500 applications in under three hours. Hundreds brave heat for rental assistance

Ambulances were called as hundreds braved the 100-degree heat index for a chance to sign up for rental assistance. 500 forms were gone in under three hours.

Desperate for financial relief from Houma's high cost of living, hundreds stood outside the Houma Municipal Auditorium for a chance to apply for the vouchers, Friday, June 30. The vouchers cover a portion of a tenant's rent at select housing providers. The event was set to run from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., or until applications ran out.

Before the event even started, hundreds were lined up to get an application while supplies lasted, but as sun bore down, Houma Police Department called three medical emergencies to the location to help those succumbing to the heat.

"It is my understanding that many people interested in applying were waiting in line hours prior to the application process starting. When my staff arrived at the Municipal Auditorium, they opened the doors," Director of Housing and Human Services Kelli Varnado said via email. "There was seating for approximately 172 people inside the building and everyone in line entered the building by 10:00 a.m."

At 11:57 a.m. 500 applications were signed up, by noon the entrance was locked and people were turned away.

Rachelle Adams pulled up in her truck at 12:05 p.m., she was too late. In her hand were all the required documentation. She had previously arrived at 11 a.m. and read that she needed copies of her identification or she would be denied. She drove to the City Court and paid $34.50 to make all the required copies and came back.

"The lady was just telling me just now that I coulda' came and did the applications and then go get my copies, but on the website, it's like you gotta have all your documents when you come so I'm like 'alright I'ma have all my stuff together so you know I ain't gotta turn around for no reason' and I'm not denied," she said. "We are going to either be behind on the rent, or behind on the lights, and so when that gets cut off we are going to have to borrow money so it's like we are always in a bind, so to get out of the bind I came over here."

Adams lives with her father and two children: her daughter is 11, and her son is 3. The four live on $2,000 a month and live in Marietta Place, in Gray for $700 a month. The rest of her income goes toward a car note, utility bills, insurance, and phone bills leaving very little left.

She said she has applied for work, but she has a theft charge from five years ago that she tells employers about upfront, and it denies her from finding work.

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"As soon as that background check comes in it's like 'Oh no we can't hire you, you've got a felony charge,'" she said. Asked why she had a theft charge, "I was working at Walmart, I was stealing to provide for my daughter - food, the money, to pay the rent so we wouldn't be homeless."

Others were luckier than Adams. Armed with bottles of water and towels, Jennifer Billiot and Tiffany Eschette walked from Antoine Street to the auditorium for a chance to receive HUD Vouchers. They arrived at around 11 a.m. and were brought inside to sit at a table where they began filling out forms to apply for the voucher. Around them, roughly ten others sat, some with children, doing the same.

Both were far-sighted, and neither had glasses. Billiot said she had never got her eyes checked by a doctor and had just missed an appointment the day before. Eschette owned glasses, but they recently broke. The two reviewed one anothers' applications as they worked on them to avoid missing anything.

Billiot was living in apartments on Acorn St. prior to Hurricane Ida, but the apartments were condemned. She and her daughter Ava Duthu now live in an apartment at the 400 block of Antoine St. and pay $600 a month in rent. She had photos in her phone of a kitchen with missing ceiling tiles, four extension cords running power to the apartments, and a broken air conditioner.

She used to work as a manager at WingStop but is unemployed currently. Her boyfriend covers the bills until she can return to work.

"We're trying to get a car so I can get back to work," she said. "I'm tired of staying at home, I'm used to workin'. It's boring at home."

Eschette said she is currently homeless, but staying with a friend. She said she wished there were more options for women down on their luck so that she wouldn't be reliant on others. She was looking for work but no one would call her back.

"You know they don't even have no more homeless shelters for women," Eschette said."What the hell are people to do? I'm not relocating to New Orleans or Baton Rouge."

The two went through the process but lacked a copy of their license. They said they were told to go to the Section 8 Office, 4800 Highway 311, this week to turn in the copy and finalize their applications. After that, they would be placed on a priority waiting list based on their needs.

This article originally appeared on The Courier: Hundreds seek rental help, brave heat, three medical emergencies