Wednesday, December 26, 2007

CHA Untrue Units

CHA Untrue Units
By: Ms. Beauty Turner

24% of the federal housing budgets has been cut .
I know you are asking what does that mean to me?
It means 8 million dollars were yanked from the Chicago Housing Authority Relocation Transformation plan according to Derek Hill CHA spoke person.

A plan that is moving ten of thousands of low income residents in to so called mixed income communities as well as into the private market.

A long stag came into the seam of this silk nylon plan; creating a bit of confusion as well as chaos between private market landlords and CHA.
What CHA didn’t tell you which is what I’m uncovering from their piles of demolition dirt is that they had contracted with private landlords to move some of the residents into what they called true units.
But the truth is they gave out very little detail when they were relocating the last of Robert Taylor residents and some of State way Garden residents into what the residents felt were their permanent units into the private market.
From the residents points of views the truth is that CHA can no longer live up to their obligation when it comes to paying those private landlords so guess what many of those same people who moved about a year ago has to move again.
Two such resident are Community Activist Barbara Moore and her daughter Kolette Moore a young mother of two teenage boys who were relocated from the last building standing in the Robert Taylor Homes,
You might remember it; a reddish sixteen stories public housing high-rise that stood off the back of the street on Federal, right across from the Boys and Girls Club located at 5135 South Federal.
In November the Moore’s called me and asked me to come over so I did.
They had moved one block over east from where Robert Taylor Homes once stood. .
The building that they moved to was a three flat brick building, sandy off white covering with over fifteen units in it, which stood right across the street from Reverend Hubert B. Martin’s Church “Progressive Community” located at 4752 South Wabash.

Kolette Moore said to me
“I haven’t even been to court and this landlord is forcing CHA to move me to the Trumbull Lowden Homes, “ during an interview on November 29th at her mother home. Which by the way was directly right across the hall from where Kolette lived. .
Her mother and her were moved about a year ago from the last building that were standing in the Robert Taylor Homes .
Barbara Moore is a well known activist who is known for standing her grounds when former CEO of CHA Phillips Jackson wanted to tear down her building where she were the President at 5266 South State Street.
Her and the Coalition to Protect Public Housing raised a strong fight against the CHA in 1998.
“ “CHA moved me and my daughter into this building together because they knew that I could no longer walk and I’m suffering from a lot of different illnesses,” Barbara said hardly being able to breath properly.
“Now a year later they are forcing my daughter to move away from me and she haven’t even been to court,” Barbara. Moore added.
“If I get sick or if there’s a fire here who will help me get out; I’m an invalid now; I can‘t walk,” Barbara continues.
“Beauty CHA is sending a truck here tomorrow to force me and my children to move to a place that I know nothing about!” Kolette said in a tearful voice.
“I have sons they will not be safe there!” Kolette added.
“I heard that there’s a lot of shooting that is taking place there!” Kolette added. .
“How could they just come to your home in one day and say you have to move and they told me that they don’t have to have an explanation?” Kolette went on to say.
“My mother need me here she doesn’t have anyone to help her get dress, eat or wash up; this is not right!” Kolette went on to say. “I’m her care taker how could they do this? “ Kolette breaking down into a fit of tears. “That’s my mama!” Kolette moaned.
“CHA nor this city or private landlords doesn’t seem to care about us!” according to Kolette.
I called CHA spoke person Derek Hill and told him about Kolette and Barbara Moore situations as well as their concerned..
“She agreed to move last week now she’s complaining,” Hill said.
“We are saving Kolette from being evicted by giving her a newly rehabbed unit in the Trumbull Lowden Home.” according to Hill.
“These are temporary units we begged the private landlord to let some of our residents stay here.”
Hill added.
Now those landlords want their money or want the relocated residents out of their buildings.
“Why can’t she take her mother with her?” Hill said doing a late night telephone interview.
I asked Barbara Moore why can’t she move with her daughter?
“My hospital is not too far away from here,” Barbara Moore said.
Trumbull Lowden Homes are too far away from all of the things that I need like my hospital, and medication!
Moore added.
“How can they just come to our homes and move us out when ever they feel like it without due process of the law,“ Barbara said.
“Last I looked this is still America! “ Barbara Moore added.
The next day bright and early before the sun begin to shine a big CHA moving truck pulled up to 47 52 South Wabash and moved Kolette and her family to the Trumbull Lowden homes leaving her invalid mother behind to fend for herself.
Barbara’s voice cracking as she tried to explain to me on the telephone about her dilemma “Who will go and pay my bills, pick up my medication, take me to the hospital !”
Cast Management which is the private management company for the building they lived in- agreed that Kolette Moore lived at 4752 South Wabash but decline to say anything else.
I talked to a lawyer Nicky Bazer from the legal Federation about this situation.
And she told me that what they did to Kolette doesn’t ring right to me.
“CHA didn’t tell us that the units that we were relocated to weren’t our permanent units, matter fact we were told that they were our permanent units!” Kolette Moore said.
Residents question to CHA what else are you not telling the truth about?

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