[PeoplesPotluck] Fw: [Discuss] door to door at Gateway

[Randall Cotton]

: ----- Original Message ----- 
: From: "Carol Ammons" <livingsoul at sbcglobal.net>
: To: "discuss list" <discuss at communitycourtwatch.org>; "Kimberly Kranich"
: <kakranich at yahoo.com>
: Sent: Saturday, May 09, 2009 8:58 PM
: Subject: [Discuss] door to door at Gateway
:
:
: Peace and Blessings CU Citz,
:
: We are asked to gather information and talk to residents at the Gateway.
: During the meeting today we discussed meeting at 2:00 P.M. to make an
: effort to find out how we can support the residents who may be displaced
: based on the pending power shut-off that is reported to take place on
: Tuesday. We would like to have a meet-up tomorrow in the parking lot
just
: prior to our walk. I understand that tomorrow is mother's day; however,
I
: am willing to take an hour out of my mother's day festivities to see how
: we can support the families who will be affected. I hope you can too. If
: you have access to the social forum housing committee and know how to
: forward this request to them, please do so.
:
: Carol Ammons

Please read the following story on this from today's (Saturday)
News-Gazette.

R

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Gateway Studios tells residents they must move out
By Mike Monson
Saturday May 9, 2009

CHAMPAIGN - It was a Friday afternoon, generally a time for relaxing in
anticipation of the weekend.

But the residents at Gateway Studios, 1505 N. Neil St., were anything but
relaxed. Rumors began spreading Thursday that the company that owns the
downtrodden former hotel - which rents rooms by the day, week or month -
was far behind on its utility bills.

City and AmerenIP officials confirmed on Friday that those rumors are
true, that electricity will be turned off Tuesday and that residents have
mere days to get out, or face living without power.

Residents, many of whom have already paid $500 to $600 rent for the month
of May, were agitated at the prospect of becoming homeless. They were
awaiting a 5 p.m. meeting Friday with Gateway management to find out their
fate.

Among the residents was Daniel Lance, 27, who shares a hotel room with his
pregnant fiancee, Amber Gaskin, and his young son.

"My girl is pregnant with twins and I have a 2-year-old boy," said Lance.
"We've called hotels and we don't have no place to go.

"I go to work every day," he continued. "I try to provide for my family.
If I lose this, I lose about everything."

Gateway Studios is a former Holiday Inn built decades ago. Lance's room,
where Amber was resting on the bed, is a single room with a bathroom. A
wall-mounted color television, a small refrigerator and a microwave for
cooking are the amenities.

Next-door neighbor Larkin Johnson, 45, was another unhappy resident. He
has lived at Gateway for five months with his wife, Mary Sue Bennett
Johnson. He said he had paid his rent for May, $600, just a few days
before.

"I've had to take two days off of work to be here, to figure out what's
going on," he said. "I've lost money. That's not good for me or my wife.
We find us a place that's comfortable, just to find we're getting thrown
out."

Johnson said his biggest worry was the many children who live at the old
motel, and a few disabled residents.

Willie Winston, 56, has been a resident at Gateway for six months. He also
had just paid his rent and said he's worried about coming up with the cash
to pay for another apartment or hotel.

"I don't know what I'm going to do; I don't know what direction I'm
going," said Winston, who said he collects a once-a-month disability
check. He suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure and a heart
condition.

Sue Salzman, the city of Champaign's property maintenance supervisor, said
Gateway Studios owes AmerenIP more than $44,000 in gas and electricity
bills dating back several months. She said her understanding was that gas
was to be turned off Friday and electricity on Tuesday.

More than 100 people, including small children, are staying at the former
hotel in just more than 50 rented units, she said.

City officials met late Friday afternoon with Gateway Studios management
to try and make the best of a bad situation.

"We're going to identify as many resources as possible to provide
shelter," said Kevin Jackson, director of the city's Neighborhood Services
Department, afterwards. "Refunds are being processed for the majority of
residents."

The 5 p.m. meeting finally came and Rose Touchstone, a friendly woman from
Memphis, delivered the bad news to a group of about 40 residents. She
works for a property management company, Blue Castle Properties, owned by
the group of 15 to 20 investors, California residents, that now own
Gateway Studios, her husband, John Touchstone, said.

"I want you all to do whatever you can to try to find someplace to live,"
she said. "We can't let you and I don't think you want to live in a room
with no electricity, no air conditioning, no hot water. You need to dig
down deep and figure out what you're going to do."

Touchstone said she had a list of places where residents could stay for
$199 per week, and she said she was looking for cheaper options. She said
she would be there all weekend.

Johnson stood up at one point and said how worried he was about "the
babies and the disabled."

"We have many children here," said Touchstone. "We have a couple disabled
people here. That's our main concern."

Salzman said Gateway Studios will be required by the city to follow legal
procedure in evicting residents.

She said that a lack of electricity and gas are code violations and cause
for the city to condemn the building. City staff typically would then
issue a 10-day condemnation notice.

The notice would go to the property owner, with notification to occupants,
she said. The owner must then obtain eviction paperwork from court and
have residents removed from the property if they do not leave voluntarily.


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Find this article at:
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/2009/05/09/gateway_studios_tells_residents_they_must_move_out