Complaint Review: TH Services - East Dominguez Hills California

I was referred to this company from the County because i needed temporary emergency housing. I went into this business to apply. All over the lobby, there was signs that said "temporary permenent housing $200 a month". The application asked for my financial information in detail. I was then interviewed by Ms. Lewis. She told me that my rent would be $500 a month. (they call this a program fee instead of rent because they want to try to weasel out of legal requirements in landlord/tennant relationships) I asked why I am not paying only $200 like everyone else. She said that since i get social security which pays me more than lets say general relief, I can afford more rent so my rent will be $500. I said that's not fair. She said take it or leave it. I was desperate, so I took it.

Then she asked me if I am getting EBT/food stamps. I told her that I was. She then demanded my EBT card and PIN number. I asked why and she said that this is extra income too and I have to pay it towards rent. I told her that I need that for food. She said i am getting you a place to stay. I told her that I refuse to be in a conspiracy to commit EBT fraud by giving her my card and PIN number. She backed down from that. Then she asked for the $500 for my first months rent. Then she asked for an additional $100 for what she called a registration fee. This woman was taking total advantage of me when I am down and desperate for a place to stay. I couldn't believe it. this was taking place 2 days before the end of the month. I was placed into a house in the most dangerous part of south central Los Angeles. Near 103rd and Grape Streets. I am Caucasian. I was placed into a 4 bedroom house with 17 Negroes living in it. There was only one functioning restroom and no hot water. I was in hell. 3 days later, I was contacted by a Ms. White at the office and asked for my rent. (program fee) I advised her that I had just paid $600 to move in including my first months rent just 3 days ago. She said that what I paid was my last months rent and that I have until the end of the day to pay $500 at the office or I will be removed from the program and the residence. Again, I had no choice and they are taking advantage of me but I felt like I had no choice but to pay it.

After I moved in, I was given a particular cupboard to put my food in a corner of one shelf of the refridgerator to use. In the days ahead, I realized that my food is being stolen. Over the next several weeks, my wallet was stolen and other personal property. I reported these thefts to the office. They always said that unless I catch someone red handed, there is nothing that they can do. I was given a paper that was a list of house rules. One of those rules said that there is a zero tolerance for stealing. Obviously, a rule that is not enforced. Over the next several days, my things continued to get stolen. About once every week there would be a physical fight. There was this one Parolee named Maurice. He is a longtime Friend of Ms. Lewis. He was kind of like some kind of enforcer. He had head butted one guy when he was caught stealing. Another time Maurice socked another resident in the face. Both of these people reported this to the office and nothing happened to Maurice. He continued to live there. I saw that the no physical violence rule was not enforced either. Especially when it's done by Maurice. I have had a permit to carry a gun from my previous employment but never carried it. I was now arming myself with a compact .40 cal. pistol 24 hours a day. Maurice looks like Actor Samuel L. Jackson and he is very intimidating and he knows it. One day he told me that I need to contributre to the household by paying for dish soap etc. I told him that nobody else is doing that so why should I? He said that because I am getting social security and not on general relief, I can afford it. I told him that I will THINK about it and maybe I'll do it when people stop stealing my food. He backed down.

Some days later, I was returning from looking for work. Maurice was in the kitchen and he was heating up some of MY food in the microwave. They were corn dogs and I was the only one in the house who had those. So he did it on purpose. When i caught him, he said that he thought he would not mind. This is not true as I had screamed out loud before when my things had been missing. I reported this red handed caught theft to Ms. Lewis at the office. She said to just ask him for reimbursement. I told her that I thought there was a zero tolerance for theft. She just hung up on me. On another night, I had rented a car for a day to get some things done. One of the residents of the house asked me if I could give him a ride to the grocery store. I said yes in order to try to build rapport in the house and do something nice for someone. On the way to the store, he asked me to go into the store and buy some meat for him on my EBT card. I told him no. He got mad. We came back to the house. He then informed me to leave the house or he will kill me. I could have waited for him to attack me so I could shoot and kill him but then i would get my gun taken as evidence in the case, so instead, I left the house and went down the street and called the police. The laziest police department in the world, the LAPD, told me to just stay out for the night and go back the next day and deal with it.

