DANIEL TYLER GOODEN / L’Observateur / September 17, 2000

LUTCHER – The St. James Parish Housing Authority has been under fire forthe last few months for the living conditions of its residents. Regularly at the St. James Council meetings councilmen have given reports of theunkept grass and the damaged apartments.

“Our projects have never been in such bad shape before,” said District Four councilman Ralph Patin Jr.

Councilman Elton Aubert, District 6 representative, agrees. Aubert, whohas been dealing with the housing developments since his election in 1992, said the physical appearance of the developments “is in its worst shape ever.”With residency occupation down the apartments are open to crack cocaine and drug addicts.

“This only contributes to their downfall,” said Aubert.

As chairman of the St. James Parish Council, Aubert has invited thecouncilmen to tour the developments and look at the conditions.

District 7 councilman Jimmy Brazan has been going into the developments on the west bank for years. Owning Western Auto Associates in Vacherie, hisbusiness has taken him through the developments routinely. “I’ve been inand out of there on business, and it’s the worst I’ve ever seen,” he said.

But Bill Wilson, superintendent of maintenance for the housing authority, said he can’t understand how the developments can be at their worst after the changes that have been made since Executive Director R.M. Jackson startedtwo years ago.

“When we came on there was only one $9,000 John Deere lawn mower. Itwas broken down from lack of maintenance,” he said. All the housing authorityvehicles were without insurance and many without registration. In themaintenance department, “if something was broken they’d hide it” rather than getting it fixed so the could continue working, Wilson added.

With local businesses untrusting of the housing authority, Wilson had to go door-to-door to rebuild their relationship and reestablish credit.

Jackson defends her programs, citing the numerous activities such as mother-daughter day, boys day out, girl scouts and others that they have brought to the developments.

On the level of administration, Jackson said the housing authority had to be pulled out of a swamp inefficiency. Outside of the vehicles anddevelopments not having insurance, the housing authority also owed $125,000 in back taxes and penalties to the Internal Revenue Service. Recently the IRSdiscovered that another $24,000 is still owed from the time before Jackson was hired.

In 1996 Marvel Robertson, director of the U.S. Department of Housing andUrban Development, public housing division, reported to the St. Jameshousing authority board of commissioners on its drug elimination program.

The program, paid for by grants with coordination of the sheriff’s department, was designed to help lower the drug usage in the developments.

Robertson reported the housing authority did not know how to fill out the payment vouchers required for payment to the sheriff’s department for services rendered. Some expenditures were not supported bydocumentation.

Robertson commended the St. James Parish Sheriff’s Department for itsrunning of the drug elimination of the program but stated the housing authority was not in compliance with the processes required to handle the program. In addition, the report advised that the housing authority shouldcreate a more effective ground maintenance program.

In the last two years the administration problems, such as confusion in lease agreements, when rent is due and other resident policies, have been made clear. Jackson has been before the St. James Parish Council alone and withthe independent consulting company NelRod to present her changes and improvements.

Before NelRod withdrew its services due, they reported to the council that the housing authority had made definite improvements.

While improvements have been made with in the structure of the housing authority, it’s the quality of the developments that is the concern of the citizens and councilmen.

“People are what counts,” said Brazan. He is disappointed in the way theprojects look and that there haven’t been any improvements (outside of the welcome development renovations) with Jackson.

“If she can’t get the grass cut then what else,” he added. The residentsthemselves are in charge of cutting their own grass, but to enforce it is another matter, said Jackson. Brazan pointed out that the least qualifiedlaborers can cut grass.

“We all have had labor shortages, but you have to do what you have to do,” Brazan said. Though the bookkeeping and administration at the housingauthority may have improved significantly “It’s the people we have to take care of,” said Brazan.

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