Project Report
| Feb 3, 2020
Ms Ida Doesn't Want to Start a Movement...
By Shondra Muhammad | Executive Administrator
Ms. Ida doesn’t want to start a movement, but she will if she has to. Ms. Ida suffered property damages due to Hurricane Harvey, and she is still fighting to recover. The 75-year old Houstonian had home-owners insurance at the time of the storm, along with policies for several contingencies… including typhoons! However, her insurance company has continued to deny her claim. Ms. Ida has filed a complaint with the Texas Department of Insurance and has sought mediation. She has been informed that her insurance company cannot be compelled to attend mediation and her only recourse is to take legal action.
Although Ms. Ida received a small amount of financial assistance from SHAPE and other avenues, it has not been close to what she needs to repair her home. She explained to us that she does not want money from taxpayers or from organizations where she may be taking assistance from others who were not insured. She feels that because of her age, her insurance company is defrauding her of money that she should be paid for a legitimate claim. Ms. Ida also believes that she is not the only elder who is suffering in this way.
As a retiree, Ms. Ida has been looking forward to starting her own non-profit organization focusing on early education, but she believes she will be forced to take a new path. This month, she will be meeting with SHAPE’s Elder Institute of Wisdom as well as other advocates for elders. It is our hope that through community support, Ms. Ida’s home will soon be restored and she can focus her retirement on helping children, just as she had planned before the storm.
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Nov 5, 2019
SHAPE's 50th Anniversary Gala
By Shondra Muhammad | Executive Administrator
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On November 2, 2019, we had our 50th Anniversary Gala! Since our last report, we’ve been working diligently on having a successful event, which honored and celebrated the dedication and commitment of those who have made an impact through the last 50 years.
As we celebrated, we were also making strategic decisions to impact SHAPE’s programs and sustainability for the next 50 years and beyond. We have added two new board members and our succession and sustainability committee is pushing forward.
We have faced some challenges because we work from a small pool of people. Many of the people working on the committee also worked with gala preparations and work with our programs and administration. We believe that our additions to the board along with outreach through the gala and other recent events are helping to expand our pool of supporters.
Another challenge we faced was with Lee, the elder from Galena Park that we mentioned in our last report, who still needs home repairs from Hurricane Harvey. We were able to connect him to a program, but his application for assistance was denied because there was too much additional damage in his backyard. We have reached out to the program to get clarification on the reason he was denied and to find out how we may be able to help. In the meantime, we have assisted Lee in applying for another program. We’ll keep you posted on his progression!
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Aug 8, 2019
Feedback and Fair Housing
By Shondra Muhammad | Executive Administrator
Although Hurricane Harvey may seem like a distant memory to some, there are still people in Houston and surrounding areas who have not been able to return to their homes or still need extensive repair work.
We visited four homes on the outskirts of Houston, in Galena Park, Texas and had a chance to speak with residents who were displaced. Lee shared with us that his home had been in his family for generations and was already in need of some repairs before the storm. After Harvey, he was no longer able to live there and has been staying with friends and family members. He explained that information did not filter through Galena Park as much as it had through Houston, which left many people unaware of resources that may have been available. We were able to help ensure that Lee was connected to the county program that just received additional funding, and he has submitted his application.
Even in Houston, we are receiving calls from community members who are aware that additional funding has been released, but they are confused by some of the language in the application for assistance. We do have a staff member with HUD certifications, and we have been able to help elders in the community go through the application step-by-step.
Aside from individual assistance, we are working with the City of Houston as a Fair Housing Ambassador. Over the next two months, we are planning three events in which the community will be able to share the housing impediments they have been facing. These events will give the community a chance to give direct feedback to the City of Houston and help shape the Fair Housing plan for the next five years.
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