Hundreds of older Philadelphians are facing imminent homelessness because of mismanagement by the owners of a senior housing project in the city.
Update – June 20, 2024
Today, SeniorLAW Center joined tenants of Brith Sholom House in Wynnefield Heights outside the deteriorating building to renew their calls for the city of Philadelphia to step in and save Brith Sholom House. These calls come after a key building investor pled guilty to a complex mortgage fraud conspiracy. At the press conference, the tenants voice their concerns for the abhorrent conditions that they’ve been experiencing. The corporate owners of Brith Sholom have neglected to maintain the habitability of the complex racking up hundreds of serious L&I citations and failing to pay years’ worth of utility bills.
In the clip above, one of the tenants compared the residents’ treatment to slavery and described how the conditions so gravely affects them. “It is time for us to stand up…we’re constantly being told that our gas is going to be shut off,” said Ms. Gail Peddle, resident at Brith Sholom House and retired Philadelphia School District teacher of more than thirty years. Gail later adds: “This is supposed to be our golden years; we’re supposed to be able to live in peace.”
We believe that the City of Philadelphia must ensure that this crucial affordable senior housing complex is preserved so the older residents avoid homelessness and that Brith Sholom will remain an affordable complex for future older tenants.
On Monday, one of the building investors pled guilty to a multi-year mortgage fraud conspiracy that crossed state lines to fraudulently acquire multifamily and commercial properties. Though Brith Sholom was not named in public court documents, the nonprofit entity, JPC Charities, was named as a part of the conspiracy. In its most recent tax filing, JPC Charities claimed $2.4 million in revenue from Brith Sholom House for 2022. Read more about the investor’s ties to Brith Sholom and the dismal conditions the tenants are facing from our partners at the Public Interest Law Center.
Update – May 14, 2024
On Tuesday, May 14, we spoke at the Tenant Union’s rally at City Hall calling on the city to save Brith Sholom. We stand with the older tenants of Brith Sholom who are so boldly and bravely advocating for themselves in the face of abhorrent treatment from building management.
May 9, 2024
Brith Sholom House is a large building with 360 desperately needed affordable senior housing units, with nearly 200 currently occupied. Right now, though the building was deemed habitable, there are hundreds of violations from the Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I). Parts of the building have structural issues, residents are locked out of many building common areas, and there are patches of mold all over the building from leaks. Individual tenants have units with leaks, plumbing issues, and infestations. The owner of the property is facing foreclosure.
Most recently, the property management has told all the tenants that they will all be forced out of their homes without a court order because the owner has not paid the utility bills for over a year. Additionally, the Receiver, who is now effectively the property management, has shared their intention to empty the building. We are afraid that if nothing is done the building will be shut down, forcing more than 150 older residents, many with disabilities, to find alternative housing.
SeniorLAW Center has provided legal advice and referrals to older Brith Sholom tenants for the past several years as they have faced a rapidly changing legal environment while the building owners have been through rounds of litigation. Currently, we are coordinating with a number of key stakeholders to work towards ensuring that the older residents there are able to maintain their housing, that the building is appropriately repaired, and that the landlord is held accountable for their numerous bad acts, including threatening to illegally evict the residents by refusing to pay utility bills. Most importantly, we support the Brith Sholom Tenants’ Council & Tenants Union in their calls to the city to have L&I make the necessary repairs and to support a Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) acquisition of the Property.
We, in conjunction with our partners at the Public Interest Law Center, believe that the City of Philadelphia must ensure that this crucial affordable senior housing complex is preserved so the older residents avoid homelessness and that Brith Sholom will remain an affordable complex for future older tenants.