Councilman Warren Jones
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. --The city could soon be asking the HUD to suspend issuance of Section 8 vouchers for a Westside apartment complex.
Councilman Warren Jones plans to propose a resolution this evening to ask the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to stop issuing Section 8 housing vouchers for Eureka Gardens. The complex has had a dozen murders in the past 5 years, said Jones.
"The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office responds to more than a thousand calls for service to the complex each year, absorbing huge amounts of resources and manpower for a single 200-unit housing complex," Jones' resolution says.
Jones did not return calls for comment today.
But residents at the apartments don't agree completely. "[There are] a lot of single parents out here with kids and they really can't help what's going on," said Brenda Moore, resident.
Jones said those managing the complex must work to keep it safer.
"He is making a little issue out of nothing," said resident Widel Lopez, adding that management has made huge strides in security recently.
"What about apartments on the Northside, every time they have a shootout? Take them away from them. Why it gotta be Eureka? Because Eureka been out here so long? No! That is wrong!" Lopez said.
Eureka Gardens apartment complex is in District 9, Jones' district.
Lopez said Jones and anyone else supporting the measure needs to focus on other problems in the city first, like public school budget gaps threatening to end sports programs in Duval schools.
"You gonna take sports away, you might as well talk about the crime going up. Might as well talk about more killings. Might as well talk about more rapes," said Lopez.
Of the 400 total units in Eureka Gardens, 392 are Section 8 housing, according to a HUD spokesperson, who added those units are not project based, not vouchers, meaning they are fixed to that location.
No action is expected at Thursday's reading.
Click here to read the resolution proposed by Jones. Click "2011-190.doc" for a copy of the document.
First Coast News