Another option would be to contact a disability advocacy group - I
mean an all-volunteer group comprised of disabled people who've had
experience in dealing with situations such as yours. I don't think
you're the only disabled person in NYC to face eviction, and at
least, you might find creative ways to fight the eviction.
Kat
On 12 Dec 2005, at 22:45, Jonathan Rand wrote:
> pleez excuse
>
> symptoms of drowsiness - keeping me from communicating
> properly.
> --------------------------------
>
> I covered the cleft lip myself. even a plastic surgeon didn’t
> notice it.
> (????????)
>
> I no longer hav faith in these agencies. if things really start2
> close in
> on me, the landlord needs 2 b embarrassed in the media. I don’t c
> 2 many
> other options besides that.
>
> the average person is sure that this kind of thing never happens.
> most
> people think that agencies like CIDNY or UCP help people in my
> situation.
> but they don’t.
>
> I’ll try yor suggestions tho.
>
> thanks! :)
>
>
>
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>> From: Magenta Raine <[log in to unmask]>
>> Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Re: “But there are places for disabled people!”
>> Date: Sat, 10 Dec 2005 18:05:34 -0800
>>
>> You face a horrible situation, Jon! Is there a CIL (center for
>> Independent
>> Living) in your area? My mind is boggled by the horror of your
>> situation.
>> But maybe PAI could help you? That is an agency called Protection and
>> Advocacy and they are in every state, (names may be different)
>> Call your
>> senator Clinton? Check with your State's Developmental
>> Disabilities board
>> to see if you might get more help physically. from a Supported Living
>> agency. perhaps a dental school at a university would fix the cleft
>> palette?
>>
>> Mag
>>
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>> [log in to unmask]
>>
>> "What is real but compassion, as we move from birth to death?"
>> ~~Greg Brown~~
>>
>>
>> > [Original Message]
>> > From: Jonathan Rand <[log in to unmask]>
>> > To: <[log in to unmask]>
>> > Date: 12/10/2005 9:54:16 AM
>> > Subject: “But there are places for disabled people!”
>> >
>> > Many of you will not be able to help me in any way with this, but I
>> think
>> > you need to know what’s happening nevertheless. I suspect this
>> happens
>> to
>> > many of the physically disabled poor. Their lives get torn
>> apart, and
>> > nobody knows about it. Some rich landlord gets a little richer,
>> while a
>> > poor person, (even someone with severe disabilities), loses
>> their home,
>> > their possessions, and even their connections with other people!
>> >
>> > After being taken in by a friend who was mentally ill, (after
>> losing my
>> own
>> > apartment), and after that person became sicker, and had to
>> leave here,
>> the
>> > landlord is evicting me. There are no affordable apartments
>> available
>> in
>> > Manhattan, and if you’re talking about wheelchair accessible
>> apartments,
>> > FORGET IT! (I use a wheelchair.) (I won’t survive in an outlying
>> borough,
>> > in a dangerous neighborhood, isolated from people in Manhattan
>> that help
>> me!
>> > I’ve already been physically attacked by “young males” from the
>> projects,
>> > so I steer clear of those kinds of places. I’m not sure what
>> was thrown
>> at
>> > me at one point. I think it was a bottle.)
>> >
>> > The landlord is apparently thinking about the “bottom line!” He
>> let the
>> > back rent build up
> Legal Aid told me they “couldn’t do anything until
>> it
>> > came right down to the wire!” And the landlord needed to serve
>> me with
>> > eviction papers before they would act. A lot of time went by.
>> I was
>> > served, (a few times), with papers having to do with THE CAR’S
>> PARKING
>> > SPACE, downstairs in the parking lot, but no one came to my door
>> with
>> > anything having to do with the apartment. An eternity went by, but
>> nobody
>> > lifted a finger to head something like this off! I knew I was
>> headed
>> for
>> a
>> > very bad situation but there was little I could do! I’m severely
>> disabled.
>> > A nonverbal spastic, athetoid quad, (like CEREBRAL PALSY), with low
>> vision.
>> > I can’t use a phone or read text. Email is my only line to “the
>> outside
>> > world,” and until recently, I couldn’t even leave this
>> neighborhood!
>> The
>> > electric scooter I got from Medicaid, DIDN’T FIT ON THE BUS!
>> And when I
>> > complained about this, (at United Cerebral Palsy, down on East 23rd
>> Street,
>> > here in New York, I was told, “that was the only scooter that
>> could be
>> > approved. That’s the law! And if I didn’t like it, I should go to
>> > Washington and LOBBY!” (I guess they expected me to crawl there
> ..!)
>> >
>> > Anyway, the landlord refused my friend’s rent check, saying he
>> violated
>> the
>> > lease. When he got sicker, he went to his girlfriend’s, so she
>> could
>> take
>> > care of him, leaving me here alone. The landlord said: “he wasn’t
>> living
>> > here, and he had an illegal sublet.” My friend didn’t tell the
>> landlord
>> > that I was here, BECAUSE HE SUFFERED FROM A DISABLING ANXIETY
>> DISORDER.
>> He
>> > was AFRAID to! The lease was never violated maliciously!
