At an apartment complex in Uniontown, an ownership change shows the fragility of housing

Mar. 20—When a low-income apartment complex in Uniontown changed ownership last fall, it was not long until tenants were given 90-days notice to leave.

The four-story, 13-bedroom building on W. Bond Street was known as the "vet's house" — a communal-style space that was home to several military veterans and people who used to be homeless.

Former tenants, neighbors and others described the apartment complex as deteriorating and in constant turmoil, where drug use and other nefarious activity were commonplace.

Despite the problems, some tenants said they stayed because it was better than living on the streets.

In the 90-day notice, tenants were told the reason for the lease terminations was because the building would be unsafe or unfit for occupancy during renovation. Tenants were left scrambling to find new housing in a market on the North Coast that has become increasingly competitive, especially for renters at the lower end of the income scale.

The Astorian spoke with three former tenants who were displaced. One found a room at a bed-and-breakfast, another is living out of his car and one landed in jail on attempted murder and other charges after a stabbing at the Astoria Warming Center after about a month of living on the streets.

Tenuous

The situation on W. Bond Street is an example of how tenuous housing is for people who live on the brink of homelessness. It also illustrates the conflict between the private property rights of landlords, who have financial incentives to take advantage of the real estate market, and the public interest in providing adequate housing for people with income challenges, disabilities or behavioral issues.

The apartment complex was often a place people moved into after living on the streets. Many of the residents received rental help from Clatsop Community Action, a social services agency that provides food, housing and energy assistance.

Gregory Pietarila, a veteran and Astoria native, said he spent a few years living on the streets after losing his housing. In 2020, he moved into the vet's house, which he found through the social services agencies that were helping him.

He called the living conditions and some of the behavior of the tenants appalling, but he said it was better than pushing a shopping cart and trying to find a place to sleep outside. He and others also described the property managers as unprofessional, which he said contributed to conflicts at the apartment complex.

After moving out, Pietarila said, "There was no information given to us as veterans as to where we should turn to. I find that very wrong."

He said that while Clatsop Community Action can provide support, the housing options available on the North Coast are often out of reach.

Leaders of Clatsop Community Action and other agencies that offer help have said the biggest challenge is the dwindling stock of affordable housing. The shortage has prompted social services agencies, cities and Clatsop County to look at ways to develop and support more government-subsidized housing projects.

Pietarila said he feels lucky to have found temporary housing at a bed-and-breakfast, which he is able to afford with his savings. He continues to look for permanent housing.

"It's taking a toll on — definitely — my mental health," he said. "And I've been talking to therapists and counselors about this."

Pietarila said he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. Having to manage his mental health while trying to find housing, he said, has been difficult.

Other tenants from the W. Bond Street apartment complex moved back on the streets.

Dwayne Blair was homeless for about a month until he was arrested in early February for attempted murder and other charges after an alleged attack on two warming center staffers.

Friends, police and others said they noticed Blair's mental health decline after he found out he would be losing his housing. His health appeared to get worse after moving to the streets.

The Astorian began speaking with Blair and other tenants at W. Bond Street in November. In conversations with the newspaper, Blair said he had a history of drug addiction and has been homeless off and on for much of his life.

After moving back to the streets, he was sleeping at the warming center at First United Methodist Church near downtown.

In the hours before his arrest, Blair expressed fears that people were trying to hurt him, as well as mistrust about several social services agencies, including warming center personnel and others staying at the emergency shelter.

On Feb. 3, he allegedly stabbed a staffer after a verbal altercation over the warming center's weapons policy while checking in at the shelter for the night. He also allegedly threw a makeshift explosive device at another staffer, which did not go off.

Blair is lodged at the Clatsop County Jail on several charges, including two counts of attempted murder, assault in the second degree, unlawful possession of a destructive device and attempted assault of a public safety officer.

A judge is expected to review a mental health evaluation of Blair in April and determine if he is fit to proceed in his defense. He could be committed to the Oregon State Hospital.

Kenny Hansen, a longtime Astoria police officer who works closely with the city's homeless population, said he knew most of the tenants at the W. Bond Street apartment complex, including Blair and Pietarila.

"It was difficult for a lot of them to have to leave that because at various times in their lives they have been homeless and had other issues, and that was their home," he said. "And it was from nothing they did, they had to leave."

Hansen knows of other examples where people have lost housing and became homeless because they could not afford the high cost of rent. Some people, he said, have mental health issues or medical difficulties that prevent them from working full time.

"What it all comes down to is a housing shortage," he said. "Rents are so expensive nowadays.

"When someone becomes homeless — people may not realize it — it's actually a form of trauma, I believe. And not everybody understands what the people are going through. When they do become homeless, they will act out in various ways. Medical conditions, mental health conditions — those will all start getting worse.

"And it becomes a downward spiral for a lot of the people."

Transfer of ownership

The apartment complex on W. Bond Street was transferred in early October from Fabian and Mary Anna Gordon to One Ten Holdings, a Salem-based company. The tenants were notified that Port Town Property Management would be the new manager.

Later that month, tenants received their 90-day notices.

One Ten Holdings is owned by Paul Kerley and Gabe Johansen, Salem residents who own and manage thousands of properties throughout the state.

Kerley also owns Commercial Property Resources, which has about 2,000 residential, commercial and industrial properties in Oregon and along the West Coast. Johansen owns SMI Real Estate, a brokerage and property management company that manages about 4,000 properties.

On the North Coast, One Ten Holdings owns nearly two dozen residential and commercial properties in Astoria and Seaside, many of which were purchased in the past few years, when the housing market became more attractive to investors.

Most of the properties are apartments and fixer-uppers like the apartment complex on W. Bond Street. Kerley told The Astorian that most of the housing units are priced at market rate, but are usually nicer than others in their class.

He described himself and Johansen as long-term investors, with the goal of holding on to properties over time.

"What that means is we manage it different," Kerley said. "You don't just get in and get out. You don't just put a Band-Aid on it and move on. You fix it right."

Kerley said the plan for W. Bond Street is to renovate everything inside, including new bathrooms, kitchen and flooring. The project could be complete by fall or early next winter.

He said the housing will likely target a different clientele, such as traveling nurses or other traveling workers who often struggle to find workforce housing.

One Ten Holdings owns another four-story apartment complex on W. Bond Street, which Kerley said also requires a lot of work.

Together, he expects the renovated buildings will improve the dynamic and look of the street, like a "personal urban renewal project."

Typically, Kerley said, the projects move slowly, one step at a time. He said the apartment complex on W. Bond Street was different, requiring all the work to be done at the same time.

"That one, you can't just do it a step at a time," he said. "So, unfortunately, there is a lot of moving and shaking there."