Post by TomLine on Mar 5, 2019 9:38:34 GMT -5
HOUSING (SECTION 8) UPDATE
by Tom Lineaweaver
by Tom Lineaweaver
As of February 28, 2019, my Section 8 has been terminated. That's all thanks to Joseph Turner, Property Manager at Washington Court Apartments.
It all started with my battle with Joseph Turner about mold. See about that here - ourlifebook.freeforums.net/thread/486/battle-mold-washington-court-apartments
There was a Section 8 inspection on May 2, 2018. I don't remember what it was, but something needed repaired, and Joseph Turner refused to fix anything. That led to problems with Section 8. I wrote about that here - ourlifebook.freeforums.net/thread/500/donald-trump-trying-silence-me
There was a time my health problems were really bad that I thought I was going to die. In other words, I thought the actions of the landlord, and their Property Manager, Joseph Turner, was going to kill me. You can read about that here - ourlifebook.freeforums.net/thread/505/killing-me
Then I wrote an update of my problems with Section 8 here - ourlifebook.freeforums.net/thread/504/problems-section-8
So, now I find out that my Section 8 has been terminated as of February 28th. All because of Joseph Turner.
Let me recap a few things. After moving in here, I started having health problems, far worse than I have had up to that point. I became convinced that these health problems were environmental. It was in February 2018 I discovered mold, and it looked like it was painted over. So, yes I complained to the Property Manager, Joseph Turner. He just ignored it.
On May 2nd, there was a Section 8 inspection, and apparently Joseph Turner was told about repairs that needed to be made. The repairs were not made, and I believe that was on purpose. You see, he tried to get rid of me without cause. He was unsuccessful, so he went about creating that cause. He once told me he has done property management for a long time. So he likely knew that if he didn't do those repairs, Section 8 would stop making payments on my behalf. And that's what happened. But I didn't know Section 8 stopped payments till after he filed a case with the District Magistrate for back rent. I have been paying my portion of the rent. Well, that case was dismissed.
Then he tried it again, only this time he had a lawyer. Well, I can't afford a lawyer, and the Lebanon Office of Mid-Penn Legal Services is a joke. I'll explain that some day. So I went to the hearing with out a lawyer. I did a Commentary about this hearing. You can hear it here -
Well, I researched this thing called supersedeas. Found that I can file a hardship waiver, so I did, and I was able to appeal. That appeal included something called "Praecipe to enter rule to file Complaint and rule to file." That instructs the apellee (Washington Court Apartments) to file a complaint within 20 days. Well, their lawyer filed a complaint on February 25th, long after 20 days. Now I have 20 days to file an answer, which I will do.
So, there you have an update of my housing problems. If only I could afford an attorney, not for this appeal, but to sue Joseph Turner. He is responsible for the mess I'm in.
I contacted the Office of Senator Casey, and they did nothing. I contacted the office of Representative Dan Meuser. They looked into it. This is what she forwarded to me -
Sent: Monday, March 4, 2019 2:18 PM
To: Ludwig, Karen <Karen.Ludwig@mail.house.gov>
Subject: RE: Constituent Inquiry Lineaweaver - Section 8 Housing
Karen
As of February 9th Mr. Lineaweaver’s participation in the Section 8 program was terminated. In case you aren’t familiar with the workings of Section 8 let me give you a quick overview:
Participants in the program receive a voucher that allows them to rent a private market apartment (subject to various requirements, including the dwelling passing an annual inspection).
Landlord participation in the Section 8 program is voluntary in Pennsylvania. There is no legal requirement that any landlord must accept a Section 8 voucher. If a landlord does agree to rent to a Section 8 participant, the initial lease term is one year. The lease then renews on a month to month basis and may be terminated by either party with 30 days’ notice.
On May 2, 2018 we went to Mr. Lineaweaver’s apartment to conduct the required annual dwelling inspection. At first Mr. Lineaweaver refuse our inspector entry into his apartment. But after considerable “coaxing” he finally agreed to allow us to perform the required inspection.
