Cui Bono? Affordable Low-Income Housing in The Mosaic City

That's Latin for who benefits.

 





The South Bank Beacon

The March for a New, Improved Covington

"Outside Show is a poor substitute for Inner Worth." -Aesop

EastSide Neighborhood Association - Thursday March 25th: Special guest was Dennis Williams, Esq - Of counsel to & representing 824 Greenup LLC; the City's Preferred Developer for the Lincoln-Grant School. Also in attendance for his presentation was Commissioner Sherry Carran. Here are the plans which will be presented to City Commission (in "Executive Session" - which means Behind Closed Doors!) at their meeting this Tuesday:

 

NLIHC: Out of Reach, 2002
2002 Out of Reach Report is now available
source page: http://www.nlihc.org/oor2002/index.htm

Looking back over the first half of 2002, here on The South Bank; I combed through recent news articles, commission minutes, transcripts of an online conversation with the current commission candidates... I have distilled all these headlines, sound bites and quotes into this simple list of KeyWords:

WELCOME!! Michael W. Connett "The HIVe at Seminary Square MainStrasse"

Page Created: 03/30/2001. Revised/Updated: March 21, 2011

Greetings!

Well, I've been invested, infested and have myself begun nesting in my new neighborhood which is known as "Seminary Square". Since being a participant in the HUD Section 8 program upon being granted full Social Security Disability benefits, this will be my fifth location and attempt to make a "HOME". Since mother always said, 'If you can't say anything nice...'; the one nice thing that I can say about all four - both the properties and the owners - is that they all have truly been a Life Learning experience. The outcome is that I have now arrived at this point more committed than ever to Low-Income Housing Reform and Revitalization than ever before.

With the resources of The Trust, as part of the South Bank Beacon and The South Bank SlumLord Alert, I would like to foster the establishment of:

• The South Bank Tenants Advocacy Project - With the goal of revising and reissuing the current URLTA No. Ky. Handbook, supplementing it with tenants tips specific to the South Bank/No. Ky. area and the Housing Choice Voucher program across the counties.
• Our Neighbor's Closet: A network of neighborhood repositories for cast-off household furnishings for the benefit of a coalition of all agencies serving/having housing needs for clients. In addition to the agencies serving the Homeless and Low-Income client base, it would include AVNK and the No. Ky. HIV/AIDS Case Managers.
• My Neighbors Helpers: A corps of volunteer handypersons with a wide range of skills.

Best Regards,

Michael

 

From: Michael W. Connett,

Concerned Citizen & Renter

Coordinator, Central Lewisburg Neighborhood Watch

Member, Lewisburg Neighborhood Association

RE: The Slumlord Eradication Act - An Addendum to the Uniform Residential Landlord-Tenant Act (KRS 383.500 - 383.715)

Authors note: While the focus of this proposal is aimed at and speaks to conditions in Covingtons residential rental property market; it is equally relevant to all cities, as well as agencies concerned, with residential rental property. For this reason, it is being widely distributed for your thoughtful consideration.

In the wake of the hoopla of the recent Covington Housing Fair - where the city attempted to put its best foot forward in an effort to convince people that it's a great place to live - it is imperative that I bring to light a major obstacle to an aspect of this effort that currently exists.

As 1 understand it; from the city's Housing Development Department, not only was the focus on home ownership but also on increasing the occupancy of the numerous residential rental units in the city. In Covington - as in most cities, renting residential property is a Business which requires a license. Unfortunately, all too often it is a business in which "the customer" is treated with little respect, much indifference and is seldom, if ever, right. This is especially true amongst low-income and uneducated tenants and the slum lords that prey on them. From my own recent experience with one of the city's slum lords, I learned that for tenants there is virtually no protection, warning, regulation or discipline against the unfair actions of such deceitful persons.

In the late 80's; a coalition of agencies which included the Legal Aid Society among others and was known as the Ky. Housing Coalition, established the Uniform Residential Landlord-Tenant Act (URLTA) which was adopted by Covington and many other No. Ky. Cities. While that was a commendable attempt to end years of confusion and give both landlords and tenants equal standing in the eyes of the law; it would seem that once the act was established, adopted and a handbook published, the effort died and withered away. People - especially tenants - are not being made aware that these rights and the accompanying handbook exist. The slumlords know this and use this lack of awareness against their tenants to their own greedy advantage. As that particular handbook states: "... The law only works for people who understand how to use it. Tenants and landlords have to know enough to make sure (and, when needed, demand) that their rights are respected."

