Hundreds scramble for Dallas County rental vouchers

"This Took Place at the "Jessie Owens Memorial Complex!" Looking at this is just some crazy stuff.  Man, my people! I really believed the lady was joking seeing all the people running then mentioning Jessie Owens."

DALLAS — At least eight people were hurt Thursday morning while scrambling to line up for a limited number of Dallas County rental vouchers — after waiting for hours in their cars.


People lined up Thursday morning to apply for Dallas County Section 8 housing vouchers. Dallas County sheriff's spokesman Kim Leach estimated the crowd at about 5,000.

The office at the Jesse Owens Memorial Complex wasn't supposed to open until 8 a.m., but some applicants started lining up at 10 o'clock Wednesday night.

Police kept people off school district property until the gates opened at 6 a.m. That resulted in a long string of cars lined up on the streets.

Doors were opened early.

Hundreds of people rushed the line, causing moments of unruliness.

"I started running and I slipped and fell," said applicant Jordan Spivey, who suffered cuts and scrapes as she was caught up in the crowd. But she said she feels lucky that she wasn't trampled.

"It was a madhouse," said applicant Ada McKinsey, who was injured as the crowd closed in around the door. "People pushing, fighting."

But authorities eventually gained control.

Seven people were treated by paramedics. None were taken to the hospital.

The question is: Why didn't organizers plan for more people and have more security in place to keep the crowds under control?

Organizers of the event said they didn't plan for people to start arriving until Thursday morning. But people who started showing up as early as Wednesday afternoon were told to come back later, so people started lining up.

The parking lot to the facility was closed, so applicants had to park along the streets in the neighborhood.

The Dallas County Sheriff's office said that they planned for the event, adding that Dallas police should have had patrol officers out directing traffic.

But, according to DPD, they weren't notified there was any problem until after 6 a.m. Dallas police did send some officers to the scene, but were told the county had it under control.

"There is no perfect way we feel with Dallas, DISD and Dallas County security that we have managed the situation well," said Dallas County Health and Human Services Department director Dr. Zachary Thompson. "Of course, we have people break line, running. That's to be expected."

But Dallas police said they could have controlled the crowds better had they known in advance about the event and been involved in its planning.

High-ranking Dallas officers said they weren't informed, so they didn't have a plan in place. they could have had their response teams ready and extra patrol officers. The county and DISD were in charge of security.

The federally-subsidized vouchers pay a portion of the rent, based on household income.

This is the first time in five years that the Dallas County waiting list for vouchers has been open.

Even though there was a lot of confusion on Thursday morning, once applicants got inside, the process was a lot easier.

Anyone who wanted to apply for a Section 8 housing voucher had to fill out a one-page form in person through Dallas County Health and Human Services.

Health officials said they processed 4,000 to 5,000 applicants on Thursday morning, adding that as many as 15,000 could ask to be put on a list with only 3,800 vouchers available over the next few years.

So just filling out the form doesn't mean applicants will get help with their rent. Thompson emphasizes that they meet eligibility requirements.

"This process is a real user-friendly process," Dr. Thompson said. "It may be two to four years before they actually receive a voucher."

The application center was scheduled to remain open until 5 p.m. Thursday at the Ellis Davis Field House, 9191 South Polk Street, in Dallas.

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Thursday morning, 5,000 Dallas residents in need of housing assistance showed up at the Jesse Owens Memorial complex early in the morning, hoping to be one of the lucky few to get a coveted spot on a waiting list for housing vouchers. Only 100 voucherswere available.

Some people had camped out since Wednesday night, and the line was at least a mile long. When hundreds of people suddenly sprinted for the doors, at least eight people were injured, and some say they feel lucky not to have been trampled to death:

When, at 6 a.m., officials said it was time to form a line, a frantic rush ensued — the latest sign of people’s desperation for help in tough times. There were no serious injuries, but video footage of the chaos received national attention.

“Once they said we could go on the property, it was a stampede, a circus,” said Adelia Frierson, a 24-year-old single mother applying for the federally funded assistance.

Zachary Thompson, the county’s director of health and human services, said the turnout once again demonstrates the need for the Housing Choice Vouchers, also known as Section 8. By the end of the day, about 5,000 households had applied. [...]

The hard-to-get vouchers pay a portion of the rent based on household income. This was the first time Dallas County had opened its waiting list since 2006, and applicants may have to wait at least two years to actually receive vouchers.

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The incident is a sad illustration of lengths people will go to for even the chance of government assistance in such hard times. Health director Thompson acknowledged that, “a lot of times people are shocked there are so many people who are low income and need assistance. That’s just the reality of the economy we are living in.”

The crowd ranged from young single mothers with their children to senior citizens with nothing but a small Social Security income. Many applicants had jobs, but barely earn minimum wage.

Authorities have been pointing the finger of blame at one another since facing a mountain ofcriticism for letting the situation get out of hand and not having a better plan to accommodate the sheer number of voucher applicants.