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Petition To Stop The Galveston Housing Authority

The Galveston Housing Authority (GHA) has agreed to rebuild four housing projects in Galveston as a result of a deal with Lone Star Legal Aid, which is a total of 582 units.

The citizens of Galveston and the City Council did have a voice in this decision.

Now the GHA is proposing an additional 1,500 units as well as 1,000 cottages of public housing scattered throughout our already struggling neighborhoods of abandoned properties and decaying homes. That is 5 times the amount we already had. All of this on a barrier island, whose existence seems more and more fragile with each passing storm. And with our tax dollars no less.
Stop the GHA
There is a petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/NoToGHA/petition.html

Here is a copy of the petition:

To: Galveston City Representatives

We are against rebuilding the public housing on Galveston Island.

The Island is in a flood zone and is not an appropriate place for public housing as everyone has seen after Hurricane Ike. Building structures on the island is more costly because of hurricane building standards and insurance is much more costly. Evacuating low income residents is costly and dangerous to everyone involved.

Also, There are very few if any jobs for low income families on the Island. It is very difficult and almost impossible to improve one's situation without opportunity.

The island is a tourist destination and the public housing unfortunately was linked with crime, prostitution, drugs, vagrancy, public drunkenness and loitering in city streets. People felt unsafe especially at night in some areas. There were also brothels in plain view on the strand that should be removed.

What does that say about city leadership? What do these problems project to developers and vacationers? People will not buy houses, start businesses, or vacation in that environment the way they would in a clean, safe, world class vacation destination and city.

Please take a look at Kemah if you would like to see a tourist town ran properly. It is clean, safe, and pleasant. Businesses came in droves. Housing is being developed. It is a great addition to the Houston area and Galveston should be as well.

Please use the funds wisely to rebuild a healthy, clean, safe tourist destination so the businesses, tourists, and homeowners will return. Infrastructure as well as assistance in rebuilding hurricane damaged property is a better use of the funds. Limited public housing for the elderly or disabled is fine but the majority should be built on the mainland where more opportunity exists and hurricanes are less of a risk. The proposal to bring thousand of public housing units to the island is not prudent and will be counter productive to the rebuilding of the island and the future of Galveston.

Sincerely,

[Your Signature]

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