Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 25, 1993 TAG: 9306250283
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
She wanted to stay in Salem, but her job as a custodian did not pay enough to keep up with her rent.
Whorley found out about Roanoke's subsidized housing program, which provided just what she needed: an affordable place to live.
"The only reason I moved was because of the housing program," Whorley said.
Six years after making the move, Whorley still lives with her grandson in a duplex in Roanoke because she needs the subsidy.
In the rent-subsidy program, the city uses federal funds to pay part of the rent for low- and moderate-income residents who live in privately owned housing.
The Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority also owns and operates 10 low-rent, public housing complexes such as Lincoln Terrace and Lansdowne Park.
Like Whorley, Twylia Washburn and her child moved to Roanoke, from Vinton, because she was having financial problems and could not afford to pay her rent.
"The housing program has helped me a lot," said Washburn.
Authority officials said many other low- and moderate-income residents have moved from Salem and Roanoke County to take advantage of Roanoke's housing programs.
In recent years, most of the focus has been on Roanoke's housing conditions. Problems in Salem and Roanoke County are often overlooked because they are less severe.
Roanoke gets more attention, too, because it is the only locality in the Roanoke Valley with a broad-based housing program.
Yet, a recent report documented housing problems in Salem and the county, and warned that they could get worse if they are not addressed.
The report by the Enterprise Foundation recommended a regional approach as the most effective way to upgrade housing in the valley.
The $12,000 report was financed by the Roanoke Regional Housing Network, a coalition of valley governments, social-service agencies, neighborhood groups and private developers.
Among other proposals, the report recommended the expansion of the Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority into a regional agency operating throughout the valley.
The consultants say a regional authority could obtain more federal money for housing programs, develop rehabilitation programs for more neighborhoods and sell bonds to generate more local money for housing.
The housing need for low- and moderate-income residents in Salem and Roanoke County is confirmed by statistics. Many families in the two localities are on the waiting list for federally subsidized and public housing in Roanoke.
Most of the applications are filed with the Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority, because Salem has no subsidized housing and Roanoke County has only 64 units. Roanoke has 1,333 federally subsidized rental units.
The city also has 1,500 public-housing units. Salem and the county have none. "The lack of available subsidy for those outside [Roanoke] is striking," the report said.
There are nearly 1,200 families on the waiting lists for subsidized and public housing in Roanoke. Earl Saunders, subsidized housing supervisor for the Redevelopment and Housing Authority, said most of the 150 non-Roanoke families on the waiting list live in Salem and Roanoke County.
City residents are given a preference for public and subsidized housing, but people outside Roanoke can be admitted if there are vacancies and no one from the city is waiting to fill them.
Because of the slow turnover in public and subsidized housing, most families have to wait weeks or months for vacancies.
Salem and Roanoke County have no programs to assist low- or moderate-income households in fixing dilapidated housing or becoming homeowners.
The report estimates that more than 365 families in Salem and Roanoke County need financial assistance to repair their homes. An estimated 301 rental units also need to be repaired.
Roanoke provides federal funds to help low- and moderate-income homeowners pay for repairing dilapidated houses if they cannot afford it. The assistance is based on the residents' income.
The city also uses federal funds to help cover the down payment and closing costs for low- and moderate-income residents to become homeowners.
Rob Glenn, chairman of the authority, supports the recommendation for a regional housing authority, because he believes it would benefit all the localities. "I think it's a good idea. We could offer Salem and Roanoke County the same services as we do in the city," he said.
If the authority becomes a regional agency, it would likely have a board with representation from all the localities. Now, the authority's seven directors are appointed by Roanoke City Council.
Fuzzy Minnix, chairman of the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors, said a regional authority seems to be a good idea.
"If all of the valley governments could get together on it, there would probably be some merit in it," Minnix said. "There is always a need for this type of housing, and a regional approach might be the best way to provide it."
Salem City Councilman Howard Packett said the council has not received a copy of the report and he is not sure what position it will take.
by CNB