Ridgefield Housing Authority tenants object to rent hikes

RIDGEFIELD — Pandemic. People out of work. Businesses shut down. It seems like a bad time for a rent hike.

So some residents of town Housing Authority apartments were pretty upset to receive letters announcing that they could expect rent increases of up to $50 a month.

“You don’t raise the rent during a pandemic,” said Betty Castillo. “Obviously, in my opinion, because a lot of people around here are not working, because you’re not supposed to go out.

“I actually thought it was a notice saying we could pay our rent next month, because of the pandemic,” she added.

“It seems nervy to be sending a rent increase notice out right now,” said Darlene Vandam.

“I had an increase last July,” she said. “Rent is $1,350 a month, so it’ll go up to $1,400.”

She said her apartment was “a really small two-bedroom.”

“In the middle of this whole crisis — it’s absurd,” said another neighbor who declined to give her name. “How do you come up with that figure? I think it’s disgraceful that they’re doing this to us at this time, when people are having a hard time paying their bills. What’s the formula? How do they come up with $50 on your rent?”

“I live in The Meadows, supposedly everybody is going up,” said Castillo.

She said she has had a twobedroom unit there for 12 years. The Meadows units are visible off Prospect Ridge, sharing a site with the big old stone “novitiate” building that houses congregate units, and was once the home of the Holy Ghost Fathers.

Castillo said her rent is $1,195 a month without the increase.

“Now it’s going up $50 more,” she said.

Notification

“After careful consideration and analysis the Ridgefield Housing Authority has decided to to propose a $50 rent increase in both General Apartment Homes and Meadows Townhomes,” said the letter some tenants received. As with any increase, this was a difficult and necessary decision. The increase will allow us to cover operating cost increases, utilities, insurance and to provide the cash needed to perform required repairs and maintenance to the property.

“Your proposed rent increase will be $50 effective July 1, 2020, as applicable based on current rents.”

It went on to invite residents to a meeting with a question and answer period.

Before pandemic

Frank Coyle, chairman of the Ridgefield Housing Authority, said the rent increases had been under consideration since before the COVID-19 situation, and weren’t scheduled to take effect until July 1.

He added that the Housing Authority would be understanding of tenants who have reduced income as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Coyle also told The Ridgefield Press that $50 was the maximum increase anyone was getting, and many tenants are scheduled to see smaller rent hikes.

The Housing Authority has 152 housing units — most but not all of it targeted to senior citizens. There are two sites: Ballard Green “housing for the elderly” behind the park, and on Prospect Ridge near Halpin Lane.

The Prospect Ridge site includes the “congregate” or assisted living units in the former novitiate building, as well as The Meadows, which has been described as “workforce housing” not targeted at elderly residents. There are also 38 “general units” found on both sites.

The increases

Coyle offered the following breakdown of the planned rent increases:

In Ballard Green, with 60 units, rents range from $460 to $491, and increases would be 3 percent, amounting to $14 or $15 a month. “Approximately 40 units will have increases covered by state subsidies,” Coyle said.

Congregate Housing has 34 units. Rent is $690 and increasing 3 percent, by $21 a month. Residents also pay for services — including room cleaning and daily lunch — and this $853 monthly charge is also expected to rise by 3 percent or $26 a month. “Almost all increases covered by state subsidies,” Coyle said — although in two or three instances this may not be the case, he added.

The Meadows has 20 units, with rents ranging from $1,131 to $1,676, and most rents between $1,131 and $1,291, according to Coyle. The increases are planned at 3 to 4 percent for five residents — “that’s the $50,” he said — and “approximately 15 tenants” will see ”no increase,” according to Coyle.

In the 38 “general units” found at both Ballard Green and at Prospect Ridge, rents run from $1,000 to $1,300 — a few are above that — and increases of 5 percent or $50 are planned for 28 residents, while approximately 10 would see no increase.

“The summary of the proposed increases, 152 units: 25 with no increase; 75 increases covered by state subsidies; 52 with 3 to 5 percent increases,” Coyle said.

Varied rents

Still, the mix and match pattern of rents and increases is among the issues that puzzle and annoy tenants.

“Why isn’t everyone’s rent all the same?” asked Darlene Vandam. “Why is everyone’s rent different?”

It’s not because the Housing Authority wants to be unfair, according to Coyle.

“The reasons some people pay a lot less is they’re longer term residents. It goes back literally seven or eight years. Or longer,” he said.