But before people can understand the law and how to use it, they must be made aware that it exists. The current promotion of URLTA and the availability Of, as well as access to, its handbook is severely lacking and needs to be improved significantly. As an example: I know that in the Housing Department office, these handbooks are stacked on a shelf under the counter out of sight rather than being on the counter in an accessible display rack. Every residential renter needs to be made aware of URLTA's existence and be provided broad access to FREE copies of its handbook. Likewise; in addition to being required to have a license, every landlord should be required to have read and understand the URLTA handbook.

There are other weaknesses of URLTA that need to be addressed. If a conscientious landlord operates in a professional manner and takes the time and care to check references, he can usually avoid the tenants from hell. Tenants don't have the same ability to weed out the slumlords. There needs to be a way to compile an accessible, public history of housing code violations, complaints and court actions against landlords that prospective tenants can check before they sign a lease. A 'Better Business Bureau' for the residential rental property industry, if you will.

There also needs to be a stronger solution to Security Deposit disputes. Currently, if a landlord tries to unfairly withhold a security deposit, the tenants only recourse is to sacrifice more of their hard earned money and file in small claims court. To make matters worse, Legal Aid won't even discuss or help with deposit disputes farther than telling you to go to small claims. Once a tenant receives a favorable judgment for the refund of their security deposit, they are left on their own to try and get the money. Should a slumlord try to ignore or drag out the payment of the judgment, there needs to be a way to help force payment as well as punish his actions.

In an attempt to address these issues I would like to put forth the following proposal for your consideration. Please bear in mind that I am neither a politician or lawyer and this is a basic rough idea written in plain English. http://www.mwcltonline.org/slumlords.html

I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. --- Eli Wiesel

 "The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all these living beings, which are all part of one another, and all involved in one another." -Thomas Merton

 

Monday, August 30, 2004

"Then said a rich man, speak to us of giving. And he answered; You give but little when you give of your possessions, it is when you give of yourself that you truly give. For what are your possessions but things you keep and guard for fear you may need them tomorrow...

There are those who give with joy and that joy is their reward. And there are those who give with pain and that pain is their baptism. And there are those who give and know not pain in giving, nor do they seek joy, nor give with mindfulness of virtue. They give as in yonder valley the myrtle breathes its fragrance into space. Through the hands of such as these, God speaks. And from behind their eyes, He smiles upon the earth...

It is well to give when asked, but it is better to give unasked through understanding...

See first that you, yourself, deserve to be a giver and an instrument of giving. For in truth it is life that gives unto life, while you who deem yourself a giver are but a witness."

"The Prophet" - Kahlil Gibran

---

Greetings!

“I can’t stand to Fly, I’m not that naïve

I’m just out to find The better part of me…”

Which is, perhaps, one of the biggest reasons that I never intended to move again when I landed in Wallace Woods back in 1998! In any case, there I went; leaving all my old baggage behind and starting anew with just the essential things in Life. Several months have now passed since that exodus and I'm now readying the HIVe for the oncoming winter. Since then, I have achieved my goal of establishing an internet domain at www.mwcltonline.org ... I've begun to think about a housewarming even though the last grand celebration I planned exploded in my face. When I walked away from The Holiday House in Wallace Woods - which was a matter of principle and to make a point, I left behind a lot of great "stuff". However,...:

The South Bank Beacon shines from

The HIVe at "Seminary Square"

Paying It Forward, Daily; “Think of an idea to Change The World, And put it Into ACTION…”

"C+V=G" My 2010 Version

The only promise I can safely make is: "That I will do my utmost to Live Up to My Mission and be Faithful to My Message and give it everything I've got... And then some!"

---

Mission Statement
To use the rest of my life the best I can so that the people and places through which my journey leads me will remain a little bit better for me having passed their way...

Interests: Empowering the People...

 About Me: http://www.mwcltonline.org/curriculum_vitae.html

Do not keep this message. The mantra must leave your hands...

"You can't be afraid of stepping on toes if you want to go dancing." - Lewis Freedman

Our Holiday & Moving Wish List...

Living with HIV/AIDS is about the ENTIRE Community, both those Infected as well as Affected because THAT IS WHERE The LIVING takes PLACE. However, given the Stigma, Discrimination & Politicization of this particular disease, many have faced it "On their Own" along with all the other normal concerns of everyday life. The increasing lack of affordable housing in America is forcing some to become part of the homeless population.

Fanfare for The Common Man...

"FREEDOM-is just another word for, NOTHIN' left to LOSE..." Janis Joplin

This story is about my most important endeavor in life. To experience that greatest love of all; to truly love myself, to shed the strangeness I feel at being who I am and to no longer be frightened with myself. This is my attempt to finally get myself home before I die...

