AMIGOS DEL VALLE HITS SENIORS WITH $864 RENT HIKE

By Juan Montoya

What if your landlord suddenly told you that he was raising your rent for your one-bedroom apartment by $72?

And what if you were a retired senior citizen and was struggling each month to make ends meet between buying medications, food and other necessities. At $72 more per month that's $864 more per year that you would be required to ante up if you want to stay in one of the two Amigos del Valle complexes in Brownsville and seven other complexes across the Rio Grande Valley.

That is not sitting well with some seniors who are now petitioning the members of the Amigos del Valle board of directors to nix the request by Amigos del Valle area director Maria E. Garza.

They complain that the hike increase will affect them negatively since they are all on a fixed income.

According to the letter notifying the tenants of the proposed maximum allowable increase, it will be up to the ADV board of directors to decide whether to grant the proposal and impose the higher rent on the elderly tenants.

"That amount is out of touch and excessive for all senior citizens here in the Rio Grande Valley," one wrote. "We need help to prevent this increase or at least to lower the amount."

To that end, a group of seniors have gone public with their concerns and with what they say is a lack of responsible spending at the corporation.

They point to the lack of ramps on sidewalks at the complexes that make it difficult for seniors using walkers to navigate through the complex.

They also say that ADV has "refused to install handicapped hardware in their bathrooms and refuse to build ramps on their sidewalks to help senior citizens walk on their sidewalks. Tenants with wheelchairs or walker have to walk on the streets among the traffic."

Instead, they say that the staff has splurged on luxuries for themselves that make their request for a rent hike highly questionable
"Amigos Del Valle does not need any increases as they purchase items not related to their businesses such as tablets, very large LCD tvs, surveillance cameras on every property, golf carts and expensive vehicle and other unessential items," wrote another. 

"Tenants with wheelchairs are unable to walk on the sidewalk and if they get on the street they face the speed bumps," added another. "Some have already fallen. This occurs almost on a daily basis."   

City commissioner John Villarreal is on the board of directors and will have a vote on whether to raise the rent.

The seniors hope that he will move to either vote against the rent hike or reduce it drastically. 

"They should fix the complexes and provide all of the bathrooms with equipment to comply with the ADA (American with Disabilities Act)," wrote another.

If approved, the higher rents would kick in February 2017, the letter sent the tenants states. The proposal also includes a $53 raise on efficiency apartments.

Commissioner Villarreal's contact information is: 

john.villarreal@cob.usPhone: (956) 459-8945 Fax: (956) 546-1635