A Northwest Side apartment complex has a troubling record of not staying compliant with city code enforcement. What happened on Thursday at The Aristo at Medical Apartmentsbrought the conditions there into clear focus: a stairwell collapsed.
According to District 8 Councilman Manny Pelaez, what happened in a stairwell there could have been tragic.
“We witnessed a landing from the second floor, to the first floor collapse, and somebody fell down,” Pelaez said. “Thankfully, the injuries were not very serious, but it left the apartment tenants on the second and third floor unable to get out of their apartment.”
He said The Aristo at Medical Apartments has a long track record with San Antonio’s compliance office.
“City's code enforcement department just said enough is enough and has told the tenants of this apartment complex that we are now going to begin terminating the certificate of occupancy for this for this apartment complex and that we would be assisting the families to relocate,” Pelaez said.
Much of the complex is home to Middle-Eastern refugees who fled their home countries to find a better life here.
“These folks come from far away to escape chaos in war-torn areas,” he said. “And they show up to the United States just with the shirts on their back. A lot of trauma, a lot of mistrust for government.”
Pelaez said many of these tenants work entry level jobs to get their footing in this country, and those jobs barely pay enough to get by. The percentage of their paychecks going to rent is a big chunk of their income.
“They pay in a very high percentage, usually in the mid-thirties, for a percentage of their earnings on housing,” Pelaez said. “That's called 'house-burdened.' These are refugees. They literally turn over everything they have every single month for a roof over their head. And in this instance, those roofs are falling down around them.”
Pelaez said the city’s code compliance division has been issuing citations to get work done at the troubled complex for the last four months, but he said they haven’t complied.
“The landlords have been warned multiple times that this is going to happen. And the landlord, of course, is in New Jersey,” he said. “But I don't know how that person sleeps at night.”
The apartment complex's management and owner did not respond to TPR's request for comment.
The city of San Antonio's Development services sent a notice Friday to the complex's owner indicating that it intends to revoke its Certificate of Occupancy.
As to what comes next, Pelaez said that perhaps as early as Tuesday, the city’s code compliance office will begin the process to close the complex down and begin moving the renters to new locations.
Since earlier this year, a coalition of organizations including My City is My Home, the Center of Refugees Services, and Texas RioGrande Legal Aid have worked alongside the city's Code Enforcement and Neighborhood Housing Service Departments to handle tenant grievances at half a dozen offending apartment complexes - including Aristo at Medical. In May, major complaints were reported, ranging from mailbox security issues, ceiling leaks, non-operable ovens and air conditioning units, pest infestations and more.
Acosta said that, while some issues have been addressed, many remain pending. He adds that code enforcement hasn't followed up with the coalition since June.
“It is troubling that no prior warning was given about the possible ramifications from the code enforcement actions,” said Rich Acosta, President of My City is my Home. “Our continuous collaboration with the Center of Refugee Services did not hint at this catastrophic outcome, leaving them as surprised as the families they support.”
The city of San Antonio Neighborhood and Housing Services Office, the advocacy organization My City is My Home, and Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid will be onsite Tuesday morning at the apartment complex to help residents sign up for the Resident Relocation Assistance Program (RRAP). My City is My Home has created an apartment map to help people make decisions on where to rent.
Acosta points out that the city is preparing to participate in national Welcoming Week in the coming days, and that this kind of incident is the opposite of a “beacon of hope” for the refugees.
