REGIONAL FAIR HOUSING COMMISSION PROPOSED

SIKESTON -- A group of social and private organizations will work with the Department of Housing and Urban Development to organize a regional fair housing initiative to address housing issues in Southeast Missouri.

Roy Pierce, acting senior community builder for HUD, led a meeting Wednesday with some 20 representatives from a six-county region. The meeting, the fifth in a series, was held to address concerns identified in a state-sponsored housing study conducted in 1997.

"It was noticed in the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing that the Bootheel had a lack of affordable housing activities," he said. "On the one hand, there was a lack of education on tenant rights, and on the other hand, there was a possible atmosphere of fear of being labeled a troublemaker."

A five-member advisory committee selected during the meeting will study housing types and complaints in Cape Girardeau, Scott, Mississippi, Dunklin, New Madrid and Pemiscot counties and determine what the greatest housing needs are. Once the assessment is complete, the committee will work with a sponsoring agency to apply for up to $100,000 HUD grant funding to address fair housing needs.

Committee members are: Karla Cooper, Caruthersville; Michael Harris, Sikeston; Charles Rush, Charleston; Miki Guedermuth, Cape Girardeau; and Jerry McDowell, Charleston.

"If you get the grant, then you have to find staff to do the work," said Pierce. "This organization will be specifically to disseminate information and do outreach so we can address those issues related to fair housing."

Pierce said the group will work to ensure Southeast Missouri residents understand the federal Fair Housing Act, which "addresses the rights of the individual to secure housing and the rights of the owner to have a reliable tenant."

There are 2,600 HUD units in Southeast Missouri, which indicates the level of poverty in the region, Pierce said. However, the organization would address housing rights in subsidized and private housing.

"They would help people who are hampered in their search for housing or who are not accorded rights when they are searching," he said. "This applies to subsidized and nonsubsidized housing."

Calvin Bird, who represented Greater Dimension Church of Cape Girardeau during the meeting, submitted a concept paper proposing the organization of the group at a previous meeting. However, Bird said Tuesday his church's organization wanted to assist in addressing Cape Girardeau housing activities without being a lead agency in the regional effort.

"Although we authored the concept paper, we wanted to work with other agencies in Cape and the Bootheel to disseminate information as it relates to fair housing," he said. "Since it has broadened from when we developed the concept to now, the thought process would be we would be an entity that's responsible in Cape Girardeau, then the coalition would identify other entities to represent their communities."

Southeast Missouri Legal Service could be one of the leaders in the effort. Director Lew Polivick said he could envision his organization assisting in the educational component of HUD's effort because it parallels his association's activities.

"Most of the legal aid programs in the state have that type of program and provide services of that nature," said Polivick. "Some of them get special grants to do that, but I still think it's within our mission to help people with low-incomes to at least advise them on what their rights are."