Eagle Watch Estates residents allege mistreatment, HUD investigating (2024)

Residents at an affordable housing complex for disabled people demanded better living conditions on Thursday, citing broken elevators, loss of heat and general dilapidation of the federally funded living quarters.

Six residents and other advocates of Eagle Watch Estates called a press conference on the third floor of their complex off of Burton Street to ask for safer, more accessible options, while also calling out public officials for not taking action.

"This building is meant to be ideal, accessible housing," Missoula Tenants Union organizerJune Mlsnasaid at the press conference. "For years now, residents have instead been experiencing deteriorating conditions, leading to not only unsafe daily living conditions, but a maintenance emergency."

That maintenance emergency mentioned by Mlsna was a loss of heat for more than four days at the building on Jan. 14, when the low in Missoula reached -15 degrees, according to National Weather Service data.

Residents said they could not get hold of the property management company that day, and some were stuck inside the building with no heat or water. Others had to transport themselves through friends or Ubers to local hotels.

After that, the tenants at Eagle Watch Estates formed a tenants union through the Missoula Tenants Union. The group of residents want three things: better communication, maintenance and general safety.

The building is owned and operated by Accessible Space Inc., a Minnesota-based property management company for affordable and disabled housing. The Bruce Blattner apartments, also owned by ASI, sit across the parking lot.

Ken Berry, the president of ASI, told the Missoulian in a phone call from Minnesota that the operation was started by ASI decades ago. He said the organization is working to meet the demands of the tenants, but some issues, like a caretaker for the property, have been hard to resolve.

"As a nonprofit owner and manager of the property, we have skin in the game here," Berry said, noting hisorganization originally built the complex.

There has been no permanent caretaker for the property since 2022, both ASI and the tenants confirmed Thursday. One caretaker worked at the building for three weeks in February, but quit.

Berry said residents were rude to the man who quit, while residents said the man quit because of the high level of work required. The job involves both caretaker and maintenance duties, which requires being on call 24 hours a day.

The Eagle Watch Estates complex has 24 federally subsidized apartments. Officials at the federal Office of Housing and Urban Development told the Missoulian they are investigating the complaints.

"The safety and security of residents in assisted housing properties is a top priority for HUD," a spokesperson said in an email to the Missoulian. "We are aware of the heating issues resolved earlier this year at the property and are making inquiries with the property owner and management to understand what other challenges residents may be experiencing."

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester's representative was present at the Thursday press conference. Tester forwarded the Eagle Watch Estates issue to HUD, Tester's office confirmed to the Missoulian.

Tenants speak out

At the Thursday press conference, several tenants gave their demands to ASI. Barb Winslow, a tenant of the building for more than three years, said issues such as a hole in her ceiling have been reported with no response.

"Over and over again ASI has been made aware of problems and then later claim they had no idea," Winslow said. "ASI maintenance supervisors have been inside all of the units at Eagle Watch Estates, so how can they pretend not to know?"

Ron Schindler, a resident of the building for 14 years, said the elevator would often break down at random periods, stranding the man in the lobby since he lives on the third floor. Schindler uses an electric wheelchair.

"Not taking care of these elevator services is a matter of human dignity," Schindler said at the press conference.

Other concerns are the security of the building. Residents said that homeless people can often get in and sleep inside the hallways. Resident Troy Van Horn said the tenants have been assaulted both in and outside of the building.

"Most of our residents here at Eagle Watch get around in wheelchairs, or they are disabled," Van Horn said. "That makes us quite vulnerable for assaults and attacks."

The tenants asked ASI to put a fenced perimeter around the building.

The tenants also contend the management of the apartment complex has no clear line of communication. That especially failed during the January cold snap, when no one from ASI returned the tenants' calls for hours.

The tenants said in an April 15 letter that they want a 24-hour call line in case of emergencies, a full-time contractor to work on the building and guaranteed security of the building, including by placing a fence around the property.

Berry, the president of ASI, said the elevator was replaced within the last five years. Sometimes the elevator does break down, but he said ASI has a service agreement to bring an operator to fix the issue as soon as possible.

Berry also agreed that the security of the building needs to be improved, and the company will consider a fence or other permanent barriers.

Speakers at the Thursday press conference said they wanted to see more action.

"ASI is claiming they don't know about the many ongoing issues," Schindler's daughter, Michelle French, said. "This is why residents organized and came together to write a detailed letter stating their complaints, concerns and maintenance needs. Their letter went unanswered by ASI. And in my opinion, no response is a response."

Earlier in the day, the Missoulian observed a waste removal service to remove furniture items from an apartment.Chairs and couch cushions sat outside the building waiting to be hauled away by a contractor.

Three employees from ASI visited Missoula from Helena and other parts of the Rocky Mountains, a manager at the site confirmed to the Missoulian. Berry said the group was there to do annual room assessments and address work orders. He added that a new full-time caretaker for the complex will start at Eagle Watch Estates on June 18.

French, whose father has lived at Eagle Watch for 14 years, said the number of employees on Thursday was unusual.

"This week there has been more ASI employees on property than I have personally seen," French said.