PRINA JACKSON HOMELESS IN 1 OF THE RICHEST COUNTIES IN AMERICA!!

Janel Davis⁄The Gazette

Prina Jackson has a job, two children and a problem: She can't find a permanent place to live, and there's very little the county can do for her. The Jacksons now live in a shelter, but they have to leave at the end of 90 days.

Growing up in Texas as the daughter of an Army officer, Prina Jackson never dreamed her life would come to living with her two children in Bethesda's Greentree Shelter.Sure, the aspiring singer said, life had been hard, but she figured things were bound to get better after a move to thriving Montgomery County, where her father rented her a home in Silver Spring.
By May 2004, Jackson had moved in, enrolled her children in school and found a job at an Aspen Hill crafts store for $8 an hour. A year later, she found herself homeless after a family dispute. A social services referral sent her to the Greentree shelter on Aug. 19. Jackson has reverted to what she calls ''survival mode": keeping her job, planning her next move and doing it all with a positive outlook.

But Jackson's problems have mounted: Her car — the only asset helping her maintain some independence — was damaged in an accident last month. She now takes medication for resulting muscle injuries and depression. Perhaps most important, her children —5 and 8 — are old enough to be affected by the weight of homelessness.
''I try so hard and I get tired. I'm so tired," said Jackson, breaking down during an interview at a grocery store. ''I can't let my kids see me like this. I've got to be strong so they'll know that when times get bad, they can make it."
But times have gone from bad to worse. Because Greentree is a temporary shelter, it houses families a maximum of 4 1⁄2 months, with 90 days being the usual tenure for most families. Staff members have suggested Jackson search for housing in other counties or live with a roommate, among other options.
Jackson has become bitter about the entire ordeal.
''I just don't feel like they're helping me," she said. ''I know I'm not the only person in this situation, and not everyone in the system is bad, but I feel they could do more to help me get housing."
Many people in Jackson's situation begin to feel angry at the system, said Sheryl Brissett-Chapman, executive director of the National Center for Children and Families, of which Greentree is a part.
Help for the homeless


*Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8): Federally subsidized housing for low-income residents paying 30 percent of rent, but the waiting list already has thousands on it.
*Rental Supplement Program: four privately owned developments offering decreased rents for very low-income households. Each development must be contacted directly. Call        301-929-6700     
*Affordable Scattered Site Units: townhouses, condos and single-family houses throughout the county renting at below-market rates. Call 240-631-1800     
*Housing Opportunities Commission: provides referrals to other organizations and programs for low-income and homeless county residents. Call 301-929-6700    

''We are an emergency shelter, temporary by design. If residents stay longer than three or four months, the kids and adults can get too comfortable," Chapman said. ''We don't place residents [in permanent housing]. That is the responsibility of the county. Some residents want us to fix the problem, but we can't."
And that's the crux of the problem: The county cannot do much to help.
There are already more than 17,000 people on waiting lists for subsidized and public housing. Housing is growing increasingly scarce, despite years-long efforts to buy or build more units.


In October, a County Council hearing revealed a lag in affordable permanent housing units built as stipulated in the county's 10-year plan to end homelessness. That plan calls for 100 new units to be developed each year. In the past four years, only 170 units have been built, leaving the county 230 units short.
During that meeting, the county's special needs housing chief was ordered to meet with the county's housing organizations to devise a better implementation strategy for the 10-year plan. A meeting has been set for Nov. 16.
''There is no one profile of a homeless family, but the people that we have here are all working people who just need somewhere to live," Chapman said. ''Affordable housing is a challenge to everybody."
Jackson's situation is not uncommon. Statistics kept by the county's Housing Opportunities Commission show 10,025 people on a waiting list for federal housing vouchers, which are based on income level. Another 6,952 people are on a waiting list for county-owned public housing units.


''There is a serious problem in the county because rents are so high, land here is so valuable, and it's difficult to entice developers to build affordable housing," said Susan K. Yancy, HOC's assistant director of legislative and public affairs. HOC has placed 32 Hurricane Katrina evacuee families, five of whom came with rental vouchers in hand and most of whom were given preference by the agency. The homeless who have no vouchers must rely on a waiting list that averages only 500 openings each year. With HOC still working off the current list, there are no plans to open the list to newcomers. In addition to limited affordable housing units, the county also suffers from decreased funding. Federal housing aid has been cut, leaving the county with a possible $16 million shortfall by 2010. To combat its funding problems, HOC has had to modify its programs. Rents paid by HOC have decreased, forcing some residents to pay the balance. The agency also began a voucher waiting list lottery.
''When people come to us for housing, they need to live in the county because they usually have support systems established here," Yancy said. ''It's a problem across the nation."
 301-929-6700240-631-1800301-929-6700
Two weeks ago, Jackson left the Greentree shelter. Because her son is 8, she could not get into a two-year program helping families with children up to age 6. She and her children have moved to Rockville's Helping Hands Shelter.
Through it all, she has kept her job and taken her medicine, but as each day passes, shielding her children from the hardships of homelessness becomes more difficult.
As with most shelters, the housing Jackson has now is temporary. She has three months to find a permanent home.

This was published in the Maryland GAZETTE in May 2004 in PRINT & Online. Thanks to Janel Davis from reading my email & felt that my STORY needed to be told. Of coarse everything couldn't be in it DUE to my Protection, but now I can fill in what couldn't be PRINTED. This STORY was delayed 2 weeks so I figured there may of been some ATTEMPTS to stop my STORY from being PRINTED.

Much Love,

Prina -