DETCOG offers housing assistance to flooding victims

By Chris Edwards
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LUFKIN – The region-wide flooding incidents, which began three weeks ago with various severe weather incidents over a two-day period and again on Sunday, have affected people in Tyler County, as well as other counties within the Deep East Texas Council of Governments (DETCOG) region of service.

Last week, DETCOG announced that it is offering assistance to families affected by flooding within five counties: Tyler; Hardin; Jasper; Shelby and Newton.

All five counties, which are represented by DETCOG, are included within the disaster declaration issued on April 10 by Gov. Greg Abbott.

DETCOG’s Regional Housing Authority is accepting applications, and the organization’s executive director said that due to the disaster declaration, DETCOG is able to speed up the issuance of housing vouchers to those affected.

Hunt said that the DETCOG housing program assists nearly 1,800 families throughout the 12-county region of service, and while there is typically a wait list due to the high demand, the situation allows for expedited service

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“We understand the urgency of the situation and are committed to providing swift assistance to those in need,” said Lonnie Hunt, who serves as DETCOG’s executive director. The window for applicants is open until May 31.

He said that applicants in any of the five counties who meet the criteria will “automatically go to the top of the wait list so they can be processed without delay.”

“If they qualify under the HUD income guidelines, we can issue them a voucher quickly.”

Representatives from DETCOG’s housing staff will be present at the Tyler County Nutrition Center, which is located at 201 Veterans Way in Woodville, on Monday, May 6, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

In order to be granted an expedited housing voucher by DETCOG, applicants must provide evidence of a principal residency in one of the five counties, along with documentation attesting that their place of residence is unlivable due to flooding or severe weather damage, along with documentation of household income.

The necessary documentation can include leasing agreements, deeds, voter registration cards, insurance policies or government-issued identification cards.

Anyone who needs to apply, but is unable to apply in person can also contact the DETCOG Regional Housing Authority office at 936-238-7771, ext. 5321.