"On Coming Home"

"Home is not a place; it is an attitude. It is an attitude which depends on how much we are able to feel at home with ourselves as well as with others. Home is something which happens to a person; homecoming has less to do with geography than it has to do with a sense of personal integrity or inner wholeness.
The most important of all endeavors in life is to come home. The most terrifying of fears is loneliness. It means that one has become a stranger to himself, and consequently, to others. To be lonely is to feel fear, to be forever unsettled, never at rest, in need of more reassurance than life can give.
Someone truly loves us when he brings us home; when he makes us comfortable with ourselves, when he takes from us the strangeness we feel at being who we are. We are loved when we no longer are frightened with ourselves."

"Dawn Without Darkness" - Anthony Padavano

Since being a participant in HUD Assisted Housing-Section 8 programs upon being granted full Social Security Disability benefits in 1993 and returning to My Ole Kentucky Home, Bismarck Apartments is the latest location to FAIL as an Acceptable Location to make a "HOME". Since mother always said, 'If you can't say anything nice...'; the one nice thing that I can say about all the places I've tried to make a "HOME" in is that they all have truly been a Life Learning experience. The outcome is that I have now arrived at this point more committed than ever to Low-Income Housing Reform and Revitalization than ever before.

Do you know a bad Landlord (i.e.: A Landlord who doesn't give a damn about the Housing Quality Standards, the behavior of tenants, the maintenance/appearance of the properties or anything else BUT their financial bottom line.)?? Either through personal experience as a tenant or resident of a neighborhood one owns property in, or through word-of-mouth?? CHANCES ARE, YOU DO!! Especially if you or someone you know are on a low, fixed income and qualify for a HUD/Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher. Unfortunately, due to the problems inherent in those programs, bad landlords continue to thrive in the system and prey on its participants; The Majority of which (57% according to the HUD web site) are either Senior Citizens or the Disabled. Having been exposed to such individuals in the past; I have decided to combat this problem and advocate for tenants rights through my web presence and Home Page.

"In the great majority of cases, a landlords decision to not rent through the Section 8 program is nothing more than subtle but effective discrimination against a perceived class of tenants!"

On the other Hand; there are those landlords who do rent through Section 8 and do so with only with their lowest-cst cost and lowest-quality units and indifference to exploiting desperate, vulnerable people for their own gain!!!

This is about subtle, legal and effective discrimination of a perceived class! "We have too many section 8 units in our city" Cut the crap and lets talk about total residential Rental units period. Let's talk about the fact that HUD began phasing out site-based "projects" during the Reagan Administration. Let's talk about the evolution of off-site certificates now known as Housing Choice Vouchers that were designed to enable assisted families to remain in the community where they had made their home. Then lets stop, pause and reflect that the only residential Rental units that require an inspection for Housing Quality Standards are the ones for which the landlord agrees to accept a Housing Choice Voucher. So all residential rental units, although equally available on the Fair Market at that rate and require a business license of the landlord, are not held to equal accountability for Housing Quality Standards. Interesting how there's too many residential Rental units of one kind in the city and you can't wait to publicize your plans to provide more of the other kind. What's the difference... The slumlords on the Fair Market get a break by side-stepping the Housing Quality Standards Inspection. So much for any choice.

"Blessed are the persecuted,

for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven..."
Jesus of Nazareth, Sermon on the Mount

My Rental Dilemma:

Single, Disabled, Elder Male, 57, AIDS Survivor, SSDI of $907.00/mo, relies on public transportation, desires to be within walking distance of laundry, major grocery, etc.. I have Site Based HUD Assisted Housing through DPM Housing whose mis-management of Bismarck Apartments and Retaliatory Eviction attempts have resulted in a settlement that gets me an out of jail pass with only January's Rent due and agreement to be Gone by January 31st. I now have to get into another Site-Project Based Housing through either The HAC or Ky Housing Corp, as well as initiate the Section 8 Application Process. Fortunately; I'm still in the system when I lived at 1043 Russell St... I have reached the end of my Journey with just my Social Security, Medicare and Uncle Sam. I have no need or desire to own any property and will be a renter for as long as I have left.

Selected Items of Note:

“Can the Landlord give the tenant new rules and regulations for living in the rental unit after he has moved in?” YES, if the rules aren’t changed in an important way. The rules must be reasonable, applied EQUALLY to ALL tenants, and made to protect the rental unit, the tenant’s well-being, or the welfare of other tenants. The tenant should ask (demand!) for the rules in writing.

