[FoCHAT] CHAT: In Memorium: Homer O. Branch III

Tue Jan 26 22:39:33 CST 2010

Jan. 26, 2010
Dear CHAT Members,

This special newsletter is in memory of Homer O. Branch III.

Homer, a core CHAT member, passed away on Dec. 14, 2009. His sister found my contact information along with lots of files about Road Home on his computer and just contacted me. 
Homer regularly came to our weekly and then once-every-two-week meetings until we stopped meeting regularly. He even came when he was feeling sick and in pain. He unselfishly tried to help newcomers whenever he could. 
He was courageous in speaking out at LRA and Housing Task Force Board Meetings and gave a great interview once for WWL TV4 about still waiting for his grant for over two years even though he was in the pilot program for Road Home so that his grant should have been among the first processed. As a member of the pilot program, he applied in June, 2006. The full Road Home Program only started at the end of August, 2006.
As a favor, Homer drove me to one of the LRA Board Meetings in Baton Rouge. We had a wonderful conversation about his medical work (he was a doctor), his work as a free-lance computer guru, and his contracting malaria as a young man volunteering for the Peace Corp. The malaria compromised his health for his whole adult life. 
Not only did Homer have the unlucky (for him) distinction of being in the pilot program for the Road Home, but also he was one of only 19 applicants who had a chance to have an Administrative Law Judge appeal after having his first-level appeal (ICF appeal) was rejected and then his appeal to the State Appeals Panel (from the OCD, Office of Community Development) also denied. 
These Administrative Law Judge appeals were summarily stopped by OCD. Homer said the judges were fair but they were not allowed to make a final judgment. If they agreed with the applicant then all they could do was send the case back to ICF, the contractor who made the mistakes in the first place (remand the case back to ICF). 
I am so very sad that he never got his Road Home grant that had originally been promised in a “gold” award letter ($150,000) and then taken away from him in entirety. He was a fighter for justice and kind person with a sharp sense of humor. 
I will let Homer speak for himself with just a little editing by me and removal of some names.
Sadly,
Melanie

Homer’s Background About His Residence Problem with the Road Home (RH)
I had been moving between May and July, 2005 to my Independence St house (formerly used for a rental) from my Valence St. house  I had written letters about the homestead exemption change but had not yet received it.  The damages and insurance papers were approximately the same for both houses.
A, my housing advisor, said I should file the grant for the Independence St house in the presence of me and my Valence St. tenant at the grant interview.  I followed instructions and did as my advisor, A, had recommended.
 I contacted Ms. P, RH supervisor, on  03/06/2007 (10 months after applying to the pilot program).
I complained about no follow up or information after my gold calculation sheet stating a total payout of $150,000.  I was told that I would need to raise the house for the elevation money ($27,000 of the $150,000) and I spent the money to do that.  I spent the money to renovate the house upon Road Home telling me I was going to closing.
I spent $130,000 to redo the house.  
Ms. P, the Pilot Program Supervisor, then told me that they had let the person with my papers still on her desk go (she was presumably fired) and no processing had been done. I complained bitterly when I heard this.  The Pilot Program Supervisor then stated she would make sure that I did not get one cent from the Road Home Program. I believe that is just what she did by false means.

Meeting with you about an administrative law judge appeal
Sunday, October 26, 2008 2:06 PM
From: 
This sender is DomainKeys verified 
"Homer Branch" <homerbranch at earthlink.net>
Add sender to Contacts 
To: 
Dan.Rees at la.gov, Patrick.Keller at la.gov, Paul.Rainwater at la.gov

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I would like to meet with Mr. Rees and Keller as soon as possible concerning a administrative law judge appeal hearing.  I have a brief outline of my involvement in the Road Home program.
I wish to meet with you as soon as possible.
Thanks
Homer Branch III

1)    Joined in June 2006 in "Pilot Program"

2)    Took my renter and went to Baton Rouge for first appointment with all of my paperwork, 
insurance (flood and Fire), finger printing,  for my Independence St. house.

3)    Got yellow sheet stating a grant of $150,000.  Counselor stated I had to elevate the house

4)    since a portion of the grant was for elevation.

5)    Began to use my insurance funds from Independence and Valence to elevate and re-wire and 
reconstruct the house.  Borrowed $10,000 from SBA to help with cash flow

6)    Was set up to go to closing and Road Home counselor called and wanted more paperwork.

