Cecilia Castillo maneuvers Junior’s wheelchair over two small ramps at their condominium in Salt Lake Metropolis on Friday, June 30, 2023. Tenants of the Housing Help Administration Enterprise (HAME) residences delivered a collective letter to the President of HAME demanding an finish to the lease improve and the chance to barter collectively for a good lease. Laura Seitz, Deseret Information
Tenants of Housing Help Administration Enterprise (HAME) residences confer after delivering a collective letter to the president of HAME demanding an finish to the lease improve and the chance to barter collectively for a good lease on the workplace of the Housing Authority of Salt Lake Metropolis on Friday, June 30, 2023. Laura Seitz, Deseret Information
Sara Worth delivers a collective letter to the president of HAME demanding an finish to the lease improve and the chance to barter collectively for a good lease on the workplace of the Housing Authority of Salt Lake Metropolis on Friday, June 30, 2023. Laura Seitz, Deseret Information
Cecilia Castillo speaks to Brandi Tillman, Director of Property Administration for the Housing Authority of Salt Lake Metropolis, in Salt Lake Metropolis on Friday, June 30, 2023. Tenants of the Housing Help Administration Enterprise (HAME) residences delivered a collective letter to the President of HAME demanding an finish to the lease improve and the chance to barter collectively for a good lease. Laura Seitz, Deseret Information
Lorenzo Rodriguez factors out the ceiling cracks, new entrance door and insulation that he paid for and repaired himself at his condominium in Salt Lake Metropolis on Friday, June 30, 2023. Tenants of the Housing Help Administration Enterprise (HAME) residences delivered a collective letter to the President of HAME demanding an finish to the lease improve and the chance to barter collectively for a good lease. Laura Seitz, Deseret Information
5-year-old Carlos Castillo missed college each time it snowed this previous winter.
Carlos has microcephaly — a beginning defect whose signs embrace poor development, issue with motion, speech delays and studying disabilities — and requires a wheelchair to get round. Nevertheless, his mom says the reasonably priced housing advanced the place he lives has not offered cheap lodging required by state and federal legislation, particularly within the type of a wheelchair ramp.
It’s already been over six months because the the Housing Authority of Salt Lake Metropolis, which owns the property, accredited the household’s request for the ramp on the finish of November. Carlos’s mother, Cecilia Castillos, mentioned her property manger put in two moveable ramps — neither of which line up with the steps main as much as their city home, and which she says typically slid misplaced earlier than she purchased rugs to go below them.
The property supervisor, Castillo mentioned, claimed there wasn’t sufficient cash to handle the third remaining step main as much as the house.
With snow plowed excessive on both sides of the cement path resulting in her entrance door and with out a technique to navigate Carlos’s heavy wheelchair on the final step, Castillo mentioned she had no alternative however to maintain her son house from college. It’s been tough for each Castillo, who's her son’s 24/7 caretaker, in addition to Carlos himself, who Castillo mentioned is lacking out on the therapies he receives in school and connecting with different children.
“He has lots of issues, like talking. He wants college,” Castillo mentioned in Spanish. “He can’t discuss, he can’t say issues. However as a mom, I've to say what he wants — that this isn’t honest. ... It’s tough. It makes me indignant and unhappy as a result of how can they inform me they don’t have the cash and now they’re charging a lot (in lease).”
Tenants of Housing Help Administration Enterprise (HAME) residences confer after delivering a collective letter to the president of HAME demanding an finish to the lease improve and the chance to barter collectively for a good lease on the workplace of the Housing Authority of Salt Lake Metropolis on Friday, June 30, 2023.
Laura Seitz, Deseret Information
Castillo is considered one of dozens of tenants throughout two Housing Authority properties at 330 N. 800 West and 257 N. Redwood Street which might be organizing below the title Vecinos Unidos (or “united neighbors” in English) towards what they are saying is unfair remedy and excessive lease hikes.
Tenants reported being given little to no discover of lease will increase of as much as $600, upkeep employees coming into their properties with out discover, dwelling in poorly maintained properties, paying out of pocket for repairs that they are saying upkeep ignores and having their autos often towed. Tenants declare they're threatened and intimidated by their property supervisor once they try to lift these issues.
A handful of the tenants, together with organizers from the Tenants Union of Salt Lake, delivered a requirement letter June 30 to the Housing Authority of Salt Lake Metropolis and the Housing Help Administration Enterprise, the nonprofit subsidiary of the authority that manages low- and moderate-income housing items.
The letter outlines the tenants’ issues and claims that Spanish-speaking tenants are being charged a whole lot of dollars a month greater than their English-speaking counterparts in comparable items. The letter additionally calls for that the Housing Authority finish the excessive lease will increase, set up commonplace rents to every kind of unit and meet with tenants collectively to barter.
“If these calls for are ignored, we are going to proceed to take authorized or different actions to defend our properties,” the letter reads.
Housing Authority property administration officers instructed tenants June 30 that they'd examine the claims and attain out to tenants by the subsequent week. Property administration director Vicci Jenkins mentioned the authority has not but decided lease will increase for the upcoming 12 months and that any quotes tenants have already gotten are invalid.
“For present tenants, we care about retentions,” she mentioned. “We’re not doing giant lease will increase.”
Sara Worth delivers a collective letter to the president of HAME demanding an finish to the lease improve and the chance to barter collectively for a good lease on the workplace of the Housing Authority of Salt Lake Metropolis on Friday, June 30, 2023.
Laura Seitz, Deseret Information
‘It’s simply not price what they’re asking for’
Castillo has renewed her rental contract every February for a few decade. However this February, a brand new rental settlement by no means got here. Then March and April handed as nicely. Castillo mentioned when she adopted up with the property supervisor, she was instructed they didn’t have a brand new contract as a result of the owner was rising lease however they weren’t but certain by how a lot.