“What can the tenant do if the rental unit needs health and safety repairs and it’s not his fault?” If the tenant, his family or friends didn’t cause the damages, and they affect health and safety, he can take several actions. The tenant should first ask the landlord in writing to make the needed repairs. If he won’t do it, the tenant should REPORT this to the City Housing Inspectors. They will tell the landlord to fix up the rental unit. The tenant can’t be evicted (or otherwise retaliated against) just for complaining to the Landlord or to the City.

“Can the tenant take the Landlord to Court even after he moves out?” YES. Even after the tenant leaves, he can sue the Landlord for damages for not providing services. The tenant should see a LAWYER.

“What is a retaliatory action?” It is when the Landlord gets even with the tenant by forcing him to move, raising the rent, or cutting off household services. (Household services include gas, electric, water, and heat in winter.)

“What are some reasons why the Landlord might want to get even with the tenant?” The tenant: *Complains to the city or county about conditions in the rental unit. *Makes a general complaint to the Landlord about violations of his RIGHTS. *Joins, organizes or becomes involved in a tenants’ group. (A tenants’ group is a group of tenants working together to improve their housing conditions.) e.g.: “The South Bank SlumLord Alert”!

“What can a tenant do if he does one of these things and then feels the Landlord is trying to get even with him?” *SEE A LAWYER immediately. *Sue the Landlord for damages and lawyer fees. *End the lease. *Use the Retaliatory Eviction section of URLTA as a defense to stop eviction. If you are a section 8 participant, go immediately to the HUD Web Site and register a complaint through the Inspector Generals Hotline!!!

http://www.hud.gov/oig/oigindex.html
 

From: Michael Connett

Sent: Friday, August 24, 2012 4:14 PM

To: Angie Slover ; DUDley Dave ; W. Taylor Robinson ; Stacie Sutton-KHC ; Melissa Corbett ; Kari LaLonde

Subject: Cease & Desist; re Today's Notices RE: KRS 383.705

Please be advised that I have received today’s “Incident Warning” & “14/30 Day Notice of Lease Violation-Material Non-Compliance with the Lease”

This is to notify YOU that under the provisions of OUR lease agreement, which is dated 05-25-2006, (originally made with Wilson Enterprises) you have breached this agreement as follows:

• FAILURE to maintain the Building in a clean, safe and sanitary condition.
  
• FAILURE to conduct yourselves and staff to have due regard for the Dignity and Respect of all occupants of this building as well as the other tenants of both the “Bismarck” & “Germantown” HUD contracted Projects.
  
• CAUSING or permitting to be caused, damage to tenants personal belongings and furnishings, negligently and deliberately.
  
• OTHER: Fraudulently passing off your employee Contracted vendor Jason Jameson as a professional, licensed, insured and competent exterminator.

Pursuant to Kentucky Law, YOU are required to correct the breaches above specified within 14 days after the receipt of this e-mail letter, or upon failure to do so, be advised that your actions are prohibited by KRS 383.705. In addition, since the actions are based on my status as a Low-Income renter (that you think you can treat however you like), they are in violation of my Human Rights in both Kentucky and The City of Covington.

As long as you continue to bully me into accepting the demonstrated and incompetent services of said Mr. Jameson as your “Professional Pest Control”, I intend to continue resisting and refusing him access to my apartment! For further assistance in this matter, please contact Staci Sutton or Melissa Corbett at Kentucky Housing Corp or Kari Lalonde at HUD’s Louisville field office. I have been keeping them, as well as Angie Slover, apprised of the bedbug treatment history (1st reported in November of 2009 post your purchase of the Projects from Wilson) as well as your failure to update and maintain the properties in an acceptable manner.

Delivery Made By: E-mail and many other Internet Sites & Applications

Michael W. Connett, Tenant

Bismarck Apartments

315 W 7th Street – Unit #2

Covington, KY 41011

Sunday June 12, 2011

Dudley Properties, LLC

Wm. T Robinson, Owner

Angie Slover, HUD Properties Manager

801 Main Street

Covington, KY 41011

 

Re: Notice of Non-Payment (Delinquent Balance) & Termination of Tenancy

 

Dear Landlord:

I am in receipt of the above noted notices. As I attempted to pay the valid current rent amount due and explain that I was advised by Kentucky Housing Corp. that the delinquent amount you say I owe is not valid and you refused to hear anything I had to say, I have secured trusted legal advice. Please be advised that your actions appear to be retaliatory since it occurred after I made numerous calls and complaints about the manor in which the Bismarck & Germantown properties have been managed since you bought them from Wilson Enterprises in October of 2007.

