Old clothesline poles are seen at the site of the former Harriet Tubman Homes.WHAT’S NEXT• What: CHA will discuss its Harriet Tubman relocation report.• When: 12:30 p.m. Tuesday• Where: Dogwood Manor
After several organizations and local pastors accused the Chattanooga Housing Authority of causing homelessness by vacating and demolishing public housing sites, CHA board chairman Eddie Holmes responded with a report stating that the housing authority can account for all but four of the 291 Harriet Tubman housing development families it was responsible for relocating. Only one person became homeless, he said.
“We didn’t just tear Harriet Tubman down and say you all are on your own,” said Holmes. “We had a place for them to go. Now whether or not they chose to go there is a different story.”
For example, some people may have been assigned to live in East Lake or College Hill Courts, but they chose not to go there, said Holmes.
Still others received vouchers to pay for privately owned homes or apartments, but voucher holders may not want to live in certain locations or they may want more bedrooms than allocated, he said.