HUD monies being used to displace Disabled Seniors - take away their homes

Submitted by lmcshane on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 09:13.

 

Above photo is Mr Santos - who is being harassed by City of Cleveland through the fake CDC SCFBC (Stockyard Clark Fulton Brooklyn Centre) - 400 homes in the eastern portion of Brooklyn Centre received code enforcement letters w/deadline for improvements in May 2015.  No one from this fake CDC office has offered to help this senior meet compliance.  

He is work disabled since 1989 (chemical induced palsy and diabetes), and his wife is severely disabled-wheel chair-bound.  Residents contact me, because they know I can tell their story - I have another disabled senior taking care of her disabled 80+ mother in her home - who has also received this letter and no offer of assistance.  I helped Mr. Santos qualify for Homestead - which he was entitled to in 1989 - no one from any CDC ever offered to help Mr. Santos with this simple application.  Code enforcement against Mr. Santos is HUD fraud, because this CDC - has no neighborhood residents as voting members of their board.  I am contacting HUD today to report how this CDC is promoting a real estate agenda for rich investors and not representing residents of Brooklyn Centre.

A few years back, Brian Cummins was council person for Brooklyn Centre, then part of it was annexed off to Joe Cimperman, and redistricted again, most recently to Anthony Brancatelli.   Brian Cummins had been Old Brooklyn CDC director at one time - the Community Development Corporation tasked with providing services to the Old Brooklyn-Brooklyn Centre neighborhoods.

Cummins had a fall out with Kevin Kelley - and broke away from the Old Brooklyn CDC starting his own housing program under Brooklyn Centre Community Association with one staff person Debra Zeleny (this was most likely illegal under federal laws, too).  When Cummins was redistricted again, assuming two large neighborhoods previously served by Joe Santiago - he then aligned himself with Matt Zone and they created a sub-CDC under mega-CDC Detroit Shoreway Development Corporation.  This CDC has no resident representation - it apparently operates at the behest of developers who have some speculation on the real estate in Brooklyn Centre.  Brancatelli took funds he would have allocated to Old Brooklyn Community Development Corp and allocated to this fake CDC - Stockyard, Clark-Fulton, Brooklyn Centre.

Hopefully, Mr. Santos will not face the same tyranny that demo'd Frank Giglio's house.  I will update soon.

Poor Mr. Santos - doesn't live across from Brian Cummin's family

(SCROLL UP for photo of Mr. Santos)

 

To bad Mr. Santos - doesn't live across from Councilman Brian Cummins  - today Sat 8/29/2015 crew from Middleburg Ministries and City of Cleveland Water Dept were working on this eyesore across from the house owned by Cummin's mother-in-law on Mapledale.

PARCEL ID 015-20-092
OWNERS NAME NGEMBA, MAYELE
ADDRESS 03202 MAPLEDALE AVE
CITY CLEVELAND
ZIP
44109

 The owner of the house apparently goes to the Middleburg Heights church - and it is great that the church is helping this person out - but one has to wonder whether s/he has been hauled into Housing Court and sent harassment letters from Cummins' bogus CDC Stockyard, Clark-Fulton, Brooklyn Centre, like poor Mr. Santos and other seniors ???  Did she (or the church) REALLY pay for the dumpster from the City of Cleveland??  And, what a coincidence that City of Cleveland Water Dept crew was out TODAY (!) Saturday to make sure that this project would have water!!! (House has been abandoned since 2013 - it's a double address 3202 and 3204 Mapledale)

 

Kerry McCormack - READ THIS

 

 

I will be sending Kerry McCormack an email. Ms. Brown qualifies for the Homestead Exemption. Why is she not availing herself? When former Councilman Brian Cummins' and his staff harrassed a disabled senior and his wife - to get his property adjacent to a NRP property, I filed the Homestead paperwork. The councilman and his aide did not help me. I could not go through the exhausting Board of Revision appeal for this couple, but it helped them keep their house. SHAME on Kerry McCormack and his ghost boss Joe Cimperman.

 

Chuck Hoven clarified - Ms. Brown does get the Homestead, but here's the problem: For non Veterans the Homestead Exemption only applies to the first $25,000 in property value. For extremely low income residents this becomes a problem when their property values nearly double.

For example, if a person's house was valued at $38,000. They would be paying property tax on only $13,000 of that value. If the value of the property doubles to $76,000, the person is now paying property tax on $51,000 of that value. For a person living on a Social Security check of just over Six hundred a month -- the increase in property tax causes a substantial hit on their limited resources.
Chuck Hoven Plain Press

Detroit Shoreway pioneered harassment through code enforcement

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General has received your recent complaint(s). We will review all the information carefully and determine the most appropriate course of action.

 

Please visit our website (www.hudoig.gov) for more information on fraud prevention and reporting fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement in HUD programs.

 

Thank you.

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From FB:A similar tactic was used 15 - 20 years ago in the Detroit Shoreway Area where Cleveland would harass, cite and condemned property to take over by eminent domain and then give to over developers. It was so successful that nearby Lakewood tried it - and failed.

 

 

http://www.sfgate.com/realestate/article/Tax-poor-Cleveland-suburb-puts-eminent-domain-to-2606352.php

 

Turns out Detroit Shoreway pioneered the tactic...

Kris Harsh

The CDC employee who sent obnoxious, fake "code enforcement" letters to Mr. Santos and others - was none other than Kris Harsh.  His behavior then and now is indicative of how City of Cleveland DOES nothing to help struggling homeowners and, instead - caters to developers - in the case of Foster Pointe (senior living) the developer capitalizing on Low Income Tax Credits was NRP.  https://www.fosterpointesenior.com/

For years after this original post in 2015 - Foster Pointe was plagued by poor management, rampant drugs, entire families squatting w/their senior relatives and sewer gas (predicted since the Denison interceptor was not sized to to take on this housing).

 

Since retiring, I don't have interaction with current Foster Pointe residents, but the situation seems calmer.  Happily, Mr. Santos prevailed over Krish Harsh.