CAPE GIRARDEAU HOUSING TASK FORCE HOLDS FIRST MEETING

Whether the Cape Girardeau City Council will consider public housing here will depend primarily on the work of a new citizens advisory board.

Members of the Housing Assistance Task Force met for the first time Wednesday and didn't take long to begin framing the scope of their coming debate.

Many of the task force members said they want the city to provide temporary, emergency shelter for people with no housing, and transitional housing to enable low-income tenants to save to buy a home.

Steve Williams, the city's housing assistance coordinator, told the board public housing initially was established as temporary housing to "let someone get back on their feet."

But in practice, public housing has changed dramatically since. In many big cities, high-rise apartment complexes have fallen into decay.

Task force members emphasized that high-rise housing complexes aren't the answer to Cape Girardeau's housing needs.

"Public housing does not sound good to most people," said Brenda Dohogne. "I think we need to approach this with a great deal of sensitivity, but I believe there are people out there who need assistance."

Task force member Debra Willis, a tenant who receives federal housing assistance, said the greatest need in Cape Girardeau seems to be for "short-term, emergency" housing.

But Willis said she hoped the task force could find a way to induce home ownership among low-income tenants.

"There are too many people out there who are renting for a long time," she said. "I was told the best way to achieve that is through a housing authority.

"There is a need for public housing, in my opinion, but it has to be individual homes scattered through town that would eventually lead to ownership."

Bernice Coar-Cobb also said she wants the task force to examine ways to foster home ownership among low-income residents.

Michael Wallace said he hopes the task force can bring about better relations between landlords and tenants in Cape Girardeau.

"I see a lot of misuse by landlords in the south end of town," Wallace said. "But I understand the other side, because I've been a landlord. I want to go beyond the task force and bring some healing between the landlords and tenants, and tenants and the city."

But Bob Bohnsack, a landlord, said he's had tenants who complained they were unable to afford paying rent while they mismanaged their finances and "trashed" his property.

"There's a perception out there that we need public housing in Cape Girardeau," he said. "But what we need to do is determine whether the needs are there."

Doug Richards, a city councilman appointed to the task force, also said the task force should study census and other demographic data to determine the need for public housing.

Williams reported to the board that about 600 people in Cape Girardeau now receive some type of housing assistance either through state block grant housing renovation or federal voucher and certificate subsidy programs.

Ralph Flori, who's also on the city's Board of Appeals, said that means more than 3 percent of the city's population receives housing assistance.

But Williams said the current programs don't address whether additional housing stock is needed in Cape Girardeau.

"These are only taking care of the existing housing stock and do not do anything to add new housing stock," he said.

That likely will be one of the key questions the task force will try to answer in coming months.

Capt. Elmer Trapp of the Salvation Army, a member of the task force, said it won't be easy. "The problem we're looking at is very complex," he said. "There are no easy answers.

"The real challenge is, is there really a need for it or are we looking to make a way for people already dependent on society?"