NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — People from across the region, some arriving before sunrise, came to the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority office Tuesday with hopes they could find a place to call home in a matter of days. However, the large turnout, coupled with the heat, complicated matters as people waited in line for hours.
The event, at the NRHA headquarters, was billed as the 2024 Immediate Leasing event for the 74-year-old Young Terrace public housing community.
And while not everyone who was in line was seen, a representative from NRHA said Wednesday that everyone in line would be contacted.
Based on the number of applications received yesterday, we have a sufficient number of applications so we are cancelling tomorrow’s event.
Applications were collected for everyone in line yesterday. We know applicants were disappointed that they weren’t seen yesterday. However, all of these applicants will be contacted shortly regarding the next steps in the application process. Given possible challenges with work and child care schedules, we’ll be offering flexible options to complete the process.
Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority
Sixty-six-year-old Mary Steele, who uses a wheelchair, told 10 On Your Side she has been homeless, sleeping at the homes of others for years.
“I’ve been on the waiting list for over three years [she pauses to take a breath],” Steele said while standing outside the housing authority headquarters. “I have difficulty breathing. Can I get in the shade a little bit?”
From the scene, 10 On Your Side reached out to Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander, who said he was unaware of the event and that he would find out which organization is responsible for the turnout, which appeared to catch organizers off guard. Paramedics were on standby as those who could, stood or sat in line for hours.
One woman who made her way to the front door said the wait in the heat put her health at risk.
“It has made me really lightheaded and just hot because some of my medications say that I shouldn’t be exposed to sunlight,” said one applicant who didn’t want to be identified.
Before noon, applicants — some of whom had taken the day off from their jobs —were told to turn over their applications and get out of line.
NRHA Executive Director Nathan Simms refused to comment on camera but said he would provide a written statement. The statement from NRHA reads:
We sincerely apologize for the challenging circumstances experienced by attendees at today’s Young Terrace Lease Up event.
The waitlist for NRHA’s public housing program has been open for several years. During this period, we’ve never had the kind of influx of applications as we had today. Because of this, we were astounded by and unprepared for the size of the crowd that showed up.
Over 30 NRHA staff were assigned to assist with the event and more were called into service as the morning progressed. When we realized that we would not be able to provide the service we intended, we immediately began messaging on social media and with flyers passed out to the crowd that both today’s 1 p.m. event and the Thursday event are cancelled.
All applications received today will be processed [and] applicants will be contacted and advised of their status.
The lease up events were promoted solely on social media. What we’ve learned from this is how powerful a messaging platform this is! In [the] future, we will format events to draw appropriately sized groups.
Currently, there are 123 available units in Young Terrace.
Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority
Alexander contacted 10 On Your Side Tuesday afternoon to announce the Immediate Leasing Event” scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday was immediately over.
“I was unaware of the magnitude of this,” Alexander said. “And so when you called, I immediately called the chairman of the housing authority and the city manager, and everyone has agreed to shut it down for today and to regroup and also to dispatch, even to help with assistance that’s needed. And we will have better coordination for the upcoming event on Thursday and beyond.”
NRHA later confirmed that Thursday’s event has been canceled.