By Auditi Guha
A citywide survey by Barre City employees conducted since the flooding revealed that at least 300-400 renters had been affected by the flood.
Some residents were hesitant to file complaints due to their landlord’s response.
Residents of Pearl Street 28, who spoke with VTDigger under the condition of anonymity, said that it was difficult to make ends meet.
According to a man who has been without electricity since the storm, it is a 10 on a 1-10 scale. I don’t even know where to start. “I have no resources.”
The Central Hotel was once located here. It now has two buildings connected with approximately 40 apartments. Most of the residents are low-income, with many having been left without power, propane or hot water after their basements flooded in the storm on July 10th.
On Tuesday, it was reported that the majority of tenants in one building still did not have electricity after they lost power last week. One resident, who had electricity for a while, said that they kept the door of their apartment open so neighbors could charge phones and use refrigerators.
The second resident said, “It has been tough for many of us to live in this situation.”
Some of the 300-400 renters in 130 properties affected by floods are still unable to receive timely help from their landlords. Tenants at several Barre City buildings and the Pearl Street Building had filed about 10 complaints with city workers as of Tuesday.
Nicolas Storellicastro said that tenants have complained “relatively little” about landlords who, in some cases, were themselves displaced.
He said that in certain situations, tenants who do not have power were asked to relocate to units vacant with electricity, or to use the Regional Shelter at the Auditorium.
Teddy Waszazak said that tenants left in the dark are facing an “untenable” situation. He said that Barre had some of the worst and best landlords, with some being responsive to residents and helping them, and others leaving them stranded.
Waszazak stated that I would not allow landlords to use a disaster as an excuse to throw up their hands and claim, “There is nothing we can help,” since this was simply untrue. It is their responsibility to ensure that people are living in safe places. It is important that they take good care of the people. It is important that they maintain their building.
Barre renters and those in other communities that have been hard hit face special challenges.
Some people are unable to relocate or access services when their home is damaged by flooding. Alternative living arrangements are difficult to come by because of the housing crisis which predated floods. They feel that they can’t make repairs to their homes because they do not own them or they are unable to afford it.
The third tenant, who won’t start working until Monday morning, is tired and cash-strapped. Where can she get help? She has had to buy more food and water than planned, as well as laundry detergent and soap, because she washes her clothes by hand. She said that “even 100 dollars or even something less would be helpful.”
The landlord did not respond to the request for additional washers and dryers, as there is only one in the apartment.
Housing assistance is offered by lawyers to clients with low incomes. Depending on the severity of the situation, it may take tenants weeks, even months, or — as in 2011, with Tropical Storm Irene — even years to realize their full needs. They encourage tenants in tough situations to reach out.
Laura Gans is a staff attorney with Vermont Legal Aid’s Poverty Law Project. She said, “It’s important for them to be safe and, if they require emergency housing, then we will connect them to the right resources.” We’ll help to calm their fears, and assist them in solving legal issues. We’ll find someone to help if we are unable.
The housing crisis in Barre has been especially acute. This is a city where there are many renters.
Storellicastro said that many of those who suffered the greatest losses had the least. It will be difficult for them to get back on their feet.
According to data from the state and city shared by Storellicastro, in Barre 53% of homes are rentals. Around 26,000 Barre City renters earn about $26,000 compared with $36,000 state-wide. In Barre City, 39% of households renters earn less than one-third of the average income. This makes them “extremely low-income” households.
Barre City’s housing stock, therefore, is older than average for the state. In comparison, the median year of construction for a home in Barre City is 1942. This compares to 1974 across the state. The majority of houses built in Barre City predate 1939.
Residents of Pearl Street 28 described their feelings of uncertainty and anxiety this week, and also frustration because they hadn’t seen him since the city officials were there. Oliver Twombly is trying to find out who complained to the city about his building, says a resident.
VTDigger tried to reach Twombly by email, phone and by leaving messages with his staff. He is the city attorney of Barre, and he owns several Barre properties.
When a reporter visited 28 Pearl Street on 18 July, the pile of debris was nearly as tall as the window on the 2nd floor. Two men hauled floodwater and mud out of the long basement.
Residents said Twombly had hired men to clean the basement in the last week. Residents said that they were grateful for their hard work, but worried about the fact that only two men would be enough.
Waszazak said that the city had started its enforcement process this week. This involves identifying issues, issuing orders for work, and giving landlords a time limit to correct them.
Waszazak stated, “I know work orders were issued and that the clock was ticking.” I’m not certain if any fines have been imposed on landlords yet.
14 units of rental housing were marked “red” last week. This means that occupancy was not permitted. Around 90 other rentals were “yellow-tagged”, which indicates significant issues such as fuel spilled in basements.
