Archive for Thursday, July 9, 2009
Eudora retirement home residents’ complaints prompt two-day inspection by state
Residents of a senior housing complex in Eudora are upset about living conditions, and the state is investigating.
July 9, 2009
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Betty Corel, far right, compliance officer with the Kansas Housing Resources Corp. and Sheila Robles, deputy director over rental housing, second from right, visit residents and units at Pine Crest III apartments Thursday in Eudora. Residents have had several complaints against the management company and the state responded with a unit-by-unit inspection Thursday. At left is Jean Farmer, a friend of one of the residents.
Eudora — Retirement is meant to be a relaxing time in one’s life.
Unfortunately for residents of Eudora’s Pine Crest III Apartments, 703 W. Eighth St., the past seven months have been anything but peaceful.
“I am more mad than disappointed — just plain mad,” said Clarice Morriss, who has been a Pine Crest III resident since 2002. “We’ve paid our dues, and the only thing we want in return is a little bit of respect.”
That sentiment was echoed by many residents in the Pine Crest III community Thursday after multiple complaints led to a visit by inspectors from the Kansas Housing Resources Corp., who spent the morning combing each unit for state violations.
“The reason that we are out here today is we received a number of tenant complaints, and we are here to make sure that the residents are taken care of,” said Sheila Robles, KHRC inspector.
The complex is for elderly or disabled residents, many of whom require housing assistance from the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority. Since December, many residents have been less than pleased with the maintenance schedules from the complex’s management company, Overland Park-based Cohen-Esrey Real Estate Services LLC.
Allegations of overdue maintenance requests and unpaid bills on behalf of Cohen Esrey materialized in September 2008 when the city of Eudora was forced to shut off utilities to the complex’s recreation building for non-payment.
City officials said that, since that time, payment for utility services has been sporadic and often late. After various and ongoing complaints, the KHRC made a visit to the property Thursday to investigate the matter.
Following inspection of 17 of the community’s 36 units, KHRC didn’t fail any unit but did walk away with major concerns about apparent infestations that many residents are dealing with.
“I am getting spiders in my apartment, and I hate spiders,” said Marilyn Livingston, a resident of seven years. “They haven’t had anyone in to spray. I don’t even remember the last time.”
The KHRC inspectors confirmed that the complex was scheduled to be sprayed by an extermination company in March, and that visit has not yet been made. Inspectors also said many of the problems at the complex were due to a lack of consistent management presence.
“That would fall on the management company,” Robles said. “Part of our responsibility as the state oversight agency is to ensure that all of the bills are being paid by the property … and that all of the residents are taken care of.”
The district manager from Cohen Esrey declined to comment for this story.
The KHRC is continuing its inspections today (Friday) and is expected to address its concerns with Cohen Esrey in coming weeks.
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9 July 2009
at 8:51 p.m.
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Practicality (Anonymous) says…
Wilbur,
You really ought to take care of your Arkodorians a little better. I thought you hillbillies took better care of your elder “kinfolk” than this.
9 July 2009
at 10:41 p.m.
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igby (Anonymous) says…
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
9 July 2009
at 11:16 p.m.
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kidscount (Anonymous) says…
igby,
Your comment is absolutely disgusting! All persons deserve to be living in adaquate housing. These elderly folks have paid their dues to society and deserve to be treated with the upmost respect.
9 July 2009
at 11:27 p.m.
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1234 (Anonymous) says…
Maybe they should pay their contractors so that things keep hapening around there? I think their ideas are a little different….dont pay and get someone else to do the job, then dont pay them. Eventually you run out of people to do that work… hmmmmmmmmm. Pretty Sad.
9 July 2009
at 11:28 p.m.
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toe (Anonymous) says…
If you have a relative in a nursing home, you should pay careful attention to the operation and report any irregularities promptly.
10 July 2009
at 1:04 a.m.
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simpleton (Anonymous) says…
I have heard some powerfully horrible stories of what gets investigated… and what turns out to be true in some ghastly cases. Keep in touch with your loved / liked ones in assisted living centers and take any complaints they have seriously. Everything from malnourishment to molestation can and does happen. Simple oversights, laziness, whatever… can lead to fatal consequences. Nursing homes should be more than storage units for the “old and in the way.” If you can't muster sympathy and concern, I hope you have all your ducks in a row to make sure you — or anyone you care about — never have to live in such a place.
10 July 2009
at 4:10 a.m.
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smitty (Anonymous) says…
This complex is not a nursing home. And it is not LDCHA associated.