>> >
>> > Someone in the neighborhood helped me get a Section-8 rent
>> voucher. So
>> soon
>> > after my friend left, I had the ability to pay the rent here!
>> (This is
>> a
>> > RENT STABILIZED apartment, and the rent is only $100 more than my
>> voucher!)
>> > Current rents everywhere else, are much much higher, so staying
>> here
>> seemed
>> > like the best option. If I’m forced to leave, my life will be
>> literally
>> > torn apart! I’ve learnt, over the years, to take care of myself
>> IN THIS
>> > APARTMENT! The placement of the sink, in relation to the
>> bathtub, is
>> > important because of the routines I established so I could wash and
>> brush
>> my
>> > teeth in the morning! if I get on the floor, and lean over the
>> bathtub,
>> I
>> > can do things like wash my face, or eat on my own! I rigged a
>> hose,
>> going
>> > from the bathroom sink faucet, to the bathtub, so I could fill a
>> cup, or
>> wet
>> > a cloth. It used to take me five hours to wash & dress
>> everyday! Now I
>> can
>> > do it in under two hours! Take me away from this apartment, and
>> I’m
>> > “helpless” again! I took YEARS to figure out how to do this
>> stuff here,
>> and
>> > I dread having to start all over! It took me for ever to find
>> the right
>> > hose, that would fit in the bathroom sink faucet!
>> >
>> > And also, like most men, I guess, I’m fighting the aging
>> process! :)
>> My
>> > hair is turning grey! I darken my mustache! You might think
>> that this
>> > routine would be something I could let go of easily! But I have an
>> extra
>> > problem! I was born with a facial deformity. A cleft palate &
>> lip. I
>> went
>> > through hell because of this, when I was younger, until I
>> figured out
>> how
>> to
>> > cover it up, with a big “walrus” moustache! The moustache, a
>> pair of
>> “John
>> > Lennon wire rim glasses, & a Beatle haircut, distracted people
>> away from
>> the
>> > deformity, and my life changed INSTANTLY! Now that I’m older, the
>> moustache
>> > is turning grey! It’s losing its shape, and no longer doing its
>> job,
>> > (unless I use that “stuff!”) (“GREYaway, Only for ‘REAL’
>> MEN!) :) I
>> made
>> > a kind of “vanity table” that fits in the BATHTUB. Getting down
>> on the
>> > floor, and leaning over the tub, enbles me to color my
>> mustache! Hands
>> > free! There’s a light, & an adjustable “jig” that holds a
>> MIRROR and a
>> > BRUSH. I have everything worked out! From mixing the
>> > hair-dye GOO, to applying it, (by moving my head over the mounted
>> brush),
>> > to rincing it off! I use an electric screwdriver to unscrew the
>> caps on
>> the
>> > little tubes! Everything’s worked out. And the routine is very
>> intricate!
>> > Change ANYTHING, and everything falls apart!
>> >
>> > I’m horrified at the prospect of not being able to take care of
>> myself!
>> And
>> > the thought of uncovering that deformity after all these years
>> totally
>> > floors me! I’m actually surprised that even THIS landlord,
>> (notorious
>> for
>> > being cruel & mean), is doing this to me!
>> >
>> > People in the system, (social workers etc.), don’t really know
>> what to
>> do
>> in
>> > cases like this. And they’re constrained by rules &
>> regulations, (and
>> lack
>> > of money), so anyone in my position could easily “fall through the
>> cracks
>> “
>> > and get crushed!
>> >
>> > Legal Aid accepted my case about a year ago, and when eviction
>> papers
>> were
>> > served, I won that round in court on a technicality. (My name
>> wasn’t on
>> the
>> > papers.)
>> >
>> > After that, time passed. And little or nothing was done to try
>> and head
>> off
>> > the coming storm! Rent bills started arriving. I asked my social
>> worker
>> > about these
> Could it be that the management office wasn’t aware of
>> what
>> > was happening? There was no response.
>> >
>> > When the lease was up, I got a rent bill saying, “your lease has
>> expired.
>> > Call the office immediately.” My social worker asked my Legal Aid
>> lawyer
>> > what we should do about this, and was told that I shouldn’t
>> worry about
>> it.
>> > And that we needed to wait for actual eviction papers to
>> arrive. I’d
>> get
>> > served, we’d go to court, and everything would take a really
>> long time!
>> >
>> > Although I had the Section-8 voucher, back rent was building
>> up. And
>> > section-8 won’t pay that! I asked about this, and was told that
>> if the
>> > landlord accepted my voucher and allowed me to stay, the CITY
>> would pay
>> the
>> > back rent! But until papers were served, nobody would do
>> anything to
>> head
>> > things off!
>> >
>> > I was worried about being put out in the street! I was told,
>> there’s a
>> law
>> > that protects me, (because I’m severely disabled), and I
>> COULDN’T be put
>> out
>> > until a suitable apartment was found for me. But recently, another
>> social
>> > worker told me that the city WOULDN’T pay the back rent! My
>> name wasn’t
>> on
>> > the lease, and now, there was no lease at all! And on top of
>> all of
>> this,
>> > even if I won in court, and could stay here, the landlord is not
>> obligated
>> > to accept my voucher! He can refuse! No questions asked! And
>> that’s
>> just
>> > what he did.
