Akira Morris testifies on CityFHEPS delays and near loss of apartment
Akira Morris, a Family Homeless Coalition member, says CityFHEPS helped her move into an apartment but delays at HRA and Homebase almost caused her to lose it. She describes acting as the middleman between her landlord and agencies and urges support for the reforms.
Good afternoon, and thank you for the opportunity to speak.
My name is Akira Morris, and I am a member of the Family Homeless Coalition.
I am here today to speak in support of the bills being introduced to reform city FEPS.
City FEPS is an important program that can make a real difference in the lives of families experiencing housing instability.
I believe these reforms are necessary because they can help families move out of shelter faster, make the process of obtaining a voucher easier, and help families maintain their vouchers once they have them.
I say this not only as an advocate, but also from my own personal experience.
After a long and very difficult process, I was finally able to receive a CityFed voucher.
I recently moved into my apartment, and while I am grateful to finally have stable housing, getting there was extremely difficult.
I experienced housing instability.
And doubling up and came very close to losing the apartment that I worked so hard to secure.
There were significant delays throughout the process, including delays with HRA and Homebase.
Homebase was backed up with inspections.
There were not enough caseworkers to handle the workload, and there were communication problems between Homebase and HRA.
I was always the middleman.
These delays...
Had real consequences.
My landlord almost revoked my apartment because the process was taking so long.
Imagine finally finding an apartment, believing that you are finally on your way out of shelter, and then being at risk of losing that apartment because of administrative delays that are outside of your control.
Landlords already discriminate families with vouchers.
Families should not have to experience this.
When a family receives a voucher, they should be able to...
Move through the process efficiently and with clear communication and support.
They should not have to constantly worry about losing their apartment because paperwork inspections or communication between agencies were delayed.
These reforms are about more than paperwork.
They are about helping families.
Finish up.
Yep.
I'll keep going.
They are about helping families get back to their everyday lives and routines.
They are about allowing parents to focus on their children, work, school, and rebuilding their lives instead of constantly worrying about whether they will lose the housing they worked so hard to obtain.
My experience showed me how important city FEPS can be, but it also showed me where the process can be improved.
I urge you to support these reforms so that other families do not have to go through the same difficulties I experienced.
Thank you for listening to my story and for considering the experiences of families who are working hard to move from shelter into stable housing.
Thank you for sharing.