It’s five o’clock and the sun continues its steady drift down from its vertex toward sunset. Children play in the creaking steel jungle gym. Parents stand in the shade by the barbecue grills and socialize as they watch their kids. Old folks lay down dominoes at a card table while they drink beers and share a communal bag of sunflower seeds. Dried blood is baked to the pavement in the waning daylight.
This is Peoples El Shaddai Village, an East Oak Cliff government subsidized apartment complex, lovingly called ‘Butter Beans’ by the locals. Residents are smiling, laughing, and exhibiting a strong community spirit. However, they reside at one of the most poorly maintained and managed properties in Southern Dallas, nestled in one of the most crime-addled areas of the city.
The property is managed by Monroe Group, which runs operations at Oak Cliff Section 8 apartments Fairway Village, St. James Manor, and Pythian Manor as well. While it never was exemplary, the quality of housing at these properties has sharply declined following the pandemic in 2020.
With almost 100 complaints made within the last two years at Butter Beans, recurring problems include loose dogs, pests, trespassing, utility interruptions, gas leaks, and mold. However, the true number of complaints is estimated to be far more, as this figure does not include issues reported directly to the office.
Ronessa, along with several other residents at Butter Beans, confirmed rampant violations at the complex. Among them, mold and sewer backups on the property were cited as the most severe. “We’re just as important as this next person who is paying thousands of dollars at other apartments [in town.] We still have to live here too,“ Ronessa, a resident at the property says. “If we report the problem, it’s their duty to fix it.” A leak in Ronessa’s air conditioning unit is awaiting further repair. But even worse, the leak has dripped down through the floorboards, exacerbating her downstairs neighbor’s mold issue.
Residents also cite antagonistic treatment from property managers. They commonly report necessary repairs at their apartments, only for the problems to be ignored. As issues worsen and compound, they are then cited in notices of lease violations sent by the complex. These notices often include threats of eviction, despite documented proof of the tenants attempts to facilitate repairs.
Among the most damning reports from Butter Beans are those related to issues of mold at the property. “We have all these people here living with high blood pressure and asthma,” Butter Beans resident Joyce Khanal says. “A lot are elderly. Some even have cancer. And people are feelin’ worse and worse living with this mold in their apartments. So many of us have even had to go to the hospital because of it.” Residents consistently cite mold as a common issue across complexes. But management, as with most issues, ignores it.
“They don’t repair anything,“ Butter Beans resident Mack says. “The door had gotten broken in. I had to come out of my own pocket to go out and get a new door. Had to set it up and install it myself.”
The Weekly has previously explored the obstacles faced by Code Compliance in assessing gated complexes and other multifamily housing properties for violations. But following pressure from community organizations SERUN Foundation and Clean the Block Initiative, a code officer evaluated the property on Aug. 9. According to Code Compliance Director Chris Christian, the department notified management of both exterior and interior violations. Following a subsequent evaluation on Sept. 10, Code Compliance has turned the case over to the City Attorney’s Office and Community Prosecution team.
While the last two years have yielded considerably less complaints from Fairway Village, St. James Manor, and Pythian Manor, the other Monroe Group properties are similarly a hotspot for code issues. Around 50 requests have been submitted to Code Compliance at the locations, largely consistent with problems faced by tenants of El Shaddai/Buttter Beans. Unanswered maintenance requests, lack of working air conditioning during the summer, stray dogs, and utility outages are prominent issues cited in reports. Additionally, some submissions relay troubling conditions that present a potential threat to tenants’ health and safety.
For example, reports gathered from Fairway Village and St. James Manor reference issues with roaches/mice and unanswered maintenance requests. Loose stairs at St. James Manor caused injury to a tenant last April. One shocking complaint mentions a malnourished horse being abandoned on the property in June.
Residents of Pythian Manor, a seniors-only housing complex, have reported sewer backups, gas leaks, and dead or injured animals around the complex. Roaches and bed bug infestations are commonplace. Broken or non-functioning air conditioning leaves older tenants at higher risk of heat exposure. And likewise, as seniors living at Pythian are 65 or older and predominantly Black, they are more vulnerable to health issues amidst already unsanitary conditions.
Though residents at other properties preferred to stay anonymous, they confirmed that some of these problems recur often. Namely, those related to mold, sewer backups, and broken AC.
K’Lisha P. Rutledge, a housing lawyer with Legal Aid of Northwest Texas, states that any one of the more serious issues mentioned can be sufficient cause for lawsuit. And considering that the apartments are government subsidized, the protection of its tenants is taken all the more seriously. “Tenants under federally subsidized housing like Section 8 are offered greater protections, actually. And it’s because they have property interest in that subsidy,” Rutledge says. “This is not New York, tenants in Texas don’t have as many protections. But they are still protected. And I think a lot of landlords here think their tenants don’t actually know their own rights.”
Aside from housing violations, Rutledge also states that demographics are a significant factor in how to pursue legal action. As Pythian Manor is a senior housing complex and all four of the aforementioned properties are majority Black, discrimination may play a role in poor management. “Seniors are afforded greater protections as a protected class. At any complex, subsidized or not, seniors are protected from discrimination, [especially] if they have mental or physical disabilities,” Rutledge says. “If they’re Black and Brown, those are also protected classes.”
According to nonprofit Inclusive Communities Project, 13% of multifamily units in Dallas are subsidized through Section 8. As this represents only 121 properties out of almost 900 surveyed, options are demonstrably narrow for recipients of housing assistance. And with 80% of Section 8 voucher recipients bringing in a household income of less than $20,000 a year, poverty is compounded with a poor quality of life.
With health and safety violations common at Monroe Group’s properties, groups like SERUN Foundation and Clean the Block Initiative have largely led advocacy efforts to ensure justice for tenants. But while the city government is typically keen on avoiding conflict with owners despite consistent violations, tenants and neighbors are hoping for a quicker solution to the issues through legal action.
Community values, however, are held near and dear to the hearts of Butter Beans residents. Residents maintain friendly relationships with their neighbors. And despite fears that their grievances will be ignored once again, tenants maintain hope that Monroe Group will be held accountable for its illegal practices as property manager.
Monroe Group did not respond to requests for comment.