people within the agency. I just would not take “NO” for an answer. When I was given another “roadblock”, I would then request a supervisor, or do the necessary additional task—depending on what was needed, for I had found the property I wanted—it was a much nicer property—and only a mile from school. Add to that, I was not about to give up since I was working so hard to fight for what I needed. Well, it took 6 weeks, but my persistence finally paid off. When the approval came to move to the new unit, a property called Forest Green Manor, I jumped for joy. I remained in the new public housing unit for a year and a half.
 
 At this time, I knew nothing about section 8, or vouchers, waiting lists, etc. I thought that “housing” consisted of public housing apartments, otherwise known in the old days as “The Projects”, such as Chicago’s Cabini Green or Houston’s Cuney Homes. The “projects” of yesteryear were often built on a large scale. A good example is Cuney Homes. Built in 1938, it was Houston’s first public housing development. It consists of 553 units, and is situated in Houston’s historical Third Ward district. These large-scale developments were owned and operated by the city’s public housing authority, or PHA. Later on, in the 1960’s and 1970’s, many PHA’s began to introduce Senior Citizen and Disabled developments. This change came about after many Seniors had encouraged the government to establish Senior housing, with additional features than “the projects”. This was mainly to help those with severe health issues to be able to reside more comfortably. Unlike the “projects”, these units, in the early days, were considered to be a “luxury”, with heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems (HVAC) available in every unit. Some were even carpeted. It was this type of development that I resided in prior to becoming a voucher holder. I later moved out of the unit in Dallas, residing in standard apartments with my former spouse. When I first moved to Oklahoma City in 1998, I again turned to a PHA, and was given a public housing unit. I had to wait three months for my turn on the waiting list, though.
 
 When I was researching for this article, I discovered that today, many public housing developments are often managed by apartment management companies. In addition, the developments are a far cry from the “projects” of yesteryear. Today, many have community centers on the premises. For example, they may have health clinics available, staffed by an RN or LPN. At least one of the Houston developments has something called a police storefront. The police storefront is geared towards effective communications among residents, merchants in the area, and law enforcement. Safety courses are sometimes offered and up on request, could be possible to have a police escort during nighttime hours. The units are very well-built, well-lit, oftentimes remodeled with all new amenities, appear to be larger in size with nice landscaping on the grounds, play centers for the children, and so much more.
 
 While this site is mainly geared towards Section 8 housing, I wanted to give a glimpse of “the other side”. Not everyone is fortunate enough to know about Section 8 the first time they go to a PHA. In fact, I thought that Section 8 was similar to a “luxury” because in so many places the waiting lists are extremely long, or, in some cases, closed. All of my personal views of the Housing Choice Voucher program changed when a very dear friend of mine here in Oklahoma City encouraged me and my driver/close friend of many years to apply for section 8 housing in 2002. Next time I will share with you my own personal experience being a voucher holder. As for the article after that, it’s going to have to be a surprise!