St. Pete hosts affordable housing fair for those displaced by hurricanes

Hundreds of families are still in limbo, waiting to get back into their homes after the hurricanes, so the City of St. Petersburg hosted a rental housing fair Wednesday night to connect those in need with affordable housing options.

Local perspective:

"I was displaced by Hurricane Helene, and my house is unlivable, and I’ve been trying since then to get housing. Thankfully, friends were wonderful enough to lend me their place, but now I am getting desperate. I need a place to live within three weeks," said Diana Alfieri, a St. Pete Beach resident.

Big picture view:

As part of their disaster recovery efforts, the City of St. Pete hosted an affordable housing fair with 40 housing vendors and apartment complexes offering deals to those in need. 

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"They are offering short-term rental assistance, which is not unheard of in today's market, and long-term solutions. They've got various discounts that they're offering for those that have been displaced," said Avery Slyker, the director of Housing for the City of St. Pete. "We knew we were going to get several hundred people, but surprised that we had 50 waiting when we opened the doors at 1 p.m. to set up. Yes, that was a surprise."

The search is still tough for many, finding a short-term rental close to their real home. 

"I have been looking for apartments, and they are astronomical, and I don’t know from FEMA what rental allowance I'm getting," said Alfieri. "A friend told me about this event. There are a tremendous amount of people here, but it's all far from me. One place had a short-term lease that was close to my house."

City officials said it’s a step in the right direction to provide support.

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"Post-storm, you’re seeing homeowners displaced that still can't get into their homes, or individuals with long-term apartment leases that can’t go into the building, because it's not safe," Slyker said. "Seeing that amongst the other housing issues we’ve been facing, this is critical to be here right now."

What you can do:

If you couldn’t attend the event, you can find some of the complexes offering these deals at stpete.org/affordablehousing

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