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Apr 20, 18
Filed under: Action, Community Organizing, Housing, Northwest
An update from Olympia Solidarity Network on their ongoing campaign at Evergreen Vista apartments to improve living conditions.
Following the an issuing of a letter to Evergreen Vista management and their operator Mercy Housing (which they chose to ignore), OlySol’s campaign for improved housing conditions at Evergreen Vista has proceeded.
April 10th
Approximately two and a half weeks following our demand delivery to Evergreen Vista management we are pleased to announce that tenants have started to see some changes! The demand letter called for repairs to be made and for accessible garbage disposal to be installed. New maintenance staff have now been hired and work orders (many of which had been neglected for months) have started to be fulfilled. An accessible garbage bin (pictured below) has also been installed adjacent to the inaccessible garbage compactor for disabled tenants.
While we recognize these improvements, they fall short of meeting our demands fully. Many repairs, especially those to common infrastructures, such as outdoor lighting and stairways, have still not been made. Moreover, the demand for accessible garbage disposal clearly stated that accessible bins must be installed at each building in the complex. In a notice sent to all tenants, Evergreen Vista management also suggested tenants with mobility issues complete a Reasonable Accommodation Request form for any further issues with the garbage disposal system. We find the requirement that tenants acquire professional and medical verification for something as basic as garbage disposal degrading and a near impossible barrier for tenants who lack health care coverage.
For these reasons, OlySol’s campaign for improved conditions at Evergreen Vista will continue until the demands are fully met.
April 16th
Over the last week OlySol visited the neighborhood of Evergreen Vista’s property manager with anti-slumlord posters. Members of Seattle Solidarity Network (SeaSol) also postered around Mery Housing Northwest’s headquarters and the home neighborhood of Mercy Housing Northwest’s president.
If the demands for accessible garbage disposal at each building in the complex and the fulfillment of all repair requests aren’t met in full, Evergreen Vista management and Mercy Housing can expect further pressure.
