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Council unanimously approves $44,000 in displacement vouchers for motel families
Summary
Henderson City Council approved $44,000 to give 22 motel families $2,000 each and will ask the County to reimburse half; City Attorney confirmed tax dollars may be used for assistance.
The Henderson City Council unanimously approved a plan on June 3 to provide $2,000 one-time displacement vouchers for 22 families staying at a motel, totaling $44,000, and asked the County to reimburse the City for half that amount.
City Manager Edward T. Blackmon reported that all but 22 families had found alternative housing and that the remaining families would be homeless again the following day. Mayor Melissa Elliott said the State had exhausted resources and that the City had already spent about $144,000 on hotel stays for the effort. Elliott proposed giving a one-time $2,000 displacement voucher to half the families and asking the County to assume responsibility for the other half.
Councilmember Sara M. Coffey moved to assist all 22 families with $2,000 vouchers (total $44,000) and to request reimbursement from the County for 11 families ($22,000). Councilmember Tami Walker seconded the motion; the council approved it unanimously.
City Attorney D. Rix Edwards clarified that tax dollars can be used for this type of assistance and advised that, if the County did not reimburse, the City could proceed so no family was left unassisted. The council asked staff to pursue reimbursement from County officials and to implement vouchers promptly to avoid immediate homelessness for the affected families.
The motion authorized one-time vouchers only; no long-term shelter or permanent housing commitment was made during the meeting.