**The complex is for elderly or disabled residents, many of whom require housing assistance from the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority.***
LDCHA is a non-profit subsidised housing while the Eudora complex is one of the many for profit section 8 programs.
For a couple of years or more I have been putting info out on this forum about the attitude and illegal actions of these for profit tax abated private owned apartments in Lawrence.
1…Vermont Towers got tax abatement monies thru Kansas Housing Resources Corp when the V Towers underwent a major remodel. Vt and KHRC ignored complaints that no building permit was pulled with the city to do the work.
Ks Housing Resources refused to intervene when complaints were filed over the black mold in the central area's A/C vents. It took 9 months to get the mold cleaned up but only after the city's inspection department got involved and forced the clean up.
The tenant who turned these failures into the city got forced out of the complex for interference with management.
2…Prairie Ridge was remodeled with tax abatement monies thru KHRC also as a for profit subsidised section 8 program.
Prairie Ridge Apartments has a building wide mold problem due to poor maintenance, a fire that resulted in massive water damage to all three floors on both sides of the burnt apt, and the micro burst that removed part of the roof allowed water damage to large portions of the third floor and the apts directly below the roof damage.
One tenant was infected with aspergillus pneumonitis from the massive mold infestation. There is a moldy smell when walking in the halls, other tenants are ill due to the moldy smell.
PR's management company harassed tenants that report problems and has evicted or otherwise forced complaining tenants out. KHRC is more prone to support the for profit owners and their management companies than the tenants though as KHRC poo-pooed the mold and building permit complaints at VT when asked to intervene.
Unlike the Eudora for profit section 8 housing, the attempts to organize are non-existent in both the VT or PR apartments.
There's more, lots more.
10 July 2009
at 6 a.m.
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InspectorJo (Anonymous) says…
Smitty,
You really should stick to talking about what you know, in this case you are way OFF. Get your facts straight First.
“Unlike the Eudora for profit section 8 housing,”… Pinecrest III in Eudora is not section 8 housing, it is a section 42 housing complex, not a section 8.
“KHRC is more prone to support the for profit owners and their management companies”…..KHRC allocates Tax Credits to both profit & non-profit owners.
“The reason that we are out here today is we received a number of tenant complaints, and we are here to make sure that the residents are taken care of,” said Sheila Robles, KHRC inspector.
It sounds as if KHRC is concerned aabout the tenants. Not sure if you read the same article that I did Smitty, you may want to re-read it or quit living in DOOM and GLOOM.
My glass is half full, you on the other hand, have not had water in days.
10 July 2009
at 7:10 a.m.
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smitty (Anonymous) says…
My mistake for editing subsidised housing to read the section 8. To the best of my information, LDCHA is not associated with the Eudora housing…**The complex is for elderly or disabled residents, many of whom require housing assistance from the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority…**
Yes, tax credits are available to both non-profit and for profit subsidised housing. The support I referred to, again unclear, is tolerance for poor performance in for profit owned complexes. It's a systemic problem that can be easily researched if you have the inclination.
I would agree with you that KHRC is sincerely concerned if they responded to a well documented health and safety complaint from a single tenant as they have with numerous complaints from one apartment complex. But that's not what happened.
Apparently the point of power in numbers vs a single complainant was unclear.
And remember, if you don't have anything of value to offer, make a personal attack.
10 July 2009
at 8:02 a.m.
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Made_in_China (Paul R. Getto) says…
These issues are serious and will increase in frequency in the next 20-30 years. Because of the demographics, three growth industries in Kansas will be 'rest' homes, funeral homes and cemetaries. Once the baby boomers pass on, it will get back to normal.
10 July 2009
at 10:31 a.m.
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smitty (Anonymous) says…
This is not a rest home!!! It's your every day for profit subsidised housing for disabled and elderly. A rest home or so called nursing home is where the tenants are unable to live independently.
Several of the subsidised housing projects are dedicated to 55 and older but some (may) also house disabled under 55.
I can't help but wonder if the communications to our state representatives has had an effect. Enough of one that there is a positive spin on what seems like a major problem. Major when 17 walkthroughs found problems. Just think what could be remedied or further exposed if an actual through inspection with time to listen to the tenants away from the complex's management had been completed. Perhaps KHRC could have used the PR time to do a more complete inspection.
10 July 2009
at 11:10 a.m.
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simpleton (Anonymous) says…
My comment above was mainly addressed to the lack of concern shown by the first poster. Whether this is a nursing home or an apartment building for our older folks, it's something the community should focus on. And if “practicality” couldn't see these folks as parents and grandparents of others, at least they should think about what the situation could be like when it comes their time to move on down the conveyor belt.
