Colorado Springs tenants rallying over alleged conditions at apartment complexes

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — A rally is planned for Thursday afternoon in Colorado Springs as tenants at two apartment complexes are coming together, calling for better conditions at the places they call home.

The Centennial Plaza and Acacia Park Tenant Associations, alongside citywide tenant union Colorado Springs Tenants, are expected to gather outside of the Colorado Springs Housing Authority (CSHA) at 2 p.m. The two complexes are considered affordable housing for the elderly and those with disabilities.

"Elderly and disabled public housing tenants in Acacia Park and Centennial Plaza Apartments have been facing serious threats to their health and safety," part of a news release sent on behalf of the Tenant Associations reads. "Leaking pipes for years on end, inability to take a hot shower for weeks to months, work orders wholly ignored, inadequate security for trespassers that threaten vulnerable residents, unlawful threats and retaliation from management, and no avenue for accountability over mistreatment have led 100 tenants from both buildings to come together and advocate for changes."

News5 reached out to CSHA about the concerns of the residents.

"Both the Acacia Park apartments and Centennial Plaza apartments have a dedicated full-time maintenance person to address emergencies and routine work orders," Interim Executive Director Paul Spencer with the CSHA wrote. "The CSHA has requested on multiple occasions from the tenant associations a comprehensive list of their concerns and solutions which we have not received."

When News5 asked members of the Tenants Associations why they haven't shared a list of concerns and solutions with the CSHA, we were told they won't do so until Spencer agrees to meet them face-to-face. Several members of the Associations say they went to negotiate on Sept. 6, but were denied a face-to-face meeting. News5 has asked follow-up questions to Spencer, including why he won't agree to a face-to-face meeting before receiving a list, and we have yet to receive a response as of Thursday morning.

Evan Brown, the Vice President of the Acacia Park Association, suffers from Schizophrenia and has called Acacia Park home for about nine years. Brown is among those pushing for changes.

"Have a heart," Brown said as a message to Spencer. "See us as people, see us that we don't want any complications."

Brown wants to speak out and stand up not just for himself and the two Associations, but for all tenants who feel like they aren't being heard by their landlords.

"It's been a long-standing issue that landlords are not holding up their end of the bargain when it comes to tenants and how they treat the residents," Brown added. "Work orders are not fulfilled, rents keep rising, and things like that. So we're here to stand up for the rights of the people who live in the houses, and we want equal opportunity to live a good life. I mean, we're disabled, we're elderly, we are not seen as people."

According to Betty Field, a member of the Centennial Plaza Tenants Association, there are currently more than 100 open, yet to be completed, work orders. Field says some of the work orders have been open for more than a year and include "warranty of habitability issues."

The CSHA provides affordable housing throughout Colorado Springs. According to the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, a public housing authority is a public entity that has a specific set of special powers and authorities. A major benefit of housing authorities is the ability to use additional financial resources to devote to critical community projects in light of restrictions imposed on local governments by the TABOR Amendment.

The federal government also administers money to local housing authorities for Housing Choice Vouchers, formerly known as Section 8.

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