Santa Clara Seniors in Unsafe Housing Conditions

Have you heard of the Agrihood Sustainable Community? It's a senior affordable housing complex at 76 N. Winchester Blvd. in Santa Clara and had its grand opening less than two years ago. Unfortunately, things haven’t gone smoothly since then. Over the past six months, many residents have reported respiratory issues. It turns out there was a fire at the complex last year, and it might not have been properly cleaned up.  More recently, residents have been dealing with serious sanitation issues—overflowing garbage bins and even rats.

Despite repeated complaints, the property management company, John Stewart Company, has failed to take timely action. Eventually, residents had to take matters into their own hands. They reached out to Breathe California, a nonprofit that provides free indoor air assessments. Oddly, before the assessment could take place, maintenance workers removed all the air filters, but one resident managed to snap a photo beforehand, and some filters were completely black. Some serious CYOA stuff here.

Thanks to their persistence, some residents were finally able to get Santa Clara’s code enforcement involved, which pushed management to start addressing the issues.

I know this may seem unrelated, but it’s a good reminder: If you’re renting (or have someone in a care facility), always protect yourself. Keep records, report issues in writing, and don’t hesitate to use city resources if your concerns aren’t being addressed. Not all property managers are proactive, and your health and safety should never be compromised.

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