EVERETT — Several tenants in an Everett apartment building may have to move to a new location if a broken elevator isn’t repaired before August 31. The clock is ticking for tenants receiving federal housing vouchers to pay their rent at the 4-story Artspace Everett Lofts, 2917 Hoyt Avenue.
The only elevator in the building stopped working on May 19. Now, 92 days later, repairs are finally in progress but not complete. Tenant, Rachel Gordon, sent the EverettPost.com, the property manager’s message from August 17 indicating that repairs continue but gave no hint of a service restoration date.
The above message to Artspace Everett residents reads, “We are reaching out to you all with an update regarding the elevator. Please be advised that the replacements are still in process this week, and we will inform you of the updates as received. We appreciate your patience and cooperation during this time and look forward to providing you with good news.”
The elevator outage has trapped some tenants in the building with mobility issues on the upper floors. The Everett Fire Department was dispatched to the building earlier this summer to help lift one resident down the stair system who was unable to walk, according to Danny Volesky, EFD deputy fire marshal.
The Housing Authority of Snohomish County, HASCO, says if there’s no operable elevator in the building, the low-income housing agency will terminate vouchers to qualifying tenants on August 31, per federal requirements.
In a written statement to the EverettPost.com, Pam Townsend, HASCO Communications Manager says, “according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding regulations HUD 24 C.F.R § 5.703: To ensure residents live in safe environments, all items and components inside and outside HUD housing must be functional and free from health risks. This includes elevators.
“The landlord has until August 31 to complete the repairs; otherwise, the contract for the voucher holder will be terminated for not meeting HUD housing quality standards. HASCO maintains weekly communication with the landlord and is available to help tenants utilize their voucher to move to a building that complies with HUD standards, if they wish to proceed with that option. Under special circumstances, HASCO can extend the termination if the work is determined to be repaired eminently and is outside the landlord’s control.
“Tenants will not be required to vacate their homes; however, the voucher contracts will end if the elevator cannot be repaired. This means that HUD will cease subsidizing housing for those with vouchers. At that point, voucher holders may stay in their units if they desire, but they will no longer receive financial assistance. Alternatively, they can choose to relocate to continue using their housing choice vouchers.
“Voucher holders are aware of this and were given a moving packet so that they could begin searching for another unit in advance. HASCO is able to assist voucher holders who decide to move by providing housing navigation and assistance with security deposits. Tenants without a voucher are unaffected.”
The EverettPost.com has contacted the building’s property manager but has not received a new response about the timeline for elevator repairs. Indigo Property Management, based in Renton, advised the EverettPost.com that elevator repairs started on August 3 and at that date were expected to take two weeks. That two week time-frame ended yesterday.
Gordon receives HUD vouchers and is nervous about being forced to move if the property owner and management can’t meet HUD criteria for voucher recipients. “And so, the date of the elevator being fixed, especially with everything that’s ever happened in this building taking twice as long and being, like, ‘oh, it’s gonna take two weeks’, and then ‘oh its going to take two more weeks’. That kind of thing makes me kind of suspicious that it’s not going to get fixed before the contract ends,” Gordon frets, citing the August 31 HUD deadline, “because they’re paying half my rent.”
Now, the apartment building’s compliance and the housing voucher tenant’s future living status is in the hands of the elevator repair team.