Refurbishing a plus for tenants

A March 6 article and recent letter to the editor addressed the acquisition of the property at 676 King Street by our agency, The Housing Authority of the City of Charleston, and the subsequent rent increases put into effect to help finance much-needed physical repairs to the development.

The article failed to address a number of issues which have caused the general public to have a less-than-favorable opinion of our actions. I would like to clarify our position.

First, be aware that at acquisition, the subject-units were in deplorable condition. Years of deferred maintenance resulted in the need to compile an extensive list of items to not just repair, but to replace.

Kitchen appliances, countertops, cabinets, flooring, roofs, heating/air conditioning units, smoke detectors, sinks, light fixtures and bathroom facilities are scheduled to be replaced in each of the 50 units.

The vinyl exterior is in the process of being completely replaced by "HardiePlank" siding.

At acquisition, the monthly rent being paid by the residents to the previous managing partner, Volunteers of America (VOA), was $370 per month.

The financing arrangements with the S.C. State Housing Finance and Redevelopment Authority under which VOA owned this property allowed for routine increases in rent in order to finance the cost of ongoing maintenance.

However, VOA failed to implement these increases for the past three years as the site fell into a state of disrepair. While the question has been raised as to why our agency did not implement the subsequent rent increases systematically over a period of time, history will show that that is exactly what occurred.

Following our closing on the property in July of 2009, new lease agreements at a rent amount of $400 were not implemented until October of 2009.

The subsequent increase to $527 will not be put into effect until all existing tenants are relocated into totally rehabilitated units by July of 2010.

For those tenants who felt their income was insufficient to address the anticipated increases in rent or who instead were able to absorb the increases but decided they wanted to live elsewhere, other accommodations owned by the Housing Authority that lease at a lower rent amount were made available to them.

A March 19 letter to the editor contained phrases such as "people being forced out of their homes," "government authorities are (out of touch) with the plight of the poor," and "uncaring attitude."

The truth of the matter is that the Housing Authority has taken steps to help the tenants of 676 King St. to avoid the displeasure and discomfort of such things. The $500,000 being poured into this development by our agency, along with the rents being paid by the residents, will ensure that they will for the first time in years have a decent, sanitary and much safer place they can call home.

Furthermore, there is no realistic expectation of that ever changing during the course of the Housing Authority's ownership of the development.

Residents can be assured that the physical conditions they encounter at the time they move into their refurbished units will be the same conditions they can expect to encounter for years to come.

DONALD J. CAMERON
President/CEO
Charleston Housing Authority
Meeting Street
Charleston