HUD Secretary Adrianne Todman, left, speaks with Monique Pierre, CEO of the Asheville Housing Authority. Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer looks on in this background. (Laura Hackett)
Shortly after Helene devastated the region’s infrastructure, shorting out utilities and wiping out key infrastructure, Asheville’s Housing Authority plastered flyers on its residents’ doors, informing tenants that rent was still due for October.
“Rent for the month of October IS still be due and will be collected as soon as the property offices reopen,” the flier said. “Late fees will not be assessed for the month of October.”
Monique Pierre, the CEO of the housing authority, made an appearance on Friday at Klondyke Homes in Montford, along with the acting HUD Secretary Adrianne Todman. Todman and Pierre toured an empty unit as part of a private media event.
Most complexes, including the Klondyke development, lost power, water, cell service and internet access as a result of Helene. Fallen trees damaged cars and other property. And, without water, residents have relied on outside help to accomplish basic tasks such as flushing their toilets and finding hot meals.
When asked about the flyers, Pierre said that their purpose was just to “let residents know that they would not be receiving any late fees.”
“We had residents bringing us rent or attempting to bring rent when the offices were closed. We wanted to make sure that, if they came, that they understood what their options were,” she said.
Pierre also added that residents were “being notified that if they experience hardship that we immediately take their rent down to zero.”
“But we can’t just carte blanche,” she continued. “We have to make sure that we serve our residents individually.”
A flyer posted by the Asheville Housing Authority. (Photo courtesy of Nick MacLeod)
When asked if the housing authority had done any specific outreach about rent beyond the fliers, Pierre said that nothing had been done “at this time.”
Thousands of people, including residents and advocates, have reached out to Pierre to consider a general rent freeze, Nick MacLeod, an organizer with the North Carolina Tenants Union, told BPR.
“I’ve received hundreds of emails,” Pierre confirmed Friday. “It’s not very helpful to be spammed. It impedes communication.”
BPR asked Todman, the acting HUD Secretary, what options the housing authority had for tenants during a natural disaster.
Todman said that in other disaster zones, housing authorities often used rent abatement and rent forgiveness. Ultimately, though, the decision to waive or pause rent lies with Pierre, she said.
BPR pressed Pierre for more details on whether or not she might waive rent for tenants, but she did not supply any.
“With regard to their rent, there’s more to come,” she told BPR.