Since that time, you’ve gone through two (2) different HUD property managers; Jennifer Felts –the PM with Wilson that I originally rented my apt from who came with the purchase and Lisa Brown who replaced her after she apparently wouldn’t sit still with the way you wanted to do business. As I understand it; it was your HUD Compliance Officers at Kentucky Housing that insisted you hire Hayes-Gibson and bring in Ms. Slover in order to set things right. It occurred to me then, after reading a news account of the problem; that perhaps KHC was motivated to do so as you had secured a HUD Guarantee to buy the Wilson Properties and now had buyer’s remorse and could even be in danger of foreclosure. Your bookkeeping has been a joke from the start; I have all my statements & receipts from the years you claim that I didn’t pay correct amounts that show all the handwritten advisories on the statements as to what I should pay –which I did. You’re trying to claim that I’ve had bedbugs four (4) times and I cannot keep bringing them in which is the reason for termination. I didn’t get them or bring them in 4 times; rather, due to your cheapness and indifference to your HUD properties, YOU failed to effectively eradicate the problem four (4) times. This termination notice also seems to come as an attempt to pull the wool over KHC’s eyes by making sure this unit is empty, ineligible and unavailable when they come for a major site-wide inspection on June 20th. Please be advised that your actions are prohibited by KRS 383.705. In addition, since the actions are based on my status as a Low-Income renter (that you think you can treat however you like), they are in violation of my Human Rights in both Kentucky and The City of Covington.

Please be further advised that if this situation is not remedied within three (3) days from the receipt of this notice that I may initiate legal action and that KRS 383.705(2) provides that I may be entitled to recover an amount of not more than three (3) months periodic rent and a reasonable attorney’s fee. In addition, I may also initiate civil proceedings to recover damages to my Health & Well-being caused by your action and file complaints with both the Covington & Commonwealth’s Human Rights Commissions.

Sincerely,

Michael W. Connett

Settlement

Monday in Kenton County Court House

Our goal in fighting Dudley Properties/DPM Housing, et al Eviction was to secure acceptable Housing(f

ree of Pests), defend against clearly Retalitory actions for reporting them to Covington Code Enforcement, Ky Housing Corp. & HUD and not suffer financially.
It is now apparent that this HIVe has got to GO! Tay & Dave at Dudley made no secret that my lease would definitely not be renewed at the end of it’s current term: April 30, 2013!

 

I must now vacate by Jan. 31, 2013, Pay January's rent of $123.00 and allow their "Professional Pest Control" Contractor to follow thru on his Treatment Plan. At least that means I won't be moving any pest problems with me!?

Meanwhile; Intelligent, Informed & Empowered tenants are neither Welcome or Tolerated at the Bismarck (Dudley Perties II, LLC) or Germantown (Dudley Properties, Inc) Apartments. It's been suggested that I would qualify for an apartment at Hathaway Court or The Panorama: "Where Seniors Thrive!". Looking at Panorama's website I see just the kind of place I need to be as I continue to get older...

All that's wanted or needed for Christmas is a Place to call HOME!

"On Coming Home"
"Home is not a place; it is an attitude. It is an attitude which depends on how much we are able to feel at home with ourselves as well as with others. H...ome is something which happens to a person; homecoming has less to do with geography than it has to do with a sense of personal integrity or inner wholeness.

The most important of all endeavors in life is to come home. The most terrifying of fears is loneliness. It means that one has become a stranger to himself, and consequently, to others. To be lonely is to feel fear, to be forever unsettled, never at rest, in need of more reassurance than life can give.

Someone truly loves us when he brings us home; when he makes us comfortable with ourselves, when he takes from us the strangeness we feel at being who we are. We are loved when we no longer are frightened with ourselves."
"Dawn Without Darkness" - Anthony Padavano

"Residents of HUD-assisted housing are our partners and partners in their communities. HUD regulations give residents the right to press for improved conditions by organizing independent resident associations. These associations encourage residents to become involved in the decisions that affect their HOMES without HARASSMENT or RETALIATION by property owners or management." -Secretary of HUD.

As a HUD partner, I'm also responsible to assist in their efforts to REMOVE Bad Landlords from the system!

 

Contrary to popular belief, Panarama is NOT a subsidized Project! It was the 1st on my list because it kept me in the same general area as I am now, but also because of the services and amenities it offered to the disabled and aging. The only thing I've ever feared about having AIDS is that when the end does come, I'd have to go thru it alone. I still do and it seems inevitable that it's exactly the way I'm gonna go out...

