Press Release: Woodscape Tenants Fight For their Rights.

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Cesar Espinosa (English)
832-512-3733

cespinosa

Alain Cisneros (Español)

832-503-3689

Email: acisneros

Woodscape Tenants Fight for Their Rights.

[Houston, TX] On Friday December 8, 2017 at 10:30am at Woodscape Apartments ( 9707 S. Gessner Houston, TX 77071) FIEL will join community members to denounce anomalies in charges being made to tenants. Apartment Tenants and FIEL spokespeople will be available for comment.

Harvey hit Houston August 2017 and it devastated all Houstonians.Many people had no other choice but to return to these damaged homes, since they are low income families.

Wendy Escobar,married and a mother of two,is a resident at the woodscape apartments. She has had a very difficult time trying to recover from the hurricane. She was not able to receive any assistance from either FEMA or the red cross. Fortunately FIEL was able to provide her with a $150 gift card for harvey relief, and later on with $400 money order to pay for her rent. Unfortunately, when she went to pay her rent she realized they deducted her water bill instead, which left her still owing her rent for that month. Like Wendy many other tenants are being charged abusive prices for their water bills totaling $150+ every month and $50 recurrent late fees.

The woodscape apartments have many problems ,their buildings needs major repairs.

Tenants have reported water leakage from broken pipes, which are exposed outside of the complex. Because of the broken pipes, tenants have also had drainage back up into their homes leaving them with serious water damage and creating mold . Aside from the mold, residents here are also dealing with a large infestation of roaches, bedbugs, and rodents,. posing serious health hazards for many of families, especially for infants and senior citizens.

On monday through thursdays between 1:00 pm. to 5:00pm tenants have also complained about having the no water service in their homes and have resorted to filling up extra containers to use during those times, and some apartments have no proper air conditioning.

Management has shown a lack of support in helping to resolve these issues, and on the contrary have been intimidating their tenants with illegal evictions and charging them outrages prices for their water bill, without giving them any proper billing documentation.

FIEL in support of the residents at the woodscape apartments will be holding a press conference to address these issues, and protest to the main office to demand them to show us a master bill for their water utility, and deliver “Tenant’s Notice to Repair” letters to the landlord.

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FIEL: Immigrant Families and Students in the Struggle is an organization that advocates for just laws for immigrant families,

access to higher education for all people regardless of immigration status and for the rights of all people in unjust situations.

www.fielhouston.org

Twitter: @fielhouston

Facebook: facebook.com/fielhou

CESAR ESPINOSA Executive Director, FIEL HOUSTON INC