People who live at the Mon View Heights housing complex want answers from the property manager. For years, they say they’ve been living in very poor conditions, and they say the owners, who are currently facing charges, aren’t the only ones to blame.
Members of One PA Renters United Allegheny on Thursday took their fight for answers to the only people they believe can provide them answers. They held up signs and marched to the company Lynd Living. According to its website, the company manages Mon View Heights in West Mifflin.
For years, tenants of the affordable housing complex say the homes have felt like a hardship.
“I’ve been facing maintenance neglection, ceiling falling through, not having heat, not having light. I just recently didn’t have power for 35 days,” said Patrice Aaron, who has lived there for four years.
“What was that like at the height of the summer?” KDKA-TV’s Mamie Bah asked.
“It was hard. We had so many heat waves in July and I have two kids. I have a 1-year-old and an 8-year-old. You can’t imagine what I went through with those two, but I just kept keeping faith.”
The owners are facing charges, accused of pocketing more than half a million dollars in federal funds meant to fix it up, forcing residents to live in deplorable conditions.
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey stands with the tenants.
“Do what’s right. I mean, do what’s right for the people, do what’s right for your residents. I mean, you’re making a profit off of them, they should be able to know you’re investing that profit back into the property,” Gainey said.
Residents have four demands: a meeting, repairs made on the property by licensed professionals, utility subsidy checks and the erasure of all debt claims against tenants.
They said they presented the document to the management company and were told they have to send it to corporate, but Lynd Living said it can’t provide them with a fax or contact number.
Aaron says they aren’t asking for much.
“It’s not right because people have kids, people have lives, you know, we didn’t ask for this to happen,” Aaron said.
“What do you say to people who say, ‘if it’s so bad, why don’t you just leave?'” asked Bah.
“It’s not so simple. Everybody doesn’t have money, everybody doesn’t have a security deposit, first month’s rent,” Aaron answered.
KDKA-TV reached out to the property managers, but they declined to comment.