That inspection noted several minor deficiencies to the apartment and the landlord was given 30 days to complete the repairs as provided by law. The repairs were not completed because Mr. Lineaweaver would not allow the landlord’s maintenance staff entry into his apartment to do the work. We extended the repair deadline, but ultimately we were required to terminate the Section 8 contract on July 31, 2018, since the apartment did not meet the required standards.
When Mr. Lineaweaver refused to allow the workman entry into his apartment, his landlord issued him a 30 day notice of nonrenewal of his lease (as permitted by the lease and Section 8 regulations). On June 14th one of my staff members had a long discussion with Mr. Lineaweaver, encouraging him to accept a new Section 8 voucher so he could look for another apartment to rent. However, during that conversation Mr. Lineaweaver was extremely rude, called our caseworker “a xxxx” and refused to accept a voucher, indicating that he refused to move from his apartment and no one could make him do so. In the late fall of 2018 Mr. Lineaweaver’s landlord began legal proceedings to regain possession of the apartment.
On September 16th I received a phone call from Mr. Lineaweaver demanding to know why I was making him homeless. I explained to him that the only reason he was facing homelessness was because of his refusal to accept a new Section 8 voucher and find another apartment. Essentially Mr. Lineaweaver stated that it was illegal for his landlord to refuse to renew his lease and that he couldn’t be evicted if he didn’t have someplace else to go. I encouraged Mr. Lineaweaver to contact Legal Aid for assistance concerning the eviction. But I also explained to him that no landlord was forced to rent to any particular tenant once a lease had expired. And I again strongly encouraged Mr. Lineaweaver to accept a new voucher and look for another apartment. He said there were not any available one bedroom apartments in Lebanon. I reminded him that he could use the portability provisions of the Section 8 program and he could expand his search to adjacent counties such as Lancaster, Berks, Dauphin, etc. We ended the conversation with him once again stating that he wasn’t moving and no one could force him out.
Finally on October 11th Mr. Lineaweaver contact our Section 8 program director Kim Rittle requesting that we issue him a voucher so he could look for an apartment. We issued him a voucher that same day, with a 90 day expiration period of January 9, 2019 (as required by law). However, it took until October 26th for Mr. Lineaweaver to actually sign and accept the voucher.
During that same time Mr. Lineaweaver’s landlord was continuing to pursue legal action for possession of the apartment. On December 20, 2018 the court issued a judgement for possession of the dwelling to the landlord. Also included in the court judgement were monetary damages for unpaid rent and costs in the amount of $2,147.29.
Shortly after the December 20th judgment, Mr. Lineaweaver again contacted our office indicating he could not find another apartment to rent and he requested an extension for his voucher. Under federal law we are permitted to grant an additional 30 day extension. We granted the extension, with a new voucher expiration date of February 8, 2019.
As of February 8th Mr. Lineaweaver apparently had still not located another apartment (and it is questionable if he actually made a serious attempt to do so). A total of 120 days is the maximum time period federal law allows for a Section 8 participant to utilize their voucher. Therefor on February 9th we had no choice but to terminated Mr. Lineaweaver from the Section 8 program. We reissued his now unused voucher to one of the over 7,000 applicants on our Section 8 waiting list.
Essentially Mr. Lineaweaver had from the date his apartment failed the inspection on May 2, 2018, until his voucher finally expired on February 8, 2019. A total of nine months to find another apartment to rent using his voucher. At this point I am uncertain what anyone can do to assist him. Neither our agency or HUD has the legal authority to essentially reissue him a new voucher. And frankly even if we could issue him another voucher, I am not sure what good that would do, since he would still need to find an apartment to rent (which he has been unwilling to do as I previously noted, since last spring). I believe his landlord contacted one of my staff and indicated that Mr. Lineaweaver is attempting to appeal the court judgment for possession of the dwelling.
We have given him the most liberally interpretation of the Section 8 regulations possible, in an attempt to help him. But it goes without saying that our business is to help folks and we truly do not want to take away someone’s rental assistance if it is at all avoidable.
