(note from JD – I’ve posted this piece by my friend and organizer Heather Pipino, as this is important and the word needs to get out)
We are here today to witness the tragic end of a long conflict and mourn the failure of a community to protect and take care of it’s people. Mr. Huang’s story is not unlike many other residents of Barre who struggle to make ends meet and try to act within their rights, only to face tremendous barriers when seeking assistance.
An increasing number of Vermonters – both long-term and recent citizens alike – face deteriorating housing conditions, unaffordable heating expenses, and are living in unsafe and undignified situations. On the advice of fair housing non-profits and Vermont Legal Aid, Kai Sun Huang withheld rent. Frequent flooding from the roof was commonplace, broken pipes due to responsibility for heating ensued, crumbling walls, flaking lead paint, and long-standing mold and water damages were not repaired safely or at all. Withholding rent for housing that isn’t up to building code is perfectly legal in Vermont. While the City of Barre Inspector deemed the unit was “no longer to be used for human habitation,” Huang lost in court due to alleged refusal to permit access to the apartment and for being an unclean person. Huang did not have legal representation and as a result, was ordered to pay over $18,0000 in back rent. Huang has paid the back rent in full and is being evicted today.
(more below the jump)
After meeting with Mr. Huang and learning about his story, I discovered many troubling things – that it’s mysterious and sad why this conflict continued so long; that it’s very difficult to find a lawyer for tenant-landlord disputes; and that there aren’t enough advocates to support the most vulnerable within our communities.
Our state and nation’s wrongheaded budget priorities – most notably our inability to tax higher income earners – have created a tenuous situation where it’s nearly impossible to achieve any sort of human right to fair housing. For example, there remains only one tenant advocate at CVOEO (the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity), which is the statewide agency for tenant’s rights. One person to help all tenants in Vermont.
Our communities have forgotten how to Put People First – our political leaders and media pundits talk of this great economic crisis whereby we must cut more public jobs, cut more employee benefits, and cut more services for people in our community, without considering the option of raising revenue by taxing high income earners.
We must not forget our capacity to love our neighbors. We must not be disingenuous to our fellow Vermonters by feeling pangs of remorse or finger-pointing when we see suffering, without taking appropriate corrective action to address the systemic failures. Why do we ask so many of our neighbors, including the most vulnerable Vermonters, to get by with less, without focusing on those that have the ability to give more? Our political leaders need to look beyond the Statehouse soundbites of what is “poltically possible” and acknowledge stories like Mr. Huang’s and the rising tide of inequality across our state to rectify decades of misguided budgetary priorities that have created such suffering. Vermont as a state has lead the nation on many social advances. Stories like Mr. Huang’s, and so many other similar stories, show us in heartbreaking detail that if we are to truly ‘Put People First,’ we must develop budgets based on human rights to ensure that people’s economic and social rights are protected, even in times of economic crisis. We must remember that the needs of our communities outweigh the risks of alienating the few with money and power.
We would like to invite you, housing advocates, and others concerned with conditions in Barre to join us on Thursday, April 28th from 6-8PM (at the Aldrich Public Library) to begin the conversation about how to ‘Put People First’ and address the barriers to achieving the human right to affordable, safe, and dignified housing.
Hallway at 46 South Main Street
It’s an appalling failure of social justice that one can hardly believe took place in Vermont!
We do have a stratified justice even here. Vermonters love their homes, but are less than happy about seeing truly affordable housing anywhere near them. We’re allowed to deduct mortgage interest from our taxes, but renters get no such benefit. And what is called “affordable housing” for the benefit of developers, is hardly that.
I think its very sad that intelligent people can write an article like this without doing any research, or finding the facts first. Mr Huang is a professional tenant, abusing the system, and making fools out of all of you. Did he mention to you about his two previous landlords that paid him to leave? Mr Huang stopped paying rent, because he received a no cause eviction notice, because the Landlord wanted to renovate the apartment. He then complained to every state and local official so he could to stay there as long as he could. Mr huang was responsible for paying the heat, during the two frozen pipes incidents. The falling ceilings and crumbling plaster were caused by rushing water escaping from burst pipes, due to Mr Huang not heating his apartment. Repairs were not made in MR huang’s apartment, because even with proper notice he refused to let workmen in to make repairs, and changed the locks, without giving the landlord a key.
Landlords in Vermont are the true victims here. Tenants have learned to abuse the system and live for free, and get free representation from legal Aide.
Landlord however have to shoulder their own expenses. The average Court eviction with court fees, lawyer fees, and sheriff fees, is $2000.00
In this case there is another $5000.00 in damages caused by frozen pipes.
Most landlords make between 10%-15% on their buildings, when the rent is paid. This building when occupied makes about $500.00 per month. With remaing damages, and lost rent while repairs are being made. It will be more than a year before the landlord gets back to ZERO.