Columbus landlord boots 800+ residents after 'humanitarian crisis' trafficking scandal
On Tuesday, Cynthia Wray — a 13-year resident at the Colonial Village apartment complex on Columbus’ East Side — received a notice on her door saying she would have to move out by the end of December.
“I'm handicapped, I don't have transportation — so it's gonna be hard for me to find a place. And I can't stay in a hotel because I have an oxygen unit that I need at night,” said Wray, who suffers from sickle-cell anemia.
Wray is one of more than 860 residents who received notices on their doors from Capstone Real Estate Services, the current management company, saying no leases will be extended beyond Dec. 31, 2023. The management company cited the need to make extensive renovations of the complex, which has faced years of code violations for issues ranging from bed bugs to rodents, and was put under court-appointed receivership in early 2022.
At a meeting at the nearby Barnett Community Center on Tuesday night, Department of Development officials told residents the city will provide temporary housing through the end of March — with priority given to the more than 100 families at Colonial Village who currently lack heat.
Residents at the meeting told The Dispatch they were anxious about where they will go next, what to do with their belongings and how the move will impact their jobs and their children’s schooling. The case echoes the relocation of the troubled Latitude Five25 apartments last year — but with far more people involved, and with the added complication that many are not fluent in English.
“It is a humanitarian crisis,” said Mack Jeanlouis, a translator who has been helping city officials speak with Haitian Creole-speaking residents.
It was revealed earlier this month that a network of traffickers brought hundreds of Haitian immigrants to the complex from Florida, renting them overcrowded apartments under fake leases. In some cases, the traffickers’ network took boards off doors and windows of units in order to rent out the apartments to Haitian families, according to court filings by the city attorney’s office.
Of the over 860 residents at Colonial Village, the majority are Haitian, according to Hannah Jones, the Department of Development’s deputy director for community development. Jones said that the number of residents is likely significantly higher than 860, because many residents have not responded to code enforcement officials’ queries.
In addition to the Haitians, a number of long-time residents — most of whom have legitimate leases — are also being required to move.
Jodie Meadows, who is originally from Cleveland, said her Colonial Village apartment where she lives with her 4-year-old daughter has lacked heat since last year.
“I turn my oven on (for heat), which ain’t good — my oven caught on fire last week,” she said.
At least 16 families at Colonial Village have Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers through the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority, and around 10 have apartments through the Community Shelter Board, according to officials.
Wray, the resident who suffers from sickle cell anemia, said she has a housing voucher, but is worried she won’t be able to use it elsewhere. Few landlords are willing to accept the vouchers — despite a city law that prevents source-of-income discrimination — she said.
“You cannot find a decent place to live in one month, which is what they give her,” said Randy Linville, Wray’s fiancée.
Years of violations preceded relocation announcement
After years of code violations for issues including bed bugs, rodents, water and fire damage, broken windows, and unsecured vacant units, Colonial Village was put under court-appointed receivership in early 2022. Columbus developer Robert J. Weiler Sr. served as receiver until April, when Kenneth Latz, Senior Managing Director of Riveron ETS LLC, took over.
Texas-based Capstone took over managing the complex after the previous property manager, Hayes Gibson Property Services, was terminated and banned from the property in October. In civil court filings, the city attorney’s office has alleged that a Hayes Gibson employee was involved in the scam.
At Tuesday evening's meeting, the Community Shelter Board, which is coordinating temporary housing for residents, offered sign-up applications for its services. Temporary housing will be in hotels and motels in Greater Columbus, and the aim is to move everyone over by Dec. 15, according to Lianna Barbu, the shelter board’s chief operating officer.
The city is currently funding the effort, but it is attempting to recoup the costs of relocating residents from the receiver and the mortgage holder — a Connecticut-based company named EFM Transfer Agent LLC.
An attorney for EFM previously told The Dispatch that EFM was “wholly innocent” in the matter, and is seeking to rehabilitate the property as affordable housing.
The total cost of temporary housing and relocation services could be as much as $6.6 million, according to a Nov. 6 motion by the city against the complex’s leadership in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas.
The city is currently using $400,000 left over from the Latitude Five25 relocations last year, and is seeking further funds from City Council. The left-over funds were made available when Latitude Five25 residents were switched over to federal emergency rental assistance, according to Jones.
Worries include jobs, schools
Jeanlouis, the translator, said many Haitians are worried about moving into temporary housing.
“The biggest concern is, will the family stick together? Will they all be in one room? And a lot of them have kids that are registered in school — so they want to know how that will work. Will they stay in the same school?” Jeanlouis said.
Marc Henley Alfrenar, a Haitian resident, said he was unsure about whether to sign up to live in a hotel, because he lacks a car and needs to commute to his warehouse job. He said he’s worried about being placed far from his job or a bus route.
Jones, from the Department of Development, acknowledged the transition will be difficult for many families.
“We are not going to be able to fully fund every single need that arises. The most critical one is that people are in a safe place, so that they can stabilize and access resources,” she said.
A previous version of this article misstated that residents who have heat will not be eligible for temporary housing assistance. In fact, all residents are eligible for temporary housing assistance, but priority will be given to those who lack heat.
Peter Gill covers immigration, New American communities and religion for the Dispatch in partnership with Report for America. You can support work like his with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America at:bit.ly/3fNsGaZ.
pgill@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Colonial Village residents relocate post Haitian trafficking scandal