10 July 2009
at 3:41 p.m.
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toe (Anonymous) says…
It appears regulations of homes for the elderly are a little less clear than in nursing homes. No matter what, whether living with in-home care, alone with no care, or in a group settling, you must watch out for your familie's care. Include your friends too! If something does not look right, make it your job to find out the truth. On day the shoe will be on the other foot and you will need the help of others that care about you.
10 July 2009
at 11:30 p.m.
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Orwell (Anonymous) says…
Why should I pay taxes to regulate nursing homes? Whatever happened to personal responsibility and small government? We should only pay enough in taxes for the government to do things that help ME!
11 July 2009
at 11:07 a.m.
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familyx5 (Anonymous) says…
The pictures of the trash in the video are very much an understatement! There were a few times that the trash dumpsters were SO FULL that the residents were keeping trash inside their apartments to keep the animals from getting into it. They had gone 3 weeks and 4 days without trash service.Even though Cohen-Esrey was sent the bills for the electricity and trash they NEVER got paid on time. There was a time when the city shut off the electricity to the entire community.Getting back to the trash service,the bills have been paid so sporadically that the complex is infested with BUGS and A LOT of them. One of the residents was bitten by a brown recluse spider TWICE within a week!My mother took her to the emergency room three times in that week to care for her very bad! spider bites. As of today,an exterminator has not been out to take care of the issues. It has been about a month since the spider bites. Another resident has MS and falls down sometimes and can't get back up on her own. The living conditions they are in are not safe for them. Those of you that say they don't accept section 8 and money from LDCHA you're wrong. My mother also used to be the manager there and did what she was supposed to and went above and beyond. She was on call 24/7 and didn't have to be. She posted her cell phone number on the office door for residents to call if they needed something and she was not there. She got a call at 11:45 one night because a resident couldn't flush her toilet. Keep in mind this resident has had this problem since Feb 2009 and still isn't fixed because Cohen Esrey won't approve a plumber to fix it. She has to PLUNGE her toilet every time she uses it. My mother put her shoes on and went down to see if she could help her. She wasn't able to because there is something wrong with the toilet. She said that she would try to get something done with it the next time she could call the corporate office.Because of Cohen Esrey's lack of ability to pay bills my mother was responsible for putting ice melt down and shoveling the sidewalks and making sure emergency vehicles could get in and out if they needed to. My mother also has heart failure but seems to keep going as long as she can help them. My husband and I would take care of the ice and snow removal so she didn't have to.That complex doesn't look that big but when you're using a little snow shovel it's huge.My mother would also taxi the residents around in her car if they needed to go to the store or doctor or just needed to get out for a little bit.
This is continued……..
11 July 2009
at 11:08 a.m.
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familyx5 (Anonymous) says…
Those of you that say “If she was the property manager, why didn't she do something?” Well, it doesn't work that way. She had a boss too and that boss had to approve anything major that had to be done.Her boss is the district manager of the area and is nothing but a liar. She doesn't care about anything but money. Now that they have no property manager they have NO way to get ahold of anybody for help with apartment issues. The district manager, Tracy Gordon, left a note on the office door with her office phone number on it but when someone calls it and leaves a message don't expect to be called back!Cohen Esrey should NOT be managing properties for the elderly or disabled.Even though my mother is not the manager anymore she STILL goes over to the complex everyday to check on them and make sure everything is ok with them. She STILL taxi's them around and STILL caters to their every need. We help her whenever we can. There are times we run a resident in to the doctor, fix a light fixture, or their toilet, maybe even change the batteries in their smoke alarms. Not major things, but things that should be handled by Cohen Esrey.
11 July 2009
at 11:16 a.m.
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familyx5 (Anonymous) says…
To those of you that believe I am only trying to stick up for my mother…..I am the first person to tell you I DO NOT stick up for her. That's the last thing I would ever do. However, she was in the right and she shouldn't be shot down for doing what she was supposed to as a manager and for going above and beyond her role as manager to heelp b/c she new that Cohen Esrey wasn't going approve any maintenance problems that she had subitted for.
12 July 2009
at 5:41 p.m.
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cheryl_23 (Anonymous) says…
This issue is NOT strictly related to elderly and disabled… it is a matter of general principle… The property management company is not doing their job! They collect rent and do little else. This is not right for ANY apartment complex. The fact that Pine Crest III has only elderly and/or disabled residents only makes the pocket-filling heartlessness of Cohen-Esry that much more obvious