7)    Closing was cancelled and I was ruled ineligible after an argument with a Road Home supervisor Ms. P.

8)    I appealed and Road Home took 4 months to rule that my appeal was denied

9)    I appealed to OCD and was granted an administrative judge appeal and the judge ruled in

my favor.  
10)    Appeal was remanded back to Road Home and I was denied again.  I talked with Walter Leger and Mrs. Elkins and was allowed another appeal and Road Home rules were changed to make eligible people who had been in transition at the time of the hurricane. 

11)    Began activism about Road Home.  Went to LRA meetings and complained, went before legislature and complained, gave news media and public access channel talks on Road Home and inequities toward the homeowners.

12)    Continued to complain about Ms. P. and was approached by Mr. T from Road Home to use the house that I had previously lived in as my residence.

13)    I talked and wrote emails to Susie Elkins concerning this change and was advised to take the deal.

14)    Road Home changed my residence to the Valence St  house and a damage estimate was scheduled.

15)    The damage estimate fiasco had Mr. T, 5 supervisors, and three inspectors show up at my house on Valence St.  The inspectors inspected, but missed most of the damage, asked me no questions concerning the damages or repairs to my house. The inspectors did not look in the attic to see the damage repairs, since they brought no ladders.  Mr. E a supervisor for the two inspectors asked me to go into the Valence St. house. I unlocked the door and said he could inspect as need be.  There was construction material, items from the other house in this side.  Mr. E then said that he did not want his people to inspect this side of the house due to a fear for their safety.  He took two quick pictures with his camera and the inspection was concluded.

16)    I was now in dispute resolution and was assigned Al Blankenship (a head of ICF Road Home operations) as my PAL. It was highly irregular that Mr. Blankenship who had responsibility for the whole operation would be Homer’s adviser or so-called PAL).  There was some discourse with Owen Hawes, but he intimated that there would be no changes to the CAD.  He kept asking that I send him insurance pictures.  Mr E said the insurance pictures were fakes and provided an analysis based on flawed information that the pictures were faked.  I told him that the pictures were provided by Farmers Insurance and that I had not edited or changed them and answered his mistaken assumptions about the pictures.  I sent them 3 sets of insurance pictures and had a fourth set, but could not get them  to Road Home due to computer problems.

17)    Mr. E. wrote a scathing email letter to me which was relayed by Owen Hawes, but was not signed by anyone.  He accused me of not letting him in my house, lied about the damages, which he had not seen and disputed my invoices and contract to repair the roof.   I have his document. 

18)    Dispute resolution went on for 3 months and nothing was done.  I talked with and corresponded with Al Blankenship.  Mr. Blankenship finally said that I got a zero grant because I had no damage and the insurance payments would cover the damages I did have (which they did not).  He failed to mention that only one half of the house was evaluated and the evaluation missed most of the damages and considered none of the repairs. 

19)    I filled another OCD appeal.

20)    I was asked nothing by the appeals team and was denied due to taking ICF's word over my documentation and letters.

21)    I finally called enough that I got an email letter with the results of the appeal--denied.  The denial letter had no concrete information in it, it just said that it believed ICF.  

22)    In any case I believe my sham cost of damage estimate was affected by Mr. Blankenship.  

23)    It is now over three years that I have been waiting for the money to finish my house and repair the Valence St. house.

24)    I was given a take it or leave it choice by Mr. T, who was a friend of Ms. P.  I took this deal reluctantly not thinking that Road Home would have so many obvious mistakes in the damage assessment, so that I would get a zero grant. 

http://www.chatushome.com/blog/?p=46 
Homer Branch Says: 
September 26th, 2008 at 8:15 am 
I guess Road Home will wait me out. I have been fighting to get the money originally offered by road home for about three years. It looks like I have cancer now and probably will not be able to wait out the excruciatingly slow process and red tape. The Road Home applicant policy manual was changed to take care of my one particular situation and Road Home refuses to go by its own Applicant Policy Procedures or to follow its own damage evaluation procedures policies. I am sure that Al Blankenship who was handling my case has sabatodged me because of my criticism of ICF and Road Home. Lets get rid of ICF and just finish up giving the people suffering the longest and most something. Let’s get real appeals that are fair and honest.
Thanks

Your own comments about Homer or his plight can be made at:
 http://www.chatushome.com/blog/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=64 

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