A.G. Gancarski
In a letter last week, the Eureka Gardens Tenants Association wrote HUD Secretary Julian Castro to continue its pressure on HUD to resolve “numerous conditions in our homes that are in direct conflict with HUD’s policy of providing safe, decent and affordable housing.”
The letter contends that “practices in place at our complex may involve abuse and waste of HUD resources.”
The 400 unit complex has 458 children residing there, as well as numerous seniors and people with disabilities: “populations [which] have particular risk factors associated with unsafe housing.”
The letter makes note of conditions that existed long before the matter became one of general public interest:
We believe that there must be some solution where our public officials can fine the owner to force him to make the needed investments to make our apartments safe and decent. We believe that the conditions can be fixed. At a minimum,
- Stoves that are emitting dangerous levels of carbon monoxide must be replaced
- Carbon monoxide detectors must be installed in every unit because the gas hot water heaters are kept behind locked doors
- Stairs to upstairs units must be properly repaired so that they are safe for tenants. Simply placing duct tape over rusted stairs is not an acceptable repair.
- Dehumidifiers must be placed in every unit. We believe that the source of many of the mold problems is a result of excess moisture in the environment. Installation of central HVAC units would be the best solution.
We continue to be stunned that there appears to be little to no mechanisms for significant fines to be placed on this owner. We have seen public documents from 2013 that show that:
- Reverend Richard Hamlet made an annual salary of $485,000
- Global Ministries Foundation has cash, savings and temporary cash investments of over $7,000,000 at that time.
Arguing that “this owner seems to have embraced a philosophy of making exorbitant profits by taking advantage of poor people who often feel that they do not have the ability to force change,” the Tenants Association contends that, contrary to displacing residents, they “simply want our property to be maintained in an effective manner.”
This letter continues the pressure put on federal officials to move on addressing the issues at Eureka Gardens, though those in the know point out that Cleveland Arms and Washington Heights have issues that are along the same lines, which also require timely redress and repair.
