Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Housing services reports 5,768 households served in June; Autumn Woods homes, Sallisaw and Jay duplexes near completion
Summary
Todd Enloe, housing services, told the council the department served 5,768 households in June and has 5,774 households awaiting services; construction and rehab work is underway across multiple projects and the Collinsville property development remains delayed after 2½ years of design review.
Todd Enloe of Cherokee Nation Housing Services reported to the council that the department served 5,768 households in June and that 5,774 households were waiting for services. He said the department is assisting 64 self-sufficiency homebuyers (average household income about $57,000) and signed a $25,000 down-payment assistance check this month for one buyer expected to close this week.
Enloe said HUD VASH vouchers for veterans are at 100% occupancy. On housing rehab, his team posted 42 bids in June, has 119 projects under contract and completed 27. He described ongoing work at Autumn Woods (Phase 2), near the Tahlequah Golf Course: four houses are fully drywalled and cabinet-installed pending electrical activation, and the project is developing eight lots. The department held a pre-bid meeting with nine contractors for that project and said a “special partnership” will be announced.
Enloe said final inspections on Sallisaw and Jay duplexes will occur soon; staff expect move-ins in early to mid-September. He also said a demolition bid for the old Jay football stadium was issued and is moving forward.
On the Collinsville property, Enloe said the project remains stalled: “We are frustratingly nowhere closer than when we started. We have been under review and design for 2 and a half years,” he said, and indicated staff are exploring partnerships with nearby municipalities that can issue building permits more quickly so housing construction can proceed elsewhere while long-term development continues.
Councilors asked about holding a small number of apartments for emergency placements. Enloe said HUD rules (an FCAS arrangement for low-rent units) constrain the department: if units set aside for HUD-eligible households are not used for that purpose within 12 months, HUD could reduce funding. He also said typical wait times in high-demand areas can be seven to eight years for applicants toward the bottom of the list.
Ending: Enloe said the department will keep the council apprised as bids close, inspections complete and move-ins proceed, and he invited further questions and follow-up on specific properties.
