JaniceM
Well-known Member
- Location
- still lost between two shores..
Problem #1: Individuals in positions of authority (politicians, etc.) do not seem to recognize the magnitude of the problems;
Problem #2: Locals are hostile toward 'outsiders,' do not want our input, and dislike such things as being told what to do- rules, etc.
Question #1: Is ANYONE responsible (to do anything about) the goings-on I'm about to describe;
Question #2: My concern- as well as a few other people- is we could end up displaced, replaced, and without a place to live.
(I apologize for the lengthiness of this post)
When I was new to this area, I learned something odd: much of the adult homeless population receives SSDI, and at the beginning of each month when they "get paid" hole up in the cheap motels in the area, drink and do drugs til their money runs out, then return to the shelters and other services to provide for their everyday needs. In other words, they have a decent place to sleep, good meals, etc., all free-and-clear, while using their own money for drugs/alcohol. I thought this was wrong in general, but it's worsened: individuals whose social workers helped them find nice little apartments left the apartments and returned to the shelters because they didn't want to spend their own money on rent, utilities, etc.
During the last couple of years it's worsened further: an agency whose alleged goal was to get people out of the shelters have a program called 'Shelter Plus Care;' the population that I've become familiar with was described on a website as 'severe mental illness' and 'chronic substance abuse.' Locals have said at least some of these individuals do not even pay any rent. What used to be relatively decent apartment complexes and neighborhoods have been taken over by individuals who, with no obligations on their money, use their incomes for drugs/alcohol; with no obligations on their time, spend their time raising holy h*ll; turning the place into something like a homeless shelter but without supervision or rules.
Until a few months ago, I wasn't too affected by the situation- other than being concerned the landlords might make us longtime tenants move out so ALL the apartments can go to tenants from that agency. It mostly started affecting me when a middle-aged woman moved into the apartment behind mine, the problems have been ongoing since February: she screams obscenities day and night, beats on the wall, noise like furniture is being thrown around, and sometimes turns on very loud music at 3 and 4 in the mornings. I was on the city bus when she got on awhile back, she was so out of it that she couldn't grasp the driver was talking to her. A couple of months ago when I was outside waiting for a repairman, she 'saw' me, 'saw' where I lived, and then began popping up at my door late at night (once was around 11 pm, other time was midnight), cussing, yelling, and threatening me. Last month she called the police to say there was 'fighting' in my apartment (I was sitting here by myself around 11 at night reading a book), and I almost dropped dead with fright when the officer asked "are you o.k.?" because I thought something had happened to one of my kids. Landlord advised me (and a neighbor) to contact the agency that sent her here, but the guy who responded acted like there wasn't any problem.
Next, another of their tenants had been very nice, pleasant, even friendly; one day she even brought a neighbor and me slices of cake. So I was beyond stunned when I stepped outside one night and for no reason this other tenant started screaming at me 'You motherf**ng b*tch, you motherf**ng c*nt!' When I didn't respond, she marched over in front of me, got directly in my face acting like she was going to punch me out, accusing me of talking about her behind her back (which I'd never done). A few days ago, I woke up to hear firetrucks and police cars, logically I stepped outside to see if anything serious was going on; she was going past at the time and hollered at me "Nosy b*tch! Nosy b*tch!" I cannot even step outside my apartment without being cussed at.
A third tenant actually tried to get into my apartment early one morning- I was not yet up when she started knocking, and by the time I was appropriately dressed she was trying to get the door open. She said she 'needed cigarettes.'
Well, a longtime neighbor said landlords contracted with the agency because they can receive higher rents from the agency and breaks on property taxes. So on one side it's been a matter of 'tolerate all of this or leave,' and on the other side there's the concern (worry) that the landlords will tell us to move out so they can give our apartments to more tenants from that particular agency. While some of us do not have the financial resources to obtain different apartments, nor anyone to assist with moving, other neighborhoods in the city have similar problems so there's nowhere to go anyway.
Tenants sent from that agency need to be in supervised environments- they cannot regulate their own behaviors, make daily life miserable and dangerous for the rest of us, plus the concern that we'll be edged out of our apartments. But from the agency to landlords to the social workers who are allegedly 'working with' these individuals, nobody wants to take responsibility for any of it. These folks are essentially 'rewarded' for 'substance abuse,' with free-and-clear incomes and unlimited free time to continue it.
