St Pete Hurricane Housing Fair - Avery Slyker

St. Petersburg city officials and the Bay Area Apartment Association are staging a Hurricane Recovery Rental Housing Fair Wednesday (22nd) to help people displaced by the hurricanes find a permanent residence. We speak with the city's Housing and Community Development Director, Dr. Avery Slyker. 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Gordon Bird here beyond the news. The housing market that
was already tight in Saint Petersburg is even more so
after Hurricanes Helen and Milton flooded and damaged many structures.
The City of Saint Petersburg is partnering with the Bay
Area Apartment Association to hold a Hurricane Recovery Rental Housing
Fair to help people find more permanent residences. It takes

(00:21):
place Wednesday, January twenty second, from three to seven pm
at the Coliseum on Fourth Avenue North in Saint Pete.
We're speaking with doctor Avery Slicker, who is Director of
Housing and Community Development for the City of Saint Petersburg.
Avery Slicker, Welcome.

Speaker 2 (00:36):
Thank you so much for having me. This is quite
an honor. Thank you.

Speaker 1 (00:41):
We know that many people are displaced after damage from
the hurricanes. FEMA, of course, still has many people who
are receiving temporary assistance and are staying in hotels. How
will this event help people get into something more permanent.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
What's wonderful about this event is that this is a
rich needed from the City of Saint Petersburg strategic plan
for disaster recovery. We have got a Temporary Housing committee
made up of several individuals, of which Bay Area Apartment
Association is a member, and this was one of our

(01:17):
ideas of what happens not just the immediate post storm,
but when people are still in need of that transitional housing.
What's the occurring right now is that those that had
the FEMA temporary housing assistance, some of that is ending.
And that's why we timed this for now in January,

(01:40):
because now it's the time to actually meet with forty
plus of those housing communities to learn what is available
for them for short term as well as long term.
And what we're looking at with this is that most
of these providers that are going to be in attendance
are offering discounts, flexible terms, or other type of concessions

(02:04):
for individuals that have been displaced, such as that short
term lease and we use our short term release can
be to six months, and that's unheard of in the
housing world. So we're very fortunate to have this partnership
in that this was part of our long term recovery
plan all along.

Speaker 1 (02:23):
Now, as you mentioned, there will be a number of
housing communities and Apartment Association members who are going to
be presenting at this event, and you mentioned some concessions
that they're making to help people get back into housing.
What are some other financial resources available at this event
for families who are in need after getting displaced by

(02:46):
the hurricanes.

Speaker 2 (02:47):
Right now, what we'll have is that you'll have the
housing staff on hand and we'll be doing a couple
of different things. We're going to be taking a look
at some individuals who are homeowners that are displaced and
maybe still in need of some rehabilitation assistance. We'll be
there providing that information about what can the city offer

(03:07):
to help. And then even though our Housing and Community
Development does not provide assistance for rental assistance at this moment,
we will be doing that through our disaster planning. So
we're going to be able to connect with individuals that
are in need and get what they do and will

(03:30):
need for this and have that possibility where they're going
to be able to get some assistants through the city's
programs and our community partners that already do this, such
azz Directions for Living, We'll be able to make that
connection and actually do a warm hand off. Rather than
just giving somebody a number and thing, here's who you call,

(03:50):
we can actually connect them to the individuals that work
in the city every single day to help make this
a reality so that they can maybe find some cities
for rental assistance.

Speaker 1 (04:02):
Is this the kind of event if you're looking for
housing and there are housing apartment communities right there on
the scene, will you be able to sit down and
sign a lease on the spot? Is how quickly will
people be able.

Speaker 2 (04:16):
To resolve that they are going to do? These housing
communities are going to be amazing. They are going to
be providing that hands on assistance. They're going to be
doing applications right on site, so they will definitely be
able to find housing and know that they would have
a secure place to go to by attending this event,

(04:37):
and once.

Speaker 1 (04:37):
Again it's occurring in the city of Saint Petersburg. The
Hurricane Recovery Rental Housing Fair the city and the Bay
Area Apartment Association takes place Wednesday, January twenty second, three
to seven pm at the Coliseum on Fourth Avenue North.
And what are resources available if people want to find
out more information about this event?

Speaker 2 (04:56):
What I would suggest for individuals to go to this
event and get more information is definitely to check out
the Hurricane Recover Rental Housing Fair at the Bay Area
Apartment Association website. It's BAA HQ dot org, slash news

(05:19):
or check out the City of Saint Petersburg website at
see dot org.

Speaker 1 (05:25):
Doctor Avery Slicker, director of Housing and Community Development for
the City of Saint Petersburg, thank you for joining us
on beyond the News.

Speaker 2 (05:33):
Thank you