Heartland Family Service (HFS) has been assisting the families of Yale Park Apartments since Thursday, September 20, with their housing needs after the apartment units were vacated due to the 2,500 health code violations the City of Omaha discovered. As a result, almost 500 people, nearly all of them refugees, were forced to leave their homes. Many of them moved into temporary shelters at the Adams and Columbus Park Community Centers, while others stayed with friends and family.
As of Friday, September 28, 99 households, which equals 475 people, met with staff from our Homeless Services programs to request assistance. The current status of all households is as follows:
• 56 households have moved to permanent housing. Seven of these are with family or friends permanently, and the remainder have signed new leases. Five of the new leases are with Omaha Housing Authority.
• 20 households have identified housing options and are awaiting application approval, inspection, or pending the date when the unit can be occupied.
• 14 households are in the process of homeownership.
• Nine households are still searching for housing options.
Of the 43 households who have not yet moved to permanent housing, 10 households (52 people) needed additional
temporary housing assistance to extended stay hotels on Thursday, September 27. Of those 10 households, three are
pending with rental units, three are purchasing homes, and four are still pending an identified housing option.
Typically, when a family is homeless and is approved for one of our housing programs, the benchmark for moving those households from temporary housing to permanent housing is 30 days. In this instance, the response to help these families move into permanent housing was completed in eight days.
This response would not have been possible without the overwhelming support from the community, including businesses, nonprofits, the City of Omaha, and individuals who provided financial and in-kind support. The needs of these families, our work, and the work of many other organizations in the community will continue.
ABOUT HEARTLAND FAMILY SERVICE
Since 1875, Heartland Family Service has responded to the needs of our area’s most vulnerable children and families.
Each year, the agency’s 50 programs serve more than 52,000 individuals from more than 15 locations in east central
Nebraska and southwest Iowa. We provide human services to the individuals and families who shape the future of our community through the following program areas: Child & Family Well-Being, Counseling & Prevention, and Housing, Safety, & Financial Stability.
