How Was Your Week?

This is the question posed in rational recovery groups at weekend meetings, "How was your week?" I am not in recovery, nor consistently rational. I live in the not-so rational world of retirees, ethnic minorities, emigres and disabled people. Generally I choose not to dwell on this, and write about it seldom. Not so many people in the mainstream, including elders, have an interest. Just for the sake of whatever interest there may be, I'll share my week in this post.

Actually I'll begin with developments earlier in April, when we received our LIHTC Site Manager's monthly newsletter. An article stated the "Home Owners Association" had decided to change the locks on our apartments, replacing lower door knobs with unlocking door handles. I had never before heard we had an HOA! In any event their decision would leave tenants one lock on each apartment door, a deadbolt. Concerned for my safety in this slip-slide environment, I contacted the Site Manager and Regional Director of Housing. I asked who sits on the Board of Directors of the HOA.

The next big question was whether HOA Board meetings were open, and when they occurred. Within a day or two I received an answer from a woman, an employee of the landlord. She stated in an e-mail message that the organization is not an HOA in the true sense and, no, the board meetings are not open. I am still flattened by the notion of referring to an organization as an HOA, a legal designation, when it neither meets the federal, nor State of Colorado, definition/designation, and does not follow the rules.

This brings me to yesterday. An elderly neighbor, Grace, received a notice in the mail from the Denver Housing Authority, stating her Section VIII housing benefit has been denied. Nothing has changed for Grace; her income and disability status remain the same. It seems she transgressed, allegedly permitting a young relative to forward his mail to her address, while he was in the process of moving to Colorado. He did not stay with Grace. She gave him no express permission to forward mail to her care. She knew nothing of a rule against receiving the mail while he was in transit. Distressed, Grace telephoned her Housing Technician immediately. The technician stated the matter was "out of her hands." The technician now thinks this was an administrative error. Nobody, however, expressed any concern whatsoever for Grace, who is a decent, honest woman. I suggested Grace go Disability Law Colorado, formerly The Legal Center for People with Disabilities and Older People, as well as HUD Fair Housing's Regional Office in downtown Denver! I suggested she personally visit both offices, because she is dealing with none other than the Denver Housing Authority.

Our Very Own Fat Cat Developer

This week also brought me to the point of writing to admonish management concerning a threatened search of apartments in the building, in the wake of a theft. The theft occurred, when our shoddily constructed roof leaked, during recent rain storms. (A shout out to our fat cat Dallas developer seems apropos.)  Certain areas of the building interior flooded, and many tenants had buckets scattered throughout their units.

It seems a commercial carpet blower was left unattended in a very wet common area. The blower vanished overnight. As we have no video surveillance, an open exit stairway, and no meaningful building security, anyone could have removed the blower. The search of individual apartments, would have to be reasonable and proper notice provided. Look, I can understand anyone's frustration at the removal of the property. I also understand it was costly. What I cannot understand is including every tenant on one floor, or every tenant in the building in accusations or threats.

One of my close friends suggested none of this is my business. Ah, but we differ. There is a huge sign in the Leasing Office, together with an enormous bronze Christian Cross. The sign proclaims respect and dignity in the treatment of tenants, and vows to uphold community. It is the height of hypocrisy on the part of Archdiocesan Housing, Inc. management, not to mention a violation of the separation of Church and State on a federally subsidized property. (At its convenience Archdiocesan Housing, Inc. plays the federal property card to disallow the use of medical marijuana on the part of any tenant. Unfortunately the management has never grasped the extent of illegal drug use and trafficking onsite.)

Lonely Chick

Now I must find out why my SNAP benefits have suddenly increased. (The government decimated my monthly benefit in mid- to late 2014, from $129 to $60, then, to $21. Now they appear to have increased, for no apparent reason, to around $60.) Great news, unless I am forced to repay benefits given me in error. I've recently helped a neighbor, who is being forced to repay $670 in unemployment benefits, because her employer erred by designating her full time. The employer a multi-national corporation, received not so much as a warning. 

Every confection needs a cherry atop. My neighbors and I keep sighting a former tenant of Broadway Junction on the premises. Before the management evicted this individual he repeatedly threatened the life of an elderly female tenant. He visits here, undeterred, and one woman is very frightened here. No word from the landlord concerning a No Trespass Notice.

So, in case you wondered, this is a slice o' life in an American LIHTC. I do not believe I need to elaborate on anything more, not this week.