Problem #2: Locals are hostile toward 'outsiders,' do not want our input, and dislike such things as being told what to do- rules, etc.
Question #1: Is ANYONE responsible (to do anything about) the goings-on I'm about to describe;
Question #2: My concern- as well as a few other people- is we could end up displaced, replaced, and without a place to live.
(I apologize for the lengthiness of this post)
When I was new to this area, I learned something odd: much of the adult homeless population receives SSDI, and at the beginning of each month when they "get paid" hole up in the cheap motels in the area, drink and do drugs til their money runs out, then return to the shelters and other services to provide for their everyday needs. In other words, they have a decent place to sleep, good meals, etc., all free-and-clear, while using their own money for drugs/alcohol. I thought this was wrong in general, but it's worsened: individuals whose social workers helped them find nice little apartments left the apartments and returned to the shelters because they didn't want to spend their own money on rent, utilities, etc.
During the last couple of years it's worsened further: an agency whose alleged goal was to get people out of the shelters have a program called 'Shelter Plus Care;' the population that I've become familiar with was described on a website as 'severe mental illness' and 'chronic substance abuse.' Locals have said at least some of these individuals do not even pay any rent. What used to be relatively decent apartment complexes and neighborhoods have been taken over by individuals who, with no obligations on their money, use their incomes for drugs/alcohol; with no obligations on their time, spend their time raising holy h*ll; turning the place into something like a homeless shelter but without supervision or rules.
Until a few months ago, I wasn't too affected by the situation- other than being concerned the landlords might make us longtime tenants move out so ALL the apartments can go to tenants from that agency. It mostly started affecting me when a middle-aged woman moved into the apartment behind mine, the problems have been ongoing since February: she screams obscenities day and night, beats on the wall, noise like furniture is being thrown around, and sometimes turns on very loud music at 3 and 4 in the mornings. I was on the city bus when she got on awhile back, she was so out of it that she couldn't grasp the driver was talking to her. A couple of months ago when I was outside waiting for a repairman, she 'saw' me, 'saw' where I lived, and then began popping up at my door late at night (once was around 11 pm, other time was midnight), cussing, yelling, and threatening me. Last month she called the police to say there was 'fighting' in my apartment (I was sitting here by myself around 11 at night reading a book), and I almost dropped dead with fright when the officer asked "are you o.k.?" because I thought something had happened to one of my kids. Landlord advised me (and a neighbor) to contact the agency that sent her here, but the guy who responded acted like there wasn't any problem.
Next, another of their tenants had been very nice, pleasant, even friendly; one day she even brought a neighbor and me slices of cake. So I was beyond stunned when I stepped outside one night and for no reason this other tenant started screaming at me 'You motherf**ng b*tch, you motherf**ng c*nt!' When I didn't respond, she marched over in front of me, got directly in my face acting like she was going to punch me out, accusing me of talking about her behind her back (which I'd never done). A few days ago, I woke up to hear firetrucks and police cars, logically I stepped outside to see if anything serious was going on; she was going past at the time and hollered at me "Nosy b*tch! Nosy b*tch!" I cannot even step outside my apartment without being cussed at.
A third tenant actually tried to get into my apartment early one morning- I was not yet up when she started knocking, and by the time I was appropriately dressed she was trying to get the door open. She said she 'needed cigarettes.'
Well, a longtime neighbor said landlords contracted with the agency because they can receive higher rents from the agency and breaks on property taxes. So on one side it's been a matter of 'tolerate all of this or leave,' and on the other side there's the concern (worry) that the landlords will tell us to move out so they can give our apartments to more tenants from that particular agency. While some of us do not have the financial resources to obtain different apartments, nor anyone to assist with moving, other neighborhoods in the city have similar problems so there's nowhere to go anyway.
Tenants sent from that agency need to be in supervised environments- they cannot regulate their own behaviors, make daily life miserable and dangerous for the rest of us, plus the concern that we'll be edged out of our apartments. But from the agency to landlords to the social workers who are allegedly 'working with' these individuals, nobody wants to take responsibility for any of it. These folks are essentially 'rewarded' for 'substance abuse,' with free-and-clear incomes and unlimited free time to continue it.