Executive Director, Lebanon County Housing Authority
CEO, Brick Property Services
P.O. Box 420, Lebanon, PA 17042
To: Ludwig, Karen <Karen.Ludwig@mail.house.gov>
Subject: RE: Constituent Inquiry Lineaweaver - Section 8 Housing
Karen
As of February 9th Mr. Lineaweaver’s participation in the Section 8 program was terminated. In case you aren’t familiar with the workings of Section 8 let me give you a quick overview:
Participants in the program receive a voucher that allows them to rent a private market apartment (subject to various requirements, including the dwelling passing an annual inspection).
Landlord participation in the Section 8 program is voluntary in Pennsylvania. There is no legal requirement that any landlord must accept a Section 8 voucher. If a landlord does agree to rent to a Section 8 participant, the initial lease term is one year. The lease then renews on a month to month basis and may be terminated by either party with 30 days’ notice.
On May 2, 2018 we went to Mr. Lineaweaver’s apartment to conduct the required annual dwelling inspection. At first Mr. Lineaweaver refuse our inspector entry into his apartment. But after considerable “coaxing” he finally agreed to allow us to perform the required inspection.
That inspection noted several minor deficiencies to the apartment and the landlord was given 30 days to complete the repairs as provided by law. The repairs were not completed because Mr. Lineaweaver would not allow the landlord’s maintenance staff entry into his apartment to do the work. We extended the repair deadline, but ultimately we were required to terminate the Section 8 contract on July 31, 2018, since the apartment did not meet the required standards.
When Mr. Lineaweaver refused to allow the workman entry into his apartment, his landlord issued him a 30 day notice of nonrenewal of his lease (as permitted by the lease and Section 8 regulations). On June 14th one of my staff members had a long discussion with Mr. Lineaweaver, encouraging him to accept a new Section 8 voucher so he could look for another apartment to rent. However, during that conversation Mr. Lineaweaver was extremely rude, called our caseworker “a xxxx” and refused to accept a voucher, indicating that he refused to move from his apartment and no one could make him do so. In the late fall of 2018 Mr. Lineaweaver’s landlord began legal proceedings to regain possession of the apartment.
On September 16th I received a phone call from Mr. Lineaweaver demanding to know why I was making him homeless. I explained to him that the only reason he was facing homelessness was because of his refusal to accept a new Section 8 voucher and find another apartment. Essentially Mr. Lineaweaver stated that it was illegal for his landlord to refuse to renew his lease and that he couldn’t be evicted if he didn’t have someplace else to go. I encouraged Mr. Lineaweaver to contact Legal Aid for assistance concerning the eviction. But I also explained to him that no landlord was forced to rent to any particular tenant once a lease had expired. And I again strongly encouraged Mr. Lineaweaver to accept a new voucher and look for another apartment. He said there were not any available one bedroom apartments in Lebanon. I reminded him that he could use the portability provisions of the Section 8 program and he could expand his search to adjacent counties such as Lancaster, Berks, Dauphin, etc. We ended the conversation with him once again stating that he wasn’t moving and no one could force him out.
Finally on October 11th Mr. Lineaweaver contact our Section 8 program director Kim Rittle requesting that we issue him a voucher so he could look for an apartment. We issued him a voucher that same day, with a 90 day expiration period of January 9, 2019 (as required by law). However, it took until October 26th for Mr. Lineaweaver to actually sign and accept the voucher.
During that same time Mr. Lineaweaver’s landlord was continuing to pursue legal action for possession of the apartment. On December 20, 2018 the court issued a judgement for possession of the dwelling to the landlord. Also included in the court judgement were monetary damages for unpaid rent and costs in the amount of $2,147.29.
Shortly after the December 20th judgment, Mr. Lineaweaver again contacted our office indicating he could not find another apartment to rent and he requested an extension for his voucher. Under federal law we are permitted to grant an additional 30 day extension. We granted the extension, with a new voucher expiration date of February 8, 2019.
As of February 8th Mr. Lineaweaver apparently had still not located another apartment (and it is questionable if he actually made a serious attempt to do so). A total of 120 days is the maximum time period federal law allows for a Section 8 participant to utilize their voucher. Therefor on February 9th we had no choice but to terminated Mr. Lineaweaver from the Section 8 program. We reissued his now unused voucher to one of the over 7,000 applicants on our Section 8 waiting list.
