Evanston officials and residents are putting city staff under pressure for a decision to remove the residents of 2018 Wesley Ave. from their homes during the night on May 9 in response to the continued deterioration of the property.
Tenants were given a day-of vacate notice at 2:30 p.m., according to a city statement. Police and fire officials arrived at the building later that evening to evacuate the three remaining residents. According to a news release from the city, the remaining residents agreed to vacate the building by 7:30 p.m. with assistance from the city.
The building is occupied by several affordable housing, senior citizen tenants in Evanston’s predominantly Black 5th Ward, and the day-of vacate notice left many without a plan.
Residents of 2014, 2018 and 2024 Wesley Avenue were initially sent a vacate notice from the city on Feb. 13, according to Councilmember Clare Kelly. Eventually, a move-out date of May 13 was established for all three buildings.
2018 Wesley Ave. residents were given the emergency notice to vacate due to a May 8 inspection by Building and Development Service Manager Andrew San Roman, which highlighted an immediate safety threat. The report shows a structural beam detached from its original position, a sagging concrete platform and twisted steel caused by severe rusting.
“It is my opinion that the building at 2018 Wesley Ave should be vacated immediately,” read the report.
The buildings’ California-style apartment staircases are wearing down, sparking safety concerns. The building only has one staircase taking residents to their units, meaning if a repair took place residents would have to leave, and if the stairs would become unusable, residents wouldn’t be able to get to their homes. Repair costs are roughly estimated at $1.5 million.
The city provided residents with extended-stay housing, according to an email from Councilmember Bobby Burns. Tenants will be able to retrieve their belongings left behind once a building assessment for safety is complete, according to the news release, and the city has stated it will work with tenants to find replacement housing.
“Given the deteriorated conditions at 2018 Wesley Avenue, the City took immediate action to evacuate the tenants and ensure their safety. The boarding up is necessary to protect the tenants’ property and to ensure unauthorized access does not occur in the unsafe building,” read the news release. “While no determination has been made regarding the future of the buildings, including the current residents in plans for the property will be considered to the extent possible. The property remains privately owned, and the owner controls its determination.”
The property is currently owned by the Evanston Housing Coalition and operated by Housing Opportunity Development Corporation. According to the news release, HODC has been working to get the stairs fixed since October 2022 and applied for Illinois Housing Development Authority Tax Credits but were denied.
Kelly and Equity and Empowerment Commissioner Darlene Cannon expressed frustration with city officials for not disclosing information upon request or providing further explanations. Their concerns are also joined by a call for city staff to find solutions to allow residents to stay in their homes.
“When the city (initially) issued letters to the residents on Wesley requiring them to vacate there was no statement of violation or correction order with a schedule of deadlines for needed repairs issued to the property owners that preceded this,” Kelly wrote to Pioneer Press. “This abrupt letter to vacate caused the residents, many who are elderly and who’ve lived there for 20 to 30 years, extreme angst and distress.”
Many of Kelly’s questions and inquiries have been left unanswered by city staff, she told Pioneer Press.
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Kelly and Cannon are hoping city funds will be used to rehabilitate the properties to let the residents return. They both said there’s still time to rectify the situation by bringing a proposal for City Council to approve, saying it would be a better use of city funds to fix the property rather than spend money on extended stay housing.
“Investing in existing and naturally occurring affordable housing is far less expensive than demolishing and building new,” Kelly said. “There are plenty of funds available at the city for the needed repairs to the stairs on Wesley…It is incumbent on the city to develop such a plan and return the Wesley residents to their homes in Evanston, on Wesley.”
Housing Opportunities and Maintenance for the Elderly Executive Director Gail Schechter previously said the properties at the dead-end off the intersection of Foster Street and Wesley Avenue are in a Tax Increment Financing district, hence TIF funds could be used to support affordable housing to help fund changes.
“Because it’s a Black neighborhood that has been under-invested in, this is an opportunity (to) use TIF law,” Schechter told Pioneer Press. “You can use TIF funds for low-income people as affordable housing so it’s just to say there are funds the city could be using.”
Other Evanstonians came to the defense of 2018 Wesley residents at the May 13 City Council meeting, saying the issue echoes those caused by historic racial redlining in the city.
“The tenants of the Wesley building have been fighting to keep their homes for months now,” said David Sutherland. “I’ve watched the callous disregard for their lives by the city of Evanston as if an extended stay hotel is any form of restitution for ripping them out of the very community they are an integral part of.”
A statement read on behalf of Community Alliance for Better Government stated residents should have been given explanation about the emergency order by social workers and city engineers instead of police officers to prevent panic.
Kathy Jefferson, who stated she lives at 2024 Wesley, worries every day about being removed from her home of 18 years.
“What happened Thursday made it even worse,” Jefferson said. “I don’t think none of y’all care. Nobody’s willing to fix the apartments, inside or outside, the stairs, nothing. If y’all really cared about us you would do it. Just like Bobby Burns said, money is no issue.”
Corey Schmidt is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.