Menu
  • Home
  • Breaking News
  • Feature
    • Arts
    • Astrology
    • Business
    • Community
    • Employment
    • Event Stories
    • From the Pioneer
    • Government
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Non Profit News
    • Obituary
    • Public Safety
  • Weather
  • Guest Column
    • Perspectives
    • Don Backman Photos
    • Ardent Gourmet
    • Kitchen Maven
    • I’ve been thinking
    • Jim Heffernan
    • The Littoral Life
    • Neal Lemery
    • View From Here
    • Virginia Carrell Prowell
    • Words of Wisdom
  • Calendar
  • Things to do
    • Tillamook County Parks
    • Tillamook County Hikes
    • Whale Watching
    • Tillamook County Library
  • About
    • Contribute
    • Advertising
    • Subscribe
  • Search...
Menu

OP/ED: Letter to State Representative about Housing & Accessibility

Posted on March 26, 2023 by Editor

By LaNicia Duke
Here’s an email I just sent to my new (to me) State Representative regarding housing and accessibility. Fortunately she’s also on the housing committee. I did edit some personal details.

My name is LaNicia Duke. I am one of the newest residents to the community. I just signed my lease on March 15th. I wanted to share my experience with you since you are a champion of housing A little about me: I am the founder and CEO of the Black Rural Network. My income is $xx000/year. I do not have health insurance. I consider myself part of the population in our communities that aren’t “low income” but don’t earn enough to own a home. I applied for an apartment listing I found on Zillow. It is through a Property Management company. When I took a tour of the property, the actual unit was unavailable for me to see so I was shown a unit that is still being completed by the builder.
My first issue is that I had to sign a 29 page lease with a 17 page maintenance agreement for a two bedroom apartment. Normally I would have been required to sign the lease in 24 hours, or it would have been given to the next person in line. Thankfully for me here wasn’t another person in que so I asked for 48 hours. I sent the lease to 4 of my colleagues across the state to help me decipher if the lease was putting me at great risk because of how much language it included that was specific to home rentals but I had to sign it even for an apartment rental. I did send an email to the property management company asking them to confirm the things that were not applicable to me, which they did.

Next, when I did go to pick my keys up and was shown the unit I would be moving into, it was then I was told it was an ADA unit. It has handle bars in the bathroom and lower countertops and light switches to accommodate someone in a wheelchair. I asked about the laws around ADA rentals, and my current mayor told me current Oregon Buildings Code does not require full ADA accessibility. They also do not require marketing of ADA units. I believe this allows a hidden component of ableism. If builders are required to build ADA units, wouldn’t we want these units to go to those who need them? Instead, with deceptive business practices, I was leased an ADA unit with no prior knowledge because the property management company has no obligation to disclose or market as such. Access is being denied to some who oftentimes need it most I would be more than happy to continue this conversation or learn more how I could help advocate in this space. I have also cc’d Senators Wyden’s and Merkley’s office.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
#housingaccessibilty#housingcrisis
#housingjustice
#ableism

Featured Video

Tillamook Weather

Tides

Podcast

Tillamook Early Learning Center
Tides of Change
Manzanita Open - Eugene Schmuck Foundation
Tillamook Police Chief Rau
Manzanita Farmers Market
CARE 2022

Archives

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on pinterest
Pinterest
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on linkedin
Linkedin

Spring Safety

Recent Posts

  • TILLAMOOK PUD: 2023 SOUTH TILLAMOOK COUNTY VOLTAGE CONVERSION PROJECT

    June 5, 2023
  • THE OCEANSIDER: Short Term Rental Hearing - Opening Salvos; More Development News

    June 5, 2023
  • A Silent Stage: The Unprecedented Absence of Presidential Debates in 2024

    June 5, 2023
editor (@) tillamookcountypioneer.net
MAILING ADDRESS:
Tillamook County Pioneer
PO Box 1086,
Tillamook, OR 97141
EULA
©2023 | Theme by SuperbThemes