He explained, “It is a tricky line to tread. We are trying both to get landlords to move quickly as well as to understand that many landlords have similar issues.”
Currently, there is a high demand for electricians and electrical supplies. Some delays can be expected. He said that if there’s no response, or a lack of good faith, then the city is “more aggressive”. This means issuing fines.
We have not issued any citations as we work closely with the landlords to alleviate situations. We are at the point where we will escalate, as landlords seem to act in bad faith,” said he on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, three Red Cross workers assessed damage to the yellow building located on Granite Street. Residents still lived in the building despite yellow stickers placed by inspectors of state on windows to urge evacuation. The yard was covered in a thick, still-wet layer of mud.
The basement was heavily damaged by flooding, according to a resident on the second floor. The landlord sent out notices for the evacuation of the first-floor. The landlord said he did not plan to leave his apartment because it felt secure.
Vermont officials have repeatedly encouraged Vermonters to seek help for cleaning up and report any damage.
Call 2-1-1 if you have flood damage.
As of Monday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will also provide individual assistance to residents in the counties that are covered by the federal declaration. These include Caledonia and the following: Chittenden (Caledonia), Lamoille (Lamoille), Orange, Rutland Washington Windham Windsor.
The “uninsured essential property losses” and other disaster related expenses are covered, which includes cars, work tools, equipment, furniture, clothes, school supplies, textbooks and clothing.
Other ways of dealing with landlords who are absent or non-responsive exist.
Barre encourages residents to report any issues relating to unsafe housing or landlords who are not responsive through its code enforcement complaint form.
Vermont’s legal aid programs are working to help low-income Vermonters.
Gans, as part of Vermont Legal Aid’s Flood Help webpage encourages tenants experiencing flooding-related issues to contact the organisation for legal assistance.
The staff at the intake center understands that landlords may retaliate against tenants and are able to take anonymous calls.
Legal Services Vermont provides free legal advice to tenants.
Maggie Frye believes that people will not seek legal help from them when they are more stable.
Frye, who was working as a disaster relief lawyer in Vermont from 2011 to 2013, said that he dealt with real cases two years after Tropical Storm Irene. She stated that the vast majority of tenants they spoke to then were either looking for their security deposit returned or wanted out of their rental agreement.
Renters were advised in a joint tip sheet created by the two groups to be as specific as possible and inform landlords about issues via written communication so that there can be a record of what happened.
Frye stated that “we are still in the disaster response mode.” Once the situation calms down people can start to deal with tenants and landlords. This will be a problem in the future.
There are also videos and reading materials in other languages available.
Jessica Hyman is the associate director for statewide advocacy housing programs at CVOEO. She urged tenants in an email to get in touch with them prior to August 1 when rents become due. In an email, she wrote that tenants should be informed of their rights regarding the withholding of rent as well as “repair-and-deduct,” which is applicable if repairs are less than half a monthly rent.
She said, “People worry about losing their home because of the tight housing market and high prices.”
Candy Kennedy, of the Red Cross, reported that a Salvation Army vehicle delivered up to 70 meals per day in front of an isolated red house located on North Main Street, on Tuesday night.
People are still looking out for each other, despite their distress.
Four residents received the white boxes in an overgrown yard, which included an upside down couch, trashbags, a damaged appliance, a pool of plastic, as well as several motorcycles.
Toni Lawrence lives with her disabled son in one of two apartments in this building. The bikes were lost in the flooding.
She said, “We’ve been cleaning for over a week.” We are all sick and overworked.
Lawrence claims that the landlord is coming to his apartment but hasn’t received much assistance. He’s waiting on insurance payments to pay for repairs.
Water entered the living room due to a basement flood. The duplexes can only be occupied on the second level for the time being. Their appliances didn’t work because they had no power.
She said that their animals were also traumatized. Between the two households, they have two dogs and three cats. Some animals tried to sit down on the couch.
Doors and windows are opened in order to dry out damp areas. The wet carpet was torn off the stairs, leaving bare steps.
The woman called the dog’s name as she followed it out of the door. She held a plunger and then called its name. The second dog ran towards the first.
All of us held our breaths as the dog turned around and looked behind him. The dog narrowly avoided being struck by a truck passing.
Christine Donald, 49 years old, who lives there with her grandson since less than two year, cried “Oh, my God.” They are confused. “They don’t understand what they should do.”
Donald was hired by a store in the area, but it closed down after the flooding. Volunteers have been sent to the couple’s home, who called 2-1-1. However, their situation remains dire. Basement is full of sludge and the entire house remains damp and damaged. Generator keeps tripping up.
Lawrence bought a 35 foot camper with a kitchen sink for over $2,500.
In the yard and on the driveway, as in many areas of the city that had been ravaged by the storms, there were still a few puddles and piles of debris.
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