Got my Duke Bill for December: 12/11/2012 Amount: $374.01
This is not an Even Billing amount! It's this high due to Dudley Properties inability and refusal to correct deficiencies in my 2nd floor/attic. Their solutions have been *putting a... padlock on the attic door so HUD inspectors couldn't get in, *suggesting that since it's not insulated or finished it be dry walled off and lost forever, *covering it with a blanket or quilt. However, the Carson-Hayes HUD Property Management Consultant, Angie Slover; told me that HUD would require the deficiencies to be corrected since it's space we're paying for.

 

 

Michael Connett shared a link via SouthBank Tenants Advocacy Project:

 

"The rental license will need to be renewed every year by 4:30 pm, January 15. There will not be a fee assessed for the license as long as it is submitted by the deadline, annually.

The purpose for the license is to maintain accurate conta...ct information for the owner of each property in order to be able to suspend the right to rent individual units without impacting the owner's "occupational license".

The City will only have the ability to perform an interior inspection if one of the following triggering events occurs:
• broken windows,
• exterior damage to the roof,
• damaged or missing gutters,
• damaged or rotted exterior stairs or porches,
• damaged exterior walls,
• weeds or grass above 10 inches,
• a prohibited trash set out,
• "A TENANT Complaint",
• or a known life safety issue exists."

THIS TENANT has made repeated complaints about DPM Housing to all the proper authorities: HUD, Ky Housing Corp, and The City as is my responsibility according to the Leases & HUD addendum's. The result: An Eviction Notice! Legal AID of the Bluegrass, being familiar with Dudley's shenanigans took the case and we petitioned for a Jury trial. The intent was to provide testimony, evidence and documentation that it was Dudley that first broke the Lease when they purchased the properties from Wilson Enterprises. However, Judge Grothaus was more interested in preventing a Jury Trial and insisted on a settlement. We've come to a settlement that, once again, lets the Dudley Principals escape without any accountability for their fraudulent, abusive and negligent ownership & management of

HUD assisted Housing...

NO Apologies! Who I Am & What I Want...

 

Covington to Protect ALL Residential Renters by requiring across the board Inspections for Housing Quality Standards! BAD SlumLords in Rental Housing (both Private & Federally Funded) to be vanquished! Landlords will never again be able to justify not accepting Section 8 due to fear their units won't pass inspection!



World AIDS Day - Saturday, December 1
World AIDS Day is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV. This year's theme is "Getting to zero: zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS related deaths."

 



 05/12/2011

Good Morning!

I’m sorry to have to bother y’all again, however, this Bed Bug issue has been drug out way too long!

I first saw and reported the lil critters at the end of 2009, and they’ve been treating them ineffectively for over a year now.

Their first response, after the first of 2010; was to find a cheap alternative to a Professional pest control operator. BTW; in advance of this big HUD inspection on the 16th; they’ve stocked up on bandages and lipstick to camoflauge this pig... Anyway; they found a “friend” & ex-employee of a professional firm (which has now been revealed as "Terminix") to moonlight part-time on weekends to do the job. The story was that even though he had a full time position with a local law firm; he was “starting his own business” and would be just as good, LOL! What we’ve learned over the course of his treatment:

• Since he’s got a real job, he only works when he feels like it – on weekends.
• The tenant below me had a serious infestation that he never mentioned; probably because he was working at Lowe’s and hadn’t reported it. He told me as he was making his quick getaway after I had reported my sighting.
• There are 4 units in this building, but only two have been treated. I’m thinking that’s why they keep coming back after the spraying has worn off.
• The spraying was haphazard at best, all over; and you can see on the walls where it ran.
• Earlier this year when a friend gave me a new sofa so I could finally get rid of the one they had me wrap in plastic, they asked me to move furniture away from the walls, put my records, office supplies, etc in bags & boxes and live out of them and they came in and sprayed all over... It appeared that had done the trick and I signed off on it.
• The other day I saw the new tenant downstairs drag a piece of furniture in off the street and asked her if she was aware of the BB history in her unit and did she check out & clean the entertainment center?
• As I said; they’re in a frenzy regarding the upcoming inspection. When Ms. Slover took over the HUD Property Manager duties and inspected, she said upon seeing the spraying effects, damage in the living room ceiling where it had leaked due to gutter problems, etc... that I was due to have my unit painted and it would be done. Thankfully, I still hadn’t completely moved the furniture back or unpacked all the boxes and bags yet, so I decided to wait & see if the re-paint would happen.
• Yesterday; a maintenance man came by to check to see what hadn’t been done yet... In looking at the Living Room, leak spots etc he said it looked like touch up had been done before with caulk & I replied “Yep “Almond Paste” colored and the dirt marks are from the guys who applied it prior to last year’s inspection”. After he left, I pulled back the bedding to check...
• So now I’m dreading the band-aids and lipstick approach they’re taking prior to Monday...

