KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig covers the cities of Shawnee and Mission. She also focuses on issues surrounding the cost of health care, saving for retirement and personal debt. Share your story idea with Elyse.
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It's been just over a month since residents of the former Aspen Place Apartments in Gardner, Kansas, learned they'd been evicted from their homes.
A metal fence blocks access to the complex while many residents are still figuring out their new normal.
Victoria Bledsoe has mixed emotions.
"Oh, gosh, this feels like forever ago at this point we were getting condemned," Bledsoe said.
KSHB 41 first met Bledsoe when she had just learned Gardner city officials condemned the complex, citing several health and safety hazards.
"After this whole experience, I don't want to deal with landlords again," Bledsoe said. "I want to be able to fix anything that breaks, when it breaks, within a reasonable time."
She and her husband are living with family while saving up for a house of their own.
According to Kansas Legal Services, which is providing legal support for evicted residents, legal proceedings for the property are ongoing. The lender has filed a foreclosure case and requested the court appoint a receiver to oversee repairs, but the emergency motion was denied. The court is allowing the lender to conduct discovery on the issue.
Kansas Legal Services also said KDR Realty has submitted a proposal to repair water pipes, but additional issues at the complex need addressing. They also said city officials don't expect Aspen Place to reopen before the end of the year.
Kansas Legal Services sent a demand letter to the landlord's attorney requesting the return of rent and security deposits for clients who have yet to receive them.
KSHB 41 reached out to Bell Law LLC, which has filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of Aspen Place residents.
Bryce Bell, an attorney with the firm, said the action targets the ownership and management entities of Aspen Place. The suit states the parties "failed to maintain a habitable living environment, specifically regarding a severely deficient plumbing and water system.”
“We are absolutely committed to helping these Kansas residents secure fair housing and believe this lawsuit is a critical step toward achieving a just resolution for everyone affected,” Bell wrote in a statement sent to KSHB 41.
KSHB 41 also reached out to the Aspen Place Apartments owner’s lawyer, Jeffrey Zimmerman.
He called the lawsuit a “distraction.”
Zimmerman said plans to replace the water system have been finalized, filed and are under review by the Johnson County Airport Commission.
He said his clients have allocated the $1.2 million required to complete the replacement of the water system.
He also said all of the refund checks for May rent and the security deposits have been issued.
“Some of the checks have not been picked up by the tenants yet, as it is hard to track their current whereabouts," Zimmerman wrote in a statement. "We are working with Kansas Legal Services to get the checks to any tenants they represent who have not yet picked up their checks. That issue stated in the suit will be a moot point. We are striving to do what we can to help the tenants.”
The evictions also impacted around 80 students in the Gardner-Edgerton School District, according to Superintendent Brian Huff.
"It was all really very sudden," Huff said.
The school district continues to provide support for affected families even as the school year has ended.
"We're aware of several families who are in permanent residence outside of Gardner and Edgerton," Huff said. "We're also aware of several that are still in our community. We're hoping to get them all back next year."
The district plans to follow up with families in August.
Despite everything, Bledsoe has some positive memories of her former home.
"It's gonna sound a little weird, but it wasn't all that bad living here," she said. "We had a roof over our head. Most of the time, we had running water."
As she closes this chapter, Bledsoe is looking forward to what comes next.
"I think we've gotten to a new normal, not back to normal, but a new normal," Bledsoe said.
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