When running his name, the LAPD said that this guy is a registered sex offender for child molestation and is on probation (Here he is living in a house with children - good going, Ms. Lewis!) They told me that I should drop it if i want to live since he is a known gang member. The next morning, I reported this to Ms. Lewis. She said that she will handle it. She arrived at the house the next day and right in front of the guy that threatened me, she asks me if she should kick him out or not. As if it should be up to me. I refused to answer and so she let him continue to stay there. Un-believeable. If all the theft and violence and plumbing problems is not enough, the house is also infested with bed bugs, ants and roaches. i had never seen anything so disgusting in all of my life. The bugs bite and you wake up with bites all over your arms etc. I fumigated my room and had no problems in my room where I bunked with 3 other guys but the rest of the house continued to be the filthiest place I have ever seen. I continued through the time I stayed there to report theft and violence to Ms. Lewis at the office and she never did anything. As long as you pay your rent/program fee... she doesn't care what is going on at the house. Theft, Violence, whatever. I had learned many times over that everyone at the office AND in the house are criminals, liars, thieves, defrauders, gangsters and other things. I knew that the people that run TH Services are the biggest pieces of S*** in humanity.

So when I went to go move out of this place, I quietly found a new place and moved into it before giving my last month's notice because I knew that Ms. Lewis would find a way to try to F me over. I was just moved in to my new place when I called Ms. Lewis to let her know that this will be my last month and that they already have my last months rent from when i moved in. She said no, even though it is your last month, you need to pay $500 anyways and then apply for a refund of your last month's rent. I knew they would try to F me, I knew it. She thought I would have no choice but to pay it. She said pay it or get out right now. I already had my stuff moved and the rental car out front. I said, no thanks, I will move out right now. She couldn't believe it. I knew she would really mess with me now as I try to get that $500 last month's rent back. I asked when I can get that $500 back. She said she will mail it to me in 2 weeks. She asked for my new address so she can mail it to me. I gave her my new mailing address which is a mail service that receives my mail for me. There was no way I was going to give these people my real home residence address. I moved out on 12-3-13.

A month later, I called the office because I had not received my refund. On 1-3-14 she said that it will be another 2 weeks. She asked for my address and phone number again. I gave it. Another month later, on 2-3-14, I called the office again because I had still not received my refund. She said Ms. White was supposed to do it and was on vacation and that I will get in in 2 weeks. 2 weeks later, I showed up at the office. Ms Lewis said that they don't keep cash in the office and to come back in a week. I showed up in another week and she gave me $200 and said that's all she has and that I can get the $300 in the mail the next Saturday. I arrived at the office the next Saturday and I was told that they don't give refunds on Saturdays. I couldn't believe it. Ms. White said that I can come back 3 weeks later and get the other $300. i asked her for something in her writing that says that because I knew they would keep messing with me. I didn't want to involve the law in all of this until I get my money but I was going to involve the law if they tried to do me one more time. I showed up 3 weeks later and I saw Ms. Lewis. She asked me why I am there. She knows why I am there. More messing with me. I said I am here to get my $300. She said WHO told you to come in today and get that? I provided her with Ms. White's written note. It said my appointment was for 4:30. The time now was 3:45. She said I am early. She said to wait out front until 4:30, I guess she could not wait 45 minutes to try to F with me just one more time. The time came and she gave me my $300. Finally! Now, it's time for payback.

I called the Los Angeles City Housing Authority and spoke with an Investigator and reported them for having too many people in a house with sub-standard conditions. That investigator had me talk to the City Attorney. They asked me if i will testify against them and I gladly accepted. Then I contacted the County Health Department. That investigator took my information and promised to investigate. Then I contacted the Los Angeles County EBT Fraud hotline. I spoke to an investigator there and then I was contacted by the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office, The investigator there took the information from me including names of people living in the house who are giving their EBT food card and PIN to Ms. Lewis in lieu of rent. Since EBT fraud is also a federal crime because the federal governent pays towards food stamps, it's a federal offense now. I was contacted by the FBI and asked if I would testify in a case against TH Services and I told them I will gladly testify.