Obviously, since I’ve opened this can of worms; I’m probably gonna be scrambling for my life at the end of this years lease. So, I might as well go for it and make sure that this won’t happen to any other Low-Income Housing Tenants in the future. Thanks for your interest, attention and consideration.

Michael W. Connett

859-261-HIVe1 (4481)

EXTREME MAKEOVER

Designer's Challenge

A Good Place to Live - Summary

Section 8 Vs Covington Residential Rental Housing Quality Standards

Just what are those damn, pesky HQS's (Housing Quality Standards)??? As best I can determine, there are no basic differences between HUD's and Covington's minimum requirements for HQS. But it is only when a unit is made available through a HUD Voucher, is it held to any accountability to those standards. Aren't all residential renters entitled to that same minimum protection and safeguard???

"Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought."- Albert von Szent-Gyorgyi

Think "People Working Cooperatively" with Long-term, single adult Low-income tenants and their landlords. The benefits would be

increase the quality of residential rental units, tenants quality of life, landlords ability to compete, illustrate the incentive for upgrade, reduce need or desire for turnover and capitalize on established programs and funding.

The Tenants Advocacy Project

Dedicated to improving tenants "Quality of Life"

by ending stigma & discrimination in Low-Income Housing

315 W 7th Street #2 - 2nd Floor-Front

This space is currently rented on a site-based HUD contract lease @ $829.00 monthly, of which the tenant pays $123.00. The Taxpayer-HUD funded portion comes to $706.00. However; The tenant is responsible for Gas & Electric (currently BB @ $233.00); Water and Sanitation included in rent.

 My Rental Dilemma

Single male, 57, AIDS Survivor, SSDI of $861.00/mo, relies on public transportation, desires to be within walking distance of laundry, major grocery, etc.. I have reached the end of my Journey with just my Social Security, Medicare and Uncle Sam. I have no need or desire to own any property and will be a renter for as long as I have left.

FAIR MARKET RENTS

*Amounts determined annually by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

For Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN including Boone, Campbell, Kenton Bracken, Gallatin & Pendleton counties

Rents generally vary according to location, quality of unit and amenities to name a few factors.

So here's the deal: As you may know, Housing -especially rentals, is a contentious issue here in The COV. City Leaders push for more "Market Rate" housing and have led citizens to believe that there is a difference between that and "Low-Income or Affordable" housing. I've asked for the definition of "Market Rate" and the answer most often given or implied is that it's Housing not accessible, affordable or appropriate for The Poor!

How do you define "Market Rate Housing"?
I was under the impression that the HOPE VI Money to replace the Jacob Price project is what will be used to finance this new housing and it will be accessible and affordable to those families who are being displaced from Jacob Price. Seriously, I want to know what Covingtonians think is the difference and why!? These days, isn't all Housing sold or rented at the "Market Rate"; and the Market is a mess. The HUD FMR's are calculated by the local average and classified by # of Bedrooms only, there is no rating or classification by amenities, neighborhood or management practices. It seems that HUD has finally caught on that speculators and slumlords have been gouging them for an "FMR" that the "Market" wouldn't give them. The Market Rate based on age, conditions, neighborhood, etc for a 1 Bdrm apt may only come in at $395.00 & since there's no HQS inspections or motivation to improve Market Rate Rental Housing in Covington the only way to get more money is to rent it on a Section 8 voucher and charge HUD the FMR of $585.00. When the Pulse was flipped from condos to rentals starting at $650.00 for a 1 Bdrm, that affected our Market. My landlord has contracted with HUD for my 1 Bdrm at a rate of $685.00 and it's nowhere near the quality of the Pulse. So I step up to fight for better conditions and the landlord's reaction is to blame me because they hired an idiot to spray for bedbugs and he's failed at eradicating them 4 times since I reported the first one late in 2009, their paperwork has been out of wack since they bought the place in 2007 and I've paid what their statements have said but they made mistakes and I should now cough up an extra $462.00 to cover them, Ky Housing said I was not responsible and shouldn't pay anymore than the $113.00 on my contract which was just recertified , signed and effective on May 1st; I tried to pay that and it was refused and now he's just decided to get rid of this whistleblower... "The only thing required for Evil is that good folk do Nothing"