>> >
>> > And now I’m being told, (by a lawyer, gotten for me by a new
>> friend),
>> that
>> > there IS NO PROTECTION for me! And if the marshals came to
>> force me
>> out,
>> > I’d end up in an institution, (like so many other disabled,
>> being held
>> > against their will), unless I could prove I had someplace to go!!!!
>> >
>> > During all this time, while the system sat idle, I tried to make
>> something
>> > happen on my own. if nothing else, I needed to be able TO
>> TRAVEL, so I
>> > could try and make contact with others “like me!” I was incredibly
>> lonely.
>> > Cut off by family, with no normal friendships, I dreamt of just
>> being
>> able
>> > to go over someone’s house to watch a video! But someone as
>> severely
>> > disabled as me, could never really bond and become a part of the
>> lives
>> of
>> > the people around me at the time. Able-bodied, blind, or “mildly”
>> disabled,
>> > lived a different life! A wheelchair CHANGES you into a different
>> creature!
>> > STAIRS are a barrier! These people lived, worked & played in
>> places
>> where
>> > I couldn’t go. And because I can’t talk, real bonding is nearly
>> impossible.
>> >
>> > So when I was told I could get a new power wheelchair, I did my
>> best to
>> > research things, looking for a chair with a long enough range to
>> get me
>> out
>> > of the neighborhood! Maybe I could make contact with some of
>> the people
>> I
>> > knew before I became so debilitated! I knew people that used power
>> > wheelchairs, like me! And there was one person in particular,
>> who’s
>> level
>> > of disability was similar to mine. When I got my new chair, I
>> would go
>> down
>> > to his neighborhood and seek him out.
>> >
>> > Well, I finally connected with this person and his family. (You
>> know
>> what
>> > they say about “birds of a feather!”) We came together with
>> such force,
>> > that the universe shook!
>> >
>> > When I told them about my housing situation, they became very
>> alarmed,
>> and
>> > immediately went to work for me. They know a lawyer who works
>> for legal
>> > aid. And he looked for me in the computer, and found out that
>> the last
>> > lawyer had CLOSED MY CASE! And that the landlord had already
>> gone to
>> court!
>> > He told them that eviction papers had been served. THAT’S A
>> LIE! The
>> > marshals were already on their way here to lock me out! So now,
>> we’re
>> > scrambling to get to court before the marshals come here!
>> >
>> > This new lawyer knows the landlord’s lawyer. (Works with him
>> all the
>> time.)
>> > They spoke. The landlord’s lawyer called the landlord, asking
>> for
>> mercy!
>> > The landlord hung up on him!!!!! I think you have to stoop
>> pretty low
>> to
>> > kick a severely disabled man out of the only affordable, wheelchair
>> > accessible apartment in Manhattan!
>> >
>> > This is a rent stabilized apartment, and if the landlord gets me
>> out, he
>> > could raise the rent, and get much more money! if I stay, the
>> rent has
>> to
>> > remain pretty much the same. So naturally, they want me out. It
>> doesn’t
>> > matter how disabled I am. It doesn’t matter if I get locked
>> away in an
>> > institution for the rest of my life, (like so many other disabled
>> people,
>> > [because of a system, full of holes, and continual budget cuts
>> by the
>> > “closet Nazis” that run this government])! All that matters is
>> money.
>> The
>> > bottom line! The landlord wants money! And he refuses to even
>> discuss
>> > this. Even with HIS OWN LAWYER!
>> >
>> > Can anybody help with this?
>> >
>> > I’m thinking if the landlord could be embarrassed in the media,
>> maybe he
>> > could be force to back down here.
>> >
>> > At one point I made a small effort to rally some tenants around
>> me. But
>> > nobody thought they could help. One person’s comment was, “but
>> there
>> are
>> > places for disabled people!” Sure there are! BIG places, up
>> state!
>> With
>> > locked doors!
>> >
>> > ------------------------------------
>> > The person I connected with, (along with his family), snatch me
>> from
>> > SPAGHETTIFICATION in the black hole of neglect by the system, IN
>> THE
>> NICK
>> OF
>> > TIME! Was it by the grace of God, that we connected NOW,
>> instead of a
>> week
>> > later?
>> >
>> > Please try and bring this story out in the open! Call the
>> media! THERE
>> ARE
>> > NO AVAILABLE APARTMENTS FOR PEOPLE WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES!
>> I AM
>> > CURRENTLY IN ONE!!!! But because the landlord wants to make
>> more of a
>> > PROFIT, I’m being forced out! I DID NOTHING WRONG! I’m
>> disabled & ill.
>> > And I need a safe place to live!
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Very Sincerely,
>> > Jonathan Rand
>> > ------------------------------------
>> >
>> > Jonathan Rand
>> > 792 Columbus Ave.,
>> > Apt. 5-T
>> > New York, NY 10025
>> >
>> > Landlord:
>> > PARK WEST VILLAGE
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