We have a saying in the 'hood: 'The best way to get rid of roaches is to turn on the light.' And, it's true. Anyone whose ever had roaches knows that when you turn on the light (since they don't like it), they scatter quickly. It's almost comical.
That's what I intend this blog to be: Light.
Because, I'm sure by now you're wondering why I keep whining about the same people and the same issues over and over and over again. It's because I live in HELL.
When you have cruel, disrespectful, sadistic people ruining your life, it becomes HELL.
It wasn't like that for me at first. We had a great Executive Director, Mr. George T. Young. The staff were intelligent, helpful, funny and nice (with the exception of Jennifer Short, but in every barrel there's always one bad apple....).
If you had a problem, all you had to do was walk over to the office, and they would work with you. There was an active Resident Council, and resident complaints were at least heard, if not solved. The landlord / tenant relationships were so secure - they literally displaced 300 people - a whole neighborhood - with very little resistance. Remarkably little resistance, in fact.
We had meetings and there was open, honest dialogue - to the extent that you can really have that with an 'Authority'.... Which is why I think they changed their name to 'Rockville Housing Enterprises'. To make it seem less like an 'authority', at least in name.....
Besides, 'enterprise' sounds progressive, less repressive, more ... forward thinking, I think :-/
Who knows what the original motivation was? And at this point - who really cares??!
The point is: The exact opposite happened.
Mr. Young left suddenly under suspicious circumstances, staff changed over and over and over again, money went missing, promises became broken... Tenants became disenfranchised and angry.
No worries. There's always the RHE Board, right? Wrong. They could really care less about tenants - unless it involves upholding the status quo. I tried to go to their meetings, where they spoke in code, and refused to share documentation. I had even volunteered for the Resident Council at one time, but became disillusioned and withdrew when I found out that they didn't exactly have the Residents' best interests at heart....
Was I missed? Nope. They like things just the way they are; Dirty, dark and undercover. Just like roaches.
Was reading your blog and itis quite obvious that you are intelligent and articulate. Wish you well in the New Year for a suitable housing resolution of your predicament. Have you ever tried renting a basement or attic apt in a good neighborhood? The space may be smaller but the property will likely be well maintained. Good luck.
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