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Unversity Area Emergency Fund Out Of Cash

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By LENORA LAKE

Tribune correspondent

Published: September 19, 2008

UNIVERSITY AREA - A fund for emergency assistance to University Area residents has run out of money and will not help new clients until Oct. 1.

The fund helps people pay rent and utility bills. The money is provided by Hillsborough County and administered by the University Area Neighborhood Service Center

The center's staff planned to stop disbursements for the 2007-08 fiscal year Friday. Requests for help that had been received by Sept. 17 were to be processed.

"But anything new coming through the door, we will have to delay until Oct. 1," Lucious Davis, manager of the center, told the center's advisory board at its Sept. 17 meeting at the center, 13605 N. 22nd St.

The picture is worse for the next fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1.

Davis said the University Area center and the West Tampa Social Services Center have a combined budget of $1.4 million for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30. Expenses have exceeded that budget by $150,000.

The county budget had not been approved by the Sept. 17 advisory board meeting, and he did not know how much his centers would receive. He expected it could be as much as 20 percent less.

In addition, the $150,000 overage would be deducted from the amount received, he added.

He said the staff will tell clients in need to "work out an agreement with TECO or the landlord" until money can be secured.

"Also, we will tell them to tap all community resources: families, nonprofits, churches. Unfortunately, those resources are very limited, too," Davis said.

Although new clients won't receive money from the emergency fund, Davis said a plan will be devised to assist anyone before Oct. 1 who is in life-threatening situation, such as an elderly person with oxygen whose electricity will be disconnected or a family with small children whose water would be turned off.

"We are not going to let any life-threatening situation go out the door. We will intervene," Davis said.

Tribune correspondent Lenora Lake can be reached at (813) 865-4851 or llake@tampatrib.com.

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