Return to Home: Replacing Blue Tarps with Solid Solutions

In August, September and October of 2004, Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne crisscrossed west central Florida. Hardest hit were residents of Desoto, Hardee and Polk Counties, all located in the HUD Tampa Field Office service area. And by the spring of 2005, many of them were still working on recovery. So, staff from HUD’s Tampa Office and from the U. S. Department of Agriculture, in conjunction with local county governments, hosted two “one-stop” events for all who were still seeking permanent housing or repairs.

On May 7, 2005, residents of Hardee and DeSoto Counties came to the South Florida Community College in Bowling Green to seek information, loan approval, and grants. On May 14, 2005, residents of Polk County came to The Lakeland Center in Lakeland for information and assistance to repair, rebuild, or buy a home.

After a long day of helping over 300 resident of Hardee and DeSoto Counties, HUD and county staff took time for a picture. Pictured here are Dr. Elba Cherry, Director of Polk County Neighborhood Services; Karen Jackson Sims, HUD Tampa Field Office Director, (center front); and some of the staff and volunteers who assisted folks in Polk County.

Thanks to the help of many volunteers and HUD partners, including lenders, housing counseling agencies, housing authorities and utility companies, several thousand residents worked directly with service providers to apply for loan approval and/or credit repair. They received excellent information about FHA-insured loans, the HUD Self-Help Homeownership Program (SHOP), USDA grants, and down payment assistance programs.

Local housing authorities were on hand to provide rental information and several electric companies provided help with cost-saving energy conservation tips.