Complaint Review: Housing Authority of the County of Riverside - Riverside California

August 23, 2015

My complaint is about the Housing Authority of the County of Riverside (California), the Golden Oak Apartments, The Owner of the Golden Oak Apartments, and Cal-American Corporation, the management company.  I have lived here for 20 years, I moved into these apartments in March of 1995 and completed 20 years on March 1, 2015.

The management company raises our rent about every other year.  However, this year the management company along with the Housing Authority of the County of Riverside (California) has decided that:

PAYMENT STANDARD CHANGE: The Payment Standard amount for the subsidy (voucher) size you are authorized on October 1, 2015.  The new amount was used for your Annual Reexamination calculation.”

They decided to use our gross amount, did not calculate any of our bills, utilities, student loans, car insurance, apartment tenant insurance, car maintenance, doctor visits, medication charges over and above what Medicare pays for, or any other financial obligations we have, including any credit card debts. They took the gross amount and decided to use that figure in recalculating our rent.  How can they do that and not know that we can’t pay that amount!

Changes In Payments: from $840.00 to $935.00.  Because I live in Section 8 Housing, my payment will change from $315.00 to $416.00

The Housing Authority makes us fill out reexamination forms listing all of our income and all of our expenses.  My examination of their Payment Calculations does not show the utilities I have to pay, nor does it show the student loans I am responsible for and paying for each month.  

Money does not grow on trees, I do not have the $101.00 extra to pay on my rent each month, AND, as of right now, I am stuck in my apartment because the door won’t open.  The Apartment management does not fix and make repairs as it should, we have drug abusers and drug dealers living here right in the apartment complex.  

I have written the Housing Authority and Cal-American Corporation, the  management company complaining that as long as there are drug abusers and drug dealers living here right next to us, the apartment complex does not deserve to raise my rent, or that of the other tenants in this complex, however, they are deaf and refuse to make this apartment complex safe for the tenants.  I have called the Riverside Police Department many times.  

The manager, The manager, Elizabeth Mena left me stuck in this apartment last week for 2 full days even though I had made several calls to her voice mail.  

This is like a prison.  The manager said she would have the maintenance man come here tomorrow, August 24, 2015 and put in a new door, however, here I am again, stuck in this apartment.  I can’t go check my mail, I cannot get my prescription refills, or do anything else I need to do.  Is that how a 20 year resident should be treated!  Absolutely not, however, I have written AARP asking them to intervene and all they did was send me information on how to find another apartment.  Don’t you think that if I had money to move I would have done so many years ago!  I feel like I am living in a senior citizen prison and with the rent constantly being raised, I will be kicked out because I don’t have money to pay the increase.  This is unconstitutional, and if I were smart in politics, I would know exactly which part of the constitution this rental increase falls under.

Believe me, I’m 70 years old and these should be my golden years, however they are my RENTAL TERROR YEARS.  I can’t get anyone high enough with authority to stop this action.  The management company, on the orders of the owner of the Golden Oak Apartments is getting rich off of senior citizens and with no rental control, many of us will be kicked out on to the streets.  Most of the people here are like me, old and with a lot of medical problems.  How do you think we will fare.  Please, if you have a contact in the high government, please ask them to help us.  

Consumer, Janet D. Major

(((Redacted)))

Riverside, California (((Redacted)))

(((Redacted)))

email: (((Redacted)))

By the Way, I tried to upload all the scanned letter copeis, however, only one of them seemed to actually get uploaded.  I can send copies of all through an email address if you want, because they are all important regarding these complants.

The Housing Authority of the County of Riverside

5555 Arlington Avenue (main office)

Riverside, CA 92504-2506

(951) 3510700

FAX: (951) 354-6324

Riverside, California 92504

The Golden Oak Apartments                    Cal-American Corporation

7756 California Avenue                           1109 Westwood Boulevard

Riverside, CA 92504                               Los Angeles, CA 90024

Manager: Elizabeth Mena                        (310) 277-1385

(951(688-3298                                      FAX: (310)  556-3934