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April 2021 Newsletter

Community News 
Van Buren Housing Authority

April 2021

Special points of interest:

  • CDC Eviction Moratorium Extended
  • Marcia Fudge Confirmed
  • Lease Provision regarding Pest Control
  • HUD allocates new funding
  • Container Gardening Tips

Happy Easter!

Don't Forget: Filters are changed during the SECOND full week of each month! 

Stimulus Check Update for SSI/SSDI 
Social Security and Supplementary Security Disability Income beneficiaries who haven't received their $1,400 stimulus checks will likely get their payments this week, according to the Internal Revenue Service.

Starting last Friday, the IRS began sending out payments to federal beneficiaries who didn't file a 2020 or 2019 tax return and didn't use the agency's Non-Filers tool last year. The payments will go to Social Security retirement, survivor or disability, Supplementary Security Income and Railroad Retirement Board beneficiaries. Some federal beneficiaries have already received their stimulus payments.

Processing on the first two batches of payments began processing on March 12 and 19 and were primarily sent to eligible taxpayers who filed 2019 and 2020 returns. People who don't typically file a return but who successfully used the Non-Filers tool on IRS.gov last year were also sent payments in the first two batches, either as a direct deposit, via paper check or an EIP card, a prepaid debit card.

No action is needed by most people to obtain this round of Economic Impact Payments, the IRS said. People can check the Get My Payment tool on IRS.gov to see if their payment has been scheduled.

On the first day of spring, a person at the North Pole would see the sun skimming across the horizon, beginning six months of uninterrupted daylight. A person at the South Pole would see the sun skimming across the horizon, signaling the start of six months of darkness.

Eviction Moratorium Extended thru June '21
On March 28, three days before its scheduled expiration date, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ("CDC") extended its nation-wide eviction moratorium order ("CDC Moratorium") through June 30, 2021.

In short, the CDC Moratorium subjects landlords and property owners to possible criminal and civil penalties if they proceed with actions to evict certain "covered" residential tenants affected by the COVID-19 pandemic for non-payment of rent. It does not affect tenants' underlying rental payment obligations or landlords' ability to sue for un-paid rent.

On March 28, 2021, the CDC extended the eviction moratorium for three months, through June 30, 2021. To support its order, the CDC cited the emergence of COVID-19 variants in the United States, studies on the impacts that evictions have on housing, migration and homelessness across state lines, and made findings that its action would directly mitigate the further spread of COVID-19.

HUD Secretary, Marcia Fudge Confirmed
Marcia Louise Fudge is an American attorney and politician serving as the 18th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as the U.S. representative for Ohio's 11th congressional district from 2008 to 2021.

HUD Allocates $700 Million for Affordable Housing
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the allocation of $689,565,492.92 through the nation's Housing Trust Fund (HTF) for affordable housing. The Housing Trust Fund was launched in 2008 as an affordable housing production program that complements existing federal, state, and local efforts to increase and preserve the supply of decent, safe, and sanitary affordable housing for low and extremely low-income households, including families experiencing homelessness.

Love Your Lease:
Part I, Section I. Tenant Obligations (43.) To assist in the eradication of vermin (roaches, ants, mice, bugs, etc.) With proper notice given, permit exterminators to enter the unit to treat for insects and vermin.

Recently we have had an issue with tenants leaving their screen door locked, preventing pest control from accessing the unit.
Unfortunately, we must charge the tenant a $50 return pest control fee if we are not able to treat on your scheduled day. We must treat each unit every month.

When you moved in and at your Annual Reexam, you were given a pest control schedule to let you know what day you would be treated. If you no longer have that schedule, please stop by the office and pick one up so that you can always be in compliance with your lease agreement.

Severe Weather Tips:

  • GET IN - If you are outside, get inside. If you're already inside, get as far into the middle of the building as possible.
  • GET DOWN - Get underground if possible. If you cannot, go to the lowest floor possible.
  • COVER UP - Flying and falling debris are a storm's number one killer. Use pillows, blankets, coats, helmets, etc. to cover up and protect your head and body from flying debris.

Governor Removes Mandates
Because many of the Covid restrictions have been lifted, VBHA is now in full swing! Many of you have already noticed that our office in once again open during normal business hours.

We have also begun working the back log of non-emergency work orders . If you are on the back log list, you will get a letter of your door telling you when we are ready to complete your request. Please make sure you are prepared for us to enter your unit and make any arrangements in advance.

You will notice that we are doing in-person Annual inspections are ready to begin the quarterly REAC inspections very soon.

If you have any questions about our schedule, please feel free to stop by the office at 1701 Chestnut.

Container Gardening Tips
Container gardening is growing plants in pots, planters, tubs, half barrels, an old cowboy boot or any other thing that can hold some potting soil and a plant. Basically, it is growing a plant in anything that's not a traditional in-the-ground garden plot.

Flowers, vegetables, herbs, succulents, cacti and even some dwarf trees can grow in pots and other types of containers. But what people are going crazy about right now is growing edible plants.

Vegetables and herbs need six or more hours of sunlight a day. So, locating your pots and containers in a nice sunny location is one key to success. Plants also need water, so a watering can and/or a hose is a must.

Plants need to grow in good soil or potting mix. To get the best production from your garden plants, add some fertilizer. Some prefer organic fertilizer, but chemical fertilizers are also available. These can be purchased at hardware stores, garden centers and home centers.

  • Clay pots are usually more attractive than plastic ones, but plastic pots retain moisture better and won't dry out as fast as unglazed terra-cotta ones. To get the best of both, slip a plastic pot into a slightly larger clay pot.
  • Black pots absorb heat when they are sitting in the sun.
  • Many plants grown in pots must be watered as often as twice a day. To keep plants adequately cool and moist during hot summer days, double-pot: Place a small pot inside a larger one and fill the space between them with sphagnum moss or crumpled newspaper. When watering the plant, also soak the filler between the pots.
  • Add about 1 inch of coarse gravel in the bottom of containers to improve drainage.
  • Vegetables that can be easily transplanted are best suited for containers. Transplants can be purchased from local nurseries or started at home.
  • Feed container plants at least twice a month with liquid fertilizer, following the instructions on the label.
  • An occasional application of fish emulsion or compost will add trace elements to container soil.
  • Place containers where they will receive maximum light.