“Till Might I had no contract,” Castillo mentioned. “What was I purported to do? Do you suppose I may discover someplace else to stay in 15 days? And to maneuver you want a deposit of a thousand one thing dollars. In the event you don’t have that cash, you’re not going to maneuver.”
Castillo’s lease went from $1,100 to $1,380, based on rental agreements she shared with KSL.com. She mentioned her property supervisor claims the lease subsequent 12 months will rise to $2,100.
“The cash that they’re charging us is unjust as a result of they’re previous residences and wish a (lot) of issues fastened,” she mentioned. “The cash my partner earns shouldn't be sufficient for us. We have to purchase meals and meals may be very costly. Gasoline may be very costly, automobile insurance coverage may be very costly. All the pieces may be very costly — and now they’re elevating lease for residences which were paid off for years.”
Sara Worth has lived in her present unit since December 2014. Worth, a single mother, works laborious as a psychiatric technician on the Huntsman Psychological Well being Institute to assist herself and her 11-year-old son.
Through the years, she’s seen lease will increase of $25 to $50, or generally nothing in any respect. It got here as a shock, then, when Worth heard from a neighbor that rents had been being elevated by a whole lot of dollars. Fear set in as Worth realized something past the $916 she pays for a two-bedroom condominium could be a problem.
In emails shared with KSL.com, the supervisor confirmed rents had been rising throughout the board, including that the property’s two-bedroom items are going for $1,380-$1,480 and three-bedrooms for $1,480-$1,580. These costs would translate to a $464 minimal improve if Worth renews in December.
“In the meanwhile I have no idea what the will increase can be for the top of the 12 months, however you may count on to have the above numbers because the minimal,” the supervisor mentioned in an electronic mail to Worth. “It’s due to the market and the requirements above that we've to even issues up a bit. We are going to nonetheless be thought-about low rents and below market worth. However in contrast on the charges you've gotten proper now, it's an excessive improve. The will increase will enable us to replace the group and unit wants, as it's apparent that some gadgets have been ignored. We want one thing higher in your group.”
The supervisor really helpful Worth apply for a Housing Alternative Voucher and supplied a commiseration: “As a single mom the struggles are past our management at instances, however we've to maintain transferring ahead and discovering the right assets is essential.”
Cecilia Castillo speaks to Brandi Tillman, Director of Property Administration for the Housing Authority of Salt Lake Metropolis, in Salt Lake Metropolis on Friday, June 30, 2023. Tenants of the Housing Help Administration Enterprise (HAME) residences delivered a collective letter to the President of HAME demanding an finish to the lease improve and the chance to barter collectively for a good lease.
Laura Seitz, Deseret Information
Worth, who mentioned her annual earnings is about $45,000, makes an excessive amount of to qualify for the Housing Alternative Voucher (a federal housing help program for very low-income households, seniors and disabled people). She worries about what’s subsequent for her and her son, who's identified with generalized anxiousness dysfunction, particularly as rising housing costs throughout the county make transferring to a different condominium appear more and more unfeasible. She expressed frustration that she first heard about lease will increase from a neighbor moderately than the property supervisor.
“I feel my restrict is like possibly $1,100, and it’s going to be tight. We’re gonna need to make lots of modifications,” she mentioned. “I’m attempting to not discuss an excessive amount of about it with (my son), however he additionally is aware of that we’re trying round and needing to maneuver. He’s been sort of burdened about it as a result of he’s going to need to do away with some issues. We’re gonna need to downsize. It’s been snug for him and alter is difficult. I’m attempting to determine how we are able to hold us in an area the place he can nonetheless go to the identical junior excessive as his friends that he’s been with the final six years.”
Even when she may afford the rise, Worth says she wouldn’t keep.
“There’s no facilities. It’s poorly maintained. The world is getting higher, but it surely’s nonetheless not nice,” she mentioned. “It’s simply not price what they’re asking for. I discovered locations that aren't that a lot which have like all of the facilities that you can imagine. It simply appears unfair and never proper to extend it that a lot.”
Lorenzo Rodriguez, who’s lived in his unit over two years, is aware of the difficulties of navigating upkeep all too nicely. He’s repaired a number of points along with his personal fingers and cash — a damaged entrance door, cracks within the wall after the 2020 earthquake, previous carpet that triggered his son’s bronchial asthma, peeling kitchen counter tops.
Maria Baez pays $1,255 for a three-bedroom that she shares together with her husband and mom. She mentioned she often has points with upkeep, such because the time it took three months to repair her range. She mentioned her mom, who speaks primarily Spanish, was instructed by a upkeep employee who speaks each languages that she wanted to talk English.
“It doesn’t appear honest to me that they mentioned this to her,” Baez mentioned. “(My mom) instructed me she felt invalidated and ignored in that second for not having the ability to converse English.”
Irma Tafoye has lived in her unit on Redwood Street for 11 years together with her partner and three children. The couple beforehand paid $1,220. Their lease was elevated to $2,480 — a 103% improve. Though they will afford the rise, they had been upset as a result of it’s been clear the rise isn’t translating to higher upkeep of the property, which she mentioned has been an ongoing concern.
“We now have to defend ourselves as a result of if we keep quiet, they’re going to maintain taking benefit,” she mentioned in Spanish.
Lorenzo Rodriguez factors out the ceiling cracks, new entrance door and insulation that he paid for and repaired himself at his condominium in Salt Lake Metropolis on Friday, June 30, 2023. Tenants of the Housing Help Administration Enterprise (HAME) residences delivered a collective letter to the President of HAME demanding an finish to the lease improve and the chance to barter collectively for a good lease.
Laura Seitz, Deseret Information