Tenant Tales: Shaun Fenner

Shaun Fenner, a tenant in Ithaca since February of last year, was forced to leave his apartment last Thursday after an eviction hearing earlier this month.

On September 2, Genevieve Rand and Sarah Curless, organizers from the Ithaca Tenants Union (ITU), went to eviction court where Fenner, along with other tenants and landlords, were at the courthouse for hearings and judgements.

Fenner was only several minutes late to his court time of 9 a.m. but that was enough for the judge to give a default judgment to Fenner to be evicted by the 23rd. Fenner’s eviction notice was filed as a holdover case, under two reasons.

The first being a nuisance argument, where the landlord, Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services (INHS), claim that Shaun had unapproved guests and had left trash in an alleyway. The second reason for the eviction that held more weight in court though, was the non-renewal of Fenner’s lease.

Currently, in Ithaca, the option of renewing a lease is up to the landlords and not the tenants themselves. According to Fenner, however, he had reached out to INHS at least 4 months before the court date to renew his lease, and INHS stated that they will take it under consideration.

“I had asked so many times, but the ball was in their court,” Fenner said. “They never gave me a yes or a no.”

The eviction warrant was issued to Fenner on Sep. 9th, but Fenner only found out days later due to an illness. According to Rand and Fenner, the eviction was only taped on Fenner’s front door, and no actual notice was given. He only found out when a neighbor notified him of the notice days later.

Given that Fenner found out that he needed to leave days after the warrant was delivered, it only gave him less than two weeks to make arrangements for his belongings and for housing after.

Several attempts were made to contact the INHS, specifically Melody Susco, the director of property management, and Justina Fetterly, the strategic communications director. However, communication with either of the individuals of the INHS was unsuccessful.

The request to renew his lease with INHS wasn’t the only issue Fenner had with management.

Throughout his time at his apartment, Fenner stated that he had to be relocated for renovations that the INHS needed to make to his apartment and the building. However, after the renovations were supposedly completed, Fenner came home to the same apartment, where nothing was fixed.

“They didn’t do a darn thing in that apartment. Nothing,” Fenner said.

Another instance was when Fenner lost his key and the INHS was lengthy in their aid to Fenner. Being an elderly and disabled man, Fenner noted how such instances make it more difficult for him to manage, and the lack of help from the INHS only creates more concern for him.

Rand made it clear that landlords in Ithaca, and in general, do not sympathize with tenants and only have their own interests in mind. Rand stated, “The legal system is very unforgiving to tenants. The laws aren’t written by tenants, they’re written by wealthy people who invest in property.”

Both Rand and Curless pointed out that what is happening to Fenner, and even other tenants goes against the mission statement of the INHS.

On their website, the INHS states “INHS is dedicated to expanding housing opportunities for low and moderate-income residents of Tompkins County and the surrounding region. It seeks to foster communities that embrace diversity, equity, and sustainability in ways that produce lasting outcomes.”

Rand has stated that they INHS can hold true to their mission statement and call off the eviction. However, the INHS hasn’t done so.

INHS was started in 1977, inspired by an urban renewal program in Pittsburgh that relied on a partnership between residents, businesses, and local government. Ithaca joined the growing network of successful Neighborhood Housing Services, which still exists today as NeighborhoodWorks America.

According to the INHS’s website: “Ithaca’s INHS evolved rapidly. Starting with helping homeowners maintain or improve their homes with low-cost loans and other types of home-repair assistance, INGS soon began acquiring and redeveloping dilapidated rental properties, constructing new homes and rentals, and helping community members buy their first homes.”

NeighborhoodWorks America has honored the INHS multiple times by highlighting its programs as “best practices” in the affordable housing field.

Rand and Curless noted that the INHS is mostly unresponsive in these matters.

Aside from concerns regarding the INHS, Rand and Curless also mentioned that the lack of housing in Ithaca highlights Fenner’s situation and the housing crisis in general.

Rand and Curless stated that not only are housing prices steadily increasing in Ithaca, but vacant buildings in the area are also being used to drive the prices up and kick the poor out.

Curless stated that this method of keeping houses in Ithaca empty was “gentrification.”

“I’m sure landlords would deny it and be like ‘why would we not rent units that we have available’ and it’s because they are losing money,” Rand said. “In the very short term you would be losing money, but landlords think of ten-year plus timelines.”

After the 23rd when Shaun was due to leave the apartment, Rand and Curless went to the INHS and tried to come up with solutions to keep Fenner housed. Unfortunately, the INHS did not cooperate.

Currently, Shaun’s whereabouts are unknown. Rand has not been able to get in touch with him but hopes that he is safe.

This story about Fenner comes to light as the city works on bringing forth a “Right to Renew” legislation, which aims to protect tenants from losing their homes by guaranteeing them the option to renew their lease except under specific circumstances such as nonpayment of rent. It also aims to protect tenants from retaliation by landlords due to things like demanding repairs or organizing with other tenants.

At the Sep. 15 Planning and Economic Development Committee meeting, Taylor Moon from the ITU said displacement is the most common reason tenants reach out to the union for help, and that 72% of displacement cases are explicitly related to non-renewal in one form or another.

The bill is currently out for circulation and public input and will be back in front of the committee on Oct. 20.

Published on Sep. 29, 2021 by The Ithaca Times. Read the digital version here.