Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing Affordable Housing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Housing services reports 4,786 households served in April; Redbird Smith Estates nearing completion
Summary
Todd Enloe told the Cherokee Nation Community Service Committee the housing authority served 4,786 households in April, reported rising delinquencies, and gave timelines for new homes in Sallisaw and duplexes in Jay.
Todd Enloe, representing Housing Services, told the Cherokee Nation Community Service Committee on June 16 that the housing authority served 4,786 households in April and provided several program and construction updates.
Enloe said delinquent rent and fee balances rose from about $98,000 in March to about $122,000 in April, and staff watch a $130,000 threshold with concern. “Delinquencies have crept up on us,” Enloe said, adding that totals above $130,000 make him “a little bit nervous.”
On homeowner assistance, Enloe said the program (Homeowners Assistance Fund) received 2,595 applications and had served 1,635 households with a total of $8,700,000 in Treasury funding. “That is funding direct from the Department of Treasury,” he said, and the funds have been used for rehabs and to help homeowners delinquent on mortgages and property taxes.
Enloe also updated the committee on construction of new housing clusters. He said crews had laid sod at Redbird Smith Estates in Sallisaw and were finishing final cleaning and punch lists for single-family homes, while duplex units in Jay were expected to be ready around mid-July. “Both the houses in Sallisaw and Jay will finish about a day… Our goal was to get done by July 4 … more realistically, we’re probably looking at mid July,” Enloe said.
He noted the Jay units will be among the first meeting an ENERGY STAR silver-like standard the housing program is pursuing, and that the energy upgrades cost roughly $16,000 to $22,000 extra per unit. Enloe said the upgrades aim to lower future utility bills for occupants.
Committee members pressed staff about vacant units in some public-housing complexes and turnaround times. Councilman Joe Deere asked about Collinsville property approvals; Enloe said engineering drawings had gone through multiple reviews with the city and the rural water district and that final sign-off remained outstanding.
Enloe described ongoing storm-shelter deliveries and said weather had slowed installations; he also said staff were quantifying turnaround times for empty apartments. The committee did not take formal action on the housing report.
Enloe closed by saying staff will continue final inspections and standard move-in checks — testing burners, switches and outlets — before turning houses over to homeowners.
