Federal stimulus funds for public housing improvements were authorized Tuesday.

But some Orangeburg residents wonder if the money will be enough to address the maintenance issues they encounter on a regular basis.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced public housing authorities across the nation can begin spending nearly $3 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds.

According to Hope Derrick, spokesman for S.C. Congressman and House Majority Whip James Clyburn, the state will receive a total of nearly $36 million in Housing Authority Capital Funds.

“HUD’s Capital Fund Program provides annual funding to public housing authorities to develop, finance and/or modernize the public housing in their communities,” Derrick said. “It can be used to make larger improvements, such as new roofs. It can also be used to replace plumbing and electrical systems to make them more energy efficient.”

A nine-year resident of the St. Paul-Williams Chapel Apartments in south Orangeburg, Debra Cleckley says the roof on her apartment building was replaced in the last year. And she is anxious to see what the additional funds will mean.

“It’s getting better day by day, but we still need help,” Cleckley said. “It seems like regular maintenance has been put off here. A lot of stuff needs to be done, but it’s up to them to do it.”

Robert Thomas is the executive director of the South Carolina Regional Housing Authority #3, which oversees public housing properties in 11 counties in central South Carolina, including Bamberg, Calhoun and Orangeburg counties. He says the stimulus money will help public housing “catch up.”

“Public housing had been underfunded for years and it has been hard to keep up with the capital improvements that have been needed,” Thomas said. “We will be glad to be able to provide this for our tenant populations.”

Thomas says the stimulus funds will allow for a quick turnaround on “shovel-ready” work and projects that improve energy efficiency, a major focus of the ARRA package.

“We have three properties in the city of Denmark -- Complex A, Complex B and the Denmark Complex,” Thomas said. “In Orangeburg County we operate the Marshall and St. Paul-Williams Chapel Apartments. I anticipate submitting our required maintenance and improvement plan to HUD prior to the April 10 deadline.

“Recently we put new roofs on all the apartment buildings,” he said. “While that is an energy-efficiency improvement, we also plan to install energy-efficient windows, upgrade attic insulation and replace the current appliances with new ones. In some units, there will be cabinet replacements.”

Four-year St. Paul-Williams Chapel Apartments resident Cotina Haynes says she hopes the improvements will help lower what she considers an exorbitant monthly utility bill.

“It runs about $240 a month,” Haynes said. “They are supposed to be doing more work this summer. It’s a nice apartment complex but it basically comes down to the people and what they make of it. Things could be better if everyone sticks together, goes to Housing and lets them know what we need.”

Moneka Govan, who has lived at St. Paul-Williams Chapel for about two years, says she just wants to see a major improvement issue in her apartment resolved.

“Every once in awhile my kitchen will flood,” Govan said. “We took a shower upstairs and the water comes through the kitchen and floods the floor. From time to time there will also be sewage that comes up. Most every day somebody has a problem (here). We do have a maintenance man but there is a lot of waiting time before he comes around.”

Thomas says his housing authority is slated to receive almost $1.9 million in ARRA funding.

“Every year we submit a capital improvement plan,” Thomas said. “We are required by HUD to do a physical needs assessment on our properties, which was last done three years ago. An updated version of that will be included with our five-year improvement plan, which is also required to be updated every year.

“This will be a big help for us because up until a few years ago we weren’t allowed to install central heat and air in the properties,” he said. “I thank Rep. Clyburn for helping housing authorities across the country to do this.”

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