On November 29, at 6pm at First Presbyterian Church, located at 6400 S. Kimbark Ave., the Kimbark Tenants’ Association will host a “Community Meeting on the State of Repairs” where they will confront representatives from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Georgia HAP Administrators Inc., and The Woodlawn Organization to discuss the neglect and abandonment of their apartments, which are in disrepair.

The Kimbark Tenants’ Association (KTA) represents tenants from Woodlawn Redevelopment #2 (WRD#2), project based section-8 housing owned and managed by The Woodlawn Organization (TWO) in the Woodlawn neighborhood. Tenants in WRD#2 say their homes are neglected as repairs are long overdue. HUD, which subsidizes WRD#2, is failing to hold the property owners accountable to basic housing quality standards. According to Ernest Cooper, the Project Manager of WRD#2 at HUD, HUD’s most recent inspection of the property, performed by Georgia HAP, found the housing conditions to be satisfactory. Tenants disagree, Shirley Taylor says “there are gas leaks, busted radiators, holes in the walls, roaches and rodents, and management doesn’t do anything about it.”

The Kimbark Tenants’ Association will meet with HUD, Georgia HAP, and TWO at a “Community Meeting on the State of Repairs” where tenants want a timeline for repairs to be completed. KTA also seeks to establish an ongoing process to monitor repairs. Tenants are eager to find a quick resolution to these problems as they prepare for the winter and the upcoming holiday season. “I can’t wait for my life to get back to normal”, says Cynthia Walker, “no one should have to live like this.”

The Kimbark Tenants’ Association believes that HUD should be held accountable to the basic housing quality standards of their building. The ownership and management of the buildings, TWO, has been unresponsive, neglecting and abandoning tenants. As a result tenants with the support of the Student/Tenant Organizing Project have organized the KTA and are hosting a “Community Meeting on the State of Repairs”. Robert Woods explained that “We realized that we are all in the same boat, so we decided to stick together, and now we are the ones making sure things get better around here!”

Contact: Della Moran
Student/Tenant Organizing Project
Office: 773 753 9674 Cell: 773 355 8222
Kimbark Tenants’ Association / Student/Tenant Organizing Project (STOP)