Essentially Mr. Lineaweaver had from the date his apartment failed the inspection on May 2, 2018, until his voucher finally expired on February 8, 2019. A total of nine months to find another apartment to rent using his voucher. At this point I am uncertain what anyone can do to assist him. Neither our agency or HUD has the legal authority to essentially reissue him a new voucher. And frankly even if we could issue him another voucher, I am not sure what good that would do, since he would still need to find an apartment to rent (which he has been unwilling to do as I previously noted, since last spring). I believe his landlord contacted one of my staff and indicated that Mr. Lineaweaver is attempting to appeal the court judgment for possession of the dwelling.
We have given him the most liberally interpretation of the Section 8 regulations possible, in an attempt to help him. But it goes without saying that our business is to help folks and we truly do not want to take away someone’s rental assistance if it is at all avoidable.
Executive Director, Lebanon County Housing Authority
CEO, Brick Property Services
P.O. Box 420, Lebanon, PA 17042
WHAT A PACK OF LIES
"On May 2, 2018 we went to Mr. Lineaweaver’s apartment to conduct the required annual dwelling inspection. At first Mr. Lineaweaver refuse our inspector entry into his apartment. But after considerable “coaxing” he finally agreed to allow us to perform the required inspection. " This never happened. I never refused inspections. There was no coaxing. Sometimes I would call and ask for a different time because I would not be available, but I never refused that inspection.
"That inspection noted several minor deficiencies to the apartment and the landlord was given 30 days to complete the repairs as provided by law. The repairs were not completed because Mr. Lineaweaver would not allow the landlord’s maintenance staff entry into his apartment to do the work. We extended the repair deadline, but ultimately we were required to terminate the Section 8 contract on July 31, 2018, since the apartment did not meet the required standards." Another lie. The only thing I told them is that I'm sick and I need my rest. So, I said I would rest in the morning, and the workers can come in the afternoon.
"Shortly after the December 20th judgment, Mr. Lineaweaver again contacted our office indicating he could not find another apartment to rent and he requested an extension for his voucher. Under federal law we are permitted to grant an additional 30 day extension. We granted the extension, with a new voucher expiration date of February 8, 2019." This is not true either. I did the application for a new voucher, and the extension at the same time.
"As of February 8th Mr. Lineaweaver apparently had still not located another apartment (and it is questionable if he actually made a serious attempt to do so)." Here they are trying to say that I really didn't try to look for an apartment. Well, but no Section 8 one bedroom apartments were available. I looked on the internet, I looked at the Merchandiser. I made phone calls, and even went to look at a couple. But, because of my health problems I was looking for something on the first floor. There just were none available. There were two bedroom apartments available. But I was only allowed one bedroom per Section 8 regulations.
"We ended the conversation with him once again stating that he wasn’t moving and no one could force him out. " This is not true either. I have stated many times that if I could I would get out of this place. But, I'm in ill health, which I can prove, and moving without any help is a tremendous hardship.
Between Joseph Turner, the Property Manager, and the people in the office of Lebanon Country Housing Authority, they just don't care about my health problems. I have been told I have congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation. I have been having a problem with fluid retention, which almost killed me. I went to the hospital when I had a hard time breathing, and they said my lungs were filling up with fluid. They gave me a potent diuretic, and it came out. But I still have swollen feet and ankles to the point it's hard to put shoes on. But no one seems to care. This is why I said these people are trying to kill me. The stress they are putting me under is making my health problems worse. Even now, I feel a fluttering in my chest.
I'm telling you, if these people are allowed to, they are going to kill me. Obviously neither Senator Casey or Representative Meuser cares. Some of my friends care, but don't know what to do. Then other friends that don't seem to care.
Now that I don't have Section 8, what am I supposed to do? Without Section 8 I can't afford rent anywhere. So now, I can't move out of here. I have no choice, I have to fight, or be homeless, and with my health problems, that will kill me. This wouldn't be a problem if the local churches followed the teachings of Christ.
