These New Bedford tenants have until Nov. 1 to find a new place. Here's why.
NEW BEDFORD — Activists from around the city joined in a Zoom call Tuesday to discuss moves to help tenants in an Elm Street housing complex who are forced to leave their homes or face substantial rent increases. .
"Sadly, people in City Hall knew the building had been sold before the people who lived there knew," Joe Quigley, a current tenant at 189-193 Elm St., said. "There's a lot that's going on and there's a lot of people about to be thrown out citywide and there seems to be no city system to help them."
The HOME Group assembled the meeting after it was reported the 24-unit complex was recently sold to TI Partners V on Sept. 21, according to records at the Bristol County Register of Deeds.
Quigley said that around the same time, the new owners told all 24 apartments that they must leave by Nov. 1, when major renovations would begin, or face evictoin, sending tenants scrambling for new housing.
Quigley added that rental rates on the units would increase by 2-to-3 times their current rate.
"The tenants were told nothing," he said. "If they had told us the building was on the market we could've taken our time and looked."
Help available to displaced tenants
Several avenues for help were offered, ranging from assistance in finding new housing, making legal aid available and outreach and informational sessions.
Carl Alves, chief executive officer at Positive Action Against Chemical Addiction and one of HOME's organizers, said the immediate job at hand is to figure out the best way to get to the other tenants in the building to provide education on renters rights, apartments, and more.
"There is a sense of urgency here because if people don't know their rights and responsibilities there's a greater possibility for missteps," he said. "Our concern is that folks leave their apartment, don't understand what their rights and responsibilities are, will spend their money renting out a hotel" leaving nothing for a new home, said
Gavin Bates, the managing attorney for South Coastal Counties Legal Services' New Bedford Office, said there were options and that it would be possible that tenants would not have to leave just yet.
"The 30-day notice, while that is technically correct, that is not how fast the courts move," he said. "It's terrifying, however, there are a lot of options available for folk if they stop and assess."
"If tenants move as a bigger block, they can do things," Brian Pastori, deputy director of the Community Economic Development Center, said. "Right now, what they want for sure, is everyone scurrying for their own apartment, not acting as a unit."
Strategies for the tenants
In the end, the group decided on multiple strategies.
First, an information center would be set up nearby, where tenants could receive information.
Alves said there would also be a collection of information from agencies to put together pamphlets for tenants.
Speed was of the utmost importance.
"We'll see if we want to do a larger community thing later on," Alves said. "But we want to get information into the hands of people in the next four or five days."
No one was more aware of the need for speed than Quigley.
"Does anyone have an apartment for rent?" he queried at the meeting's conclusion. "Just thought I'd ask."
Correction: A previous version of this article mischaracterized the nature of the notices tenants received; this has been revised. The Standard-Times apologizes for the error.
Contact Kevin G. Andrade at kandrade@s-t.com and follow him on Twitter: @KevinGAndrade. Support local journalism and subscribe to the Standard-Times today!
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: 'A sense of urgency' after tenants given month to leave NB apartments
