In April 2024, longtime residents in a boarding house received notice to relocate by their new property manager, North Oak, and landlord, an LLC named NRS Lake St. While many of the tenants have lived in the boarding house for decades and want to stay, they have endured harassment by the new property management in order to force them out, including poor living conditions, slow repairs, and the removal of parking spaces.
Many of the tenants work as caregivers and health workers, often working overtime to afford their basic needs. They immigrated from the Philippines in search of a better life and opportunity, yet this situation has been far from the “American Dream”. They have had to take time out of work to go to court, and have developed intense anxiety and stress. Now, the tenants have begun receiving eviction notices and are being forced to go to court and defend themselves and their longtime home.
This is part of a larger trend in the Historic Filipinotown area of gentrification and displacement, with more and more immigrant and working class Filipinos being forced out of the neighborhood or into other substandard housing. We’ve seen that Filipino elders, women, and families are particularly vulnerable to harassment and eviction.
The tenants want to fight back and demand they stay. That’s why they’re calling on community for support. Though the tenants have worked diligently to try and find pro bono legal defense, because there are so many evictions being processed throughout the county very few tenants rights lawyers are available.
We are currently trying to raise funds to cover legal expenses for lawyers who are able to take on the case at lesser cost, and are reaching out see if folks in the larger community can support those tenants who have court dates as soon as August 22nd.
Maraming salamat!