Following HUD guidelines, my apartment is due and scheduled for it's 5 year Re-Paint. As I'm aware that there are often Grants available for "Demonstration Projects", I'm thinking that this would be a perfect opportunity to show Covington what "Affordable Market Rate Housing" could be! Instead of just moving furniture and slapping a new coat of paint on; what if the lovely old woodwork and the layers of wall paint were stripped, it was updated with all the pre-wiring for the digital/internet age, was also equipped with the greenest-most efficient appliances, the attic was converted to "usable" rather than storage space, and more spacious living space created thru the use of built-ins like bookshelves!? In the past; I've tried to get a Harpo Hook-up or makeover from Oprah, but just couldn't get her attention. So now, I'm just gonna share the idea and see what happens...

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"What would our community look like if it were a really healthy place to live?" The National Civic League (NCL) posed this question to neighbors in hundreds of communities across the country. This is how people everywhere responded:

• A clean and safe environment
• A diverse and vibrant economy
• A place that has good housing for all
• A place where people respect and support each other
• A place that promotes and celebrates its cultural and historical heritage
• A place where citizens and government share power
• A place that has affordable health care for all
• A place that has good schools
• A place that has and supports strong families

But we are moving away from this ideal. In the Gannet News "Mood of America" poll, 76 percent of citizens agreed, "there is less concern for others than there once was."
 

We must be careful not to over generalize, since some Northern Kentucky communities may not fit these trends fully, or even at all. There will always be crosscurrents and countertrends. A few communities may have high levels of interconnectedness and public participation, with few glaring social problems and plenty of resources. But these communities are the exceptions.

Is the solution financial? Solutions often cost money, so, of course, more public funding to address local problems would be helpful. Support these efforts, but realize that in the present economic and political climate, success will not come easily and will cost each of us more than money. We need to understand there are no short-term solutions. We need CommUNITY Leaders who will engage, listen and translate the words into compelling long-term actions. Leaders who can then garner the support of government, private sector, faith community, public sector organizations and residents for the action plans.

Residents, along with the people who work, worship or have roots in a community need to be seen as an alternative resource, as someone with something important to share.

The task is to identify these alternative resources, then to coalesce and organize them, to plan, develop, implement, and sustain multiple community wide solutions. This will not happen all by itself. The structure for organizing and mobilizing community resources is generally not in place. A big plus is that people, 63 percent in one poll, believe that people are willing to pitch in and fix what is wrong in their communities, if they knew how. Mechanisms for involvement are rare, but do exist. Let us identify these processes and bring them into our communities.

America is the great democratic example, but because we lead there is no blueprint. America's greatness has been due to our ability, on the national, state and local levels, to find common ground. To large extent, it is our ability to reach consensus through civil discourse that has contributed to our greatness. Today, in our communities, neighborhoods, media and even in our legislative bodies, far too often, a difference of opinion is painted as evil, making constructive dialogue impossible.

In doing this work, the Boston Foundation developed "Seven Guiding Principles for a New Social Contract."

Incorporate those directly affected by policies at the heart of dialogue and community building.

Value racial and cultural diversity at the foundation for wholeness.

Promote active citizenship and political empowerment.

Build on community strengths and assets.

Ensure access to fundamental opportunities and remove obstacles to equal opportunities.

Support and enhance the well being of children and their families.

Foster sustained commitment, coordination, and collaboration based on a shared vision and mutual respect.

We hear congress can't get anything done, or that government can't get anything right. We are a democracy; the government is a reflection of ourselves.

The task ahead will be long and is not easy, so it is important we get started. In the words of Bobby Kennedy: "The future does not belong to those who are content with today, apathetic toward common problems and their fellow man alike, timid and fearful in the face of bold projects and new idieas. Rather, it will belong to those who can blend passion, reason and courage in a personal commitment to the ideals of American Society."

excerpted from the "White Paper on Poverty in Northern Kentucky"

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"Class is an aura of confidence that is being sure without being cocky. Class has nothing to do with money. Class never runs scared. It is self-discipline and self-knowledge. It's the sure footedness that comes with having proved you can meet life." --Ann Landers—

"A Life lived in Fear, is a Life Half- Lived..."

"HIV is something you live with every day for the rest of your life. You may never die of it, but you always die with it..."

Michael W. Connett, Grantor/Trustee - The Michael W. Connett LIVING Trust
"I used to be afraid of dying, I'm not anymore. I'm more afraid of what happens to the people who live..." from "And The Band Played On