The 234 Apartment

David Engberg wheels through the third apartment he’s had in two years. PHOTO BY KARLOS RENE AYALA David Engberg and James Clark cling to their independence by a thread. Both men were born with cerebral palsy and live off Supplemental Security Income , or SSI—a stipend that puts them under the federal poverty line . So far, they’ve managed to keep a roof over their heads by splitting the cost of rent. But since the affordable housing crisis hit , the roommates have been priced out of two apartments in just two years. The stressful shuffling was witnessed by Jennifer Schmidt, their case manager at InAlliance, a nonprofit that provides employment and living services for people with disabilities. Advocates such as Schmidt are becoming increasingly alarmed by the way skyrocketing rents are affecting Sacramento County ’s 14, 000 disabled residents . Several independent surveys suggest Sacramento is experiencing some of the largest rent increases in the nation. Few feel those tectonic ma...

Until Saturday, August 12th, Debra Godfrey liked to sit on her front porch in the afternoons. She’d smoke a Newport and watch what little traffic there was pass by. Godfrey, who is fifty-one, lives in Belmont, a quiet neighborhood on the southeast side of Charlottesville, Virginia. Kids would play together after they got off the school bus a couple of houses down. Neighbors would walk past with their dogs, waving hello, as they headed to a nearby park. These days, Godfrey mostly stays inside in the afternoons. The neighborhood is still quiet, she said. “But it’s more quiet. People are more alert.” August 12th was the day of an alt-right rally called “Unite the Right,” which devolved into violence as thousands of white supremacists and counter-protesters swarmed through the city’s downtown streets. The unrest made international headlines and left a thirty-two-year-old counter- protester named Heather Heyer dead , with dozens more injured. For Godfrey, who is black, the day’s chaos has...

A Queens landlord 's quest to evict a cigarette- puffing single mom and her disabled daughter has gone up in smoke. For three years, rent- controlled tenant Lynn Blue had a case hanging over her, alleging she was a nuisance who needed to leave the Ridgewood apartment where she grew up. Blue not only smoked, but also had people constantly coming and going and left trash, according to the case filed by landlord Milena Jovic . A Queens jury sided with Jovic in 2015 and Blue said the verdict put her on a verge of a breakdown. The trial judge threw out the verdict, and the landlord appealed. But last week, three appellate judges ruled the trial judge was right to toss the jury decision. It was "like a mountain was lifted off me," Blue, 49, told the Daily News on Friday. "It felt like validation, you know. Somebody heard me." Jovic had accused Blue of smoking marijuana and cigarettes. Blue insisted she only us...

ROCKY TOP (WATE) – If you have ever lived in an area without street lights or some type of illumination, you know how dangerous it can be at night. At an apartment complex in Rocky Top, formerly known as Lake City, street lights have been out since December. Built more than 30 years ago, Creekwood Apartments are privately managed by a company out Knoxville. The government subsidized multi -family apartments are for  low income, elderly and disabled. In some rural areas of East Tennessee, street lights are a luxury, but when the government subsidies apartments or single family homes , there are rules managers must follow. One rule is, the apartments are supposed to be safe, which means they’re supposed to have outdoor lights that work. When we visited the complex ten days ago , everyone had one simple request. We talked with 20 people from Creekwood Apartment in Rocky Top. They’re fed up with their lights being on the blink. “What do I want,” said Grace Ellis, “Well we all want the li...

White Sox prospect Jake Burger is becoming an adult one step at a time. On the field, Burger, the No. 12 prospect in the Sox’ farm system, seemingly has made a smooth transition to pro baseball. Off the field, the 6-2, 210-pound third baseman is living with six teammates in a three-bedroom apartment and sleeping on an air mattress in their living room. “The adjustment hasn’t been too terrible, especially on the field. I think the biggest adjustment has been the off-field stuff. You’re setting your own schedule,” Burger said before joking about his new living situation in Kannapolis, North Carolina. White Sox prospect Jake Burger hit a cycle on Thursday. | Paul Beaty/Associated Press Burger had a whopper of a game Thursday night , getting his first career cycle in the Kannapolis Intimidators’ 6-5 victory against the Greensboro Grasshoppers. The slugger out of Missouri State, who was selected 11th overall in June, started his cycle with a single in the second inning. From there, Burger...