Many on waiting list not exactly homeless

PANAMA CITY — Many of the people waiting on the Panama City Housing Authority’s list are not “homeless,” by the strict definition of the word. The majority lack a “regular, adequate nighttime residence,” according to Kay Daniel, a homeless liaison with the Hunger and Homeless Coalition and a social worker with Bay District Schools.

Housing situations can vary, from living in emergency shelters, a car or public space to hotels and motels or doubled-up living with another family.

Daniel’s job is to keep the children of the lowest-income population “educationally stable with housing instability” by removing the immediate barriers, like consistent transportation to the same school, that would keep children of impoverished homes from getting a chance at a fair education, an aspect of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

From a practical standpoint, many homeless families are not represented in the Housing Authority’s list, Daniel said, because they do not have the time to wait or resources to apply for affordable housing.

“When you’re in poverty, you deal with today,” she said. “Because the day-to-day crises are so overwhelming you are simply trying to make it through that day.”

Her department covers 679 children.

Daniel said most of the families she deals with, about 75 percent overall, are in the “Code B” category. These are people who are living with another family because of loss of housing or economic hardship.

“It’s literally: You have housing, I don’t and you say I can come stay with you,” Daniel said. “You retain all rights to kick me out at any point in time. I am only there at your mercy.”

Because of previous evictions, a flawed credit history or outstanding balances on water and electrical bills, some Bay County families do not qualify for Section 8 housing. The individuals, families or elderly on the waiting list, and those who cannot get Section 8 housing, usually have to endure undesirable or abusive relationships to maintain a roof over their head, Daniel said.

“You have to make sure you keep those relationships; even if they’re drunks, even if they’re obnoxious,” she said. “Because you know when you need housing you can’t call anybody else.”