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...

( College Park Fire Department/YouTube) COLLEGE PARK, Maryland (NBC Washington) - A five-alarm fire at a College Park, Maryland, apartment building burned much longer than it should have, putting firefighters and the public at unnecessary risk, according to College Park Fire Chief Bill Corrigan . The Fuse 47 building on Berwyn House Road was still under construction at the time of the fire. FirefighterNation: Multiple-Alarm Fire at Maryland Apartment Building Construction Questioned in Maryland Five-Alarm Fire Corrigan told the News4 I-Team the standpipe valves firefighters typically use to pump water up through a building in an emergency were left in the "closed" position. The design of the building limited firefighter access to the structure, Corrigan said, and the sheer size also hampered firefighter efforts . "This building was 100 percent within the allowable parameters, but it was built to the absolute max," Corrigan said. "Probably to within ...