Article Courtesy of THE PALM BEACH POST

The accountants charged with minding the fund, Hafer and Gilmer — no relation to Tina — say her beef is with the Lake Colony Homeowners Association board. She says the president, Patrick Rea, told her that the board has nothing to do with it. Rea did not return several phone messages requesting comment.

Meanwhile, Hafer sleeps on the couch amid the mold.

Throughout Palm Beach County, hundreds of families are still grappling with life after 2004's Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne. Most are struggling to fix homes they cannot afford to leave, said the Rev. Pam Cahoon of C.R.O.S. Ministries and a member of the county's coalition for long-term recovery.

"Right after Wilma, there were about 700 families still recovering from last year," Cahoon said. "I think we've whittled that down to about 200."

That list is probably short of the actual need, she added.

Most recently, the coalition received $40,000 to pay for supplies to repair 47 houses, Cahoon said. Those supplies include drywall, spackling and paint.

What's slowing the pace is the need for even more volunteers, she said.

Hafer is still trying to figure out her options. Fortunately, her home got a new flat roof before the money stopped flowing. So when Wilma and subsequent rains hit, the interior stayed dry.

But according to her copy of the association's appraisal, the exterior still needs $6,200 of work, and the interior needs to be gutted and replaced to the tune of $48,000. It's such a mess inside that her 18-year-old daughter and 23-year-old son moved out to stay with friends, Hafer said.

Hafer did get $5,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. But she used it months ago to pay off a special assessment from the homeowners association — money called for to make up for the fact the organization was under-insured. That was before work stopped on her house.

"I think it's a misunderstanding about how to proceed," said Phil Dominick, Lake Colony's former property manager. Dominick said he empathizes with Hafer and added that hers is not the only home that still awaits repair.

Banyan Property Management did not play a role in the distribution or repair plan, he said. But he figures many homeowners associations are struggling to negotiate hurricane repairs. He said he'd like to see the state spell out an association's obligations after catastrophes such as storms.

Hafer is stuck for now.

"I can't go rent an apartment and pay my mortgage also," Hafer said. "I work at Home Depot, been there 12-and-a-half years. But I just don't make enough money to do this. I just don't know what to do."