NHA, NTUA suspending disconnections, evictions
Photo courtesy of NTUA.
WINDOW ROCK
The Navajo Housing Authority has announced it will waive rental and homeownership payments, as well as, suspend evictions until May, due to the coronavirus outbreak that has, so far, infected 26 people on the Navajo Nation.
The announcement was made on Friday through a news release.
In addition to the the waivers and suspensions, NHA also said all scheduled routine maintenance is suspended. And to prevent employees from being exposed to the virus, all NHA employees have been placed on administrative leave with pay. A tentative date of March 30 is set for them to return to work was set, but that could change. Some employees have been placed on standby to address any emergency work orders.
“NHA is currently operating with a staff of essential personnel,” the release read. “NHA stands ready to assist.”
In an effort to fight COVID-19, the housing authority created the NHA COVID-19 Task Force which will monitor how the outbreak affects their tenants. The statement also states NHA contributed $1 million to the Navajo Nation.
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The money would be used to purchase cleaning supplies, personal protective equipment, and food. They’ve offered 15 of their housing management offices that could be made into makeshift command centers related to all SARS-CoV2 related operations.
The Navajo Tribal Utility Authority, according to their website, is delaying disconnections, as well as waiving late and reconnection fees for their customers. Despite seeing a disconnection date on their bills, NTUA states those customers’ electricity would not be disconnected.
They also added that once the outbreak has subsided, a 10-day notice would be sent out to their customers.
To help prevent the spread of the virus, NTUA is encouraging their customers to pay their bills online.
For more info on NHA, call at 928-871-2681. For NTUA, residential and non-residential customers may call 800-528-5011, or 866-903-4452.
Highway 264,
I-40, WB @ Winslow