Senior Renters Form Tenants Union

Elderly renters at a church-owned apartment complex on Goffe Street marched down their building’s hallway holding signs reading ​“Respect Seniors,” ​“Justice Matters,” and ​“Help Us Stay Safe.”

They then delivered a petition to the front office announcing their new status as a tenants union — and demanded a collective bargaining agreement. 

That took place Monday morning, soon after residents of St. Luke’s Senior Housing at 120 Goffe St. became the seventh officially recognized tenants union in New Haven.

Eight St. Luke’s renters from the 18-unit low-income senior housing complex first joined Connecticut Tenants Union (CTTU) President Hannah Srajer and Vice President Luke Melonakos-Harrison at City Hall to file for recognition with the city’s Fair Rent Commission office. They now join the broader CTTU network, which has 17 chapters across the state. 

“We want unity,” resident Linda Talley said. ​“We want the board to come and sit down with us so that we can be in an agreement to get the things that we want done in our building for our safety, for our security. And we’re tired of broken promises.”

Fourteen of the 17 occupied units signed on to the union. The supermajority hopes to collectively bargain with both St. Luke’s Development Corporation, which owns the complex, and DeMarco Management Company, which manages the building. 

“If you and your neighbors come together and form a tenants union, it signifies to your landlord and your management company that they can’t ignore you any longer,” Srajer said.

The union formation followed a series of complaints centering around security and communication with management.

At a community meeting in early February, residents expressed concern about the functionality of the building’s security cameras and back door. They said they have been waiting for almost two years for a new back door that can securely lock.

Resident Susan Middleton recalled going downstairs to do laundry early one morning only to run into a woman who had entered uninvited. Other residents had similar stories of unhoused people coming inside seeking warmth in the winter, which made some residents worried about security and their own safety.

Residents also expressed concern about the lack of communication between management and residents. Some recalled calling the emergency maintenance number posted but finding no one on the other end. Another remembered a clogged kitchen sink that stayed broken for two weeks despite work orders — requiring the resident to wash dishes in the bathroom sink.

Resident Brenda Hammett had complained of noisy birds and squirrels in her wall since she moved into the complex a year ago, filing numerous work order requests. It was only this past week that a maintenance worker was able to find a potential source of the problem — a fist-sized hole behind her window screen.

Beyond safety concerns, residents also talked about general upkeep — uneven floors that pose a tripping hazard, paint peeling, doors not fitting their frames, pests. 

“We are the people who live here, who pay our rent, who want to see our building succeed and be a better building,” Middleton said at the early February residential meeting. 

In response to safety concerns raised at the residential meeting earlier this month, Daryl Huckaby sent a statement on behalf of the St. Luke’s Senior Housing Board of Directors: ​“We recognize that recent and ongoing maintenance needs have raised concerns among residents, and we want to assure the community that we hear and understand these concerns…. These maintenance needs reflect the natural aging of the property, and we are committed to proactive and responsive upkeep.”

Huckaby also said that the building’s rear door ​“is fully functional and secure. In alignment with our commitment to ongoing improvements, the Board voted in October to update and replace the door. The bidding process has been completed, and we are moving forward with the next steps.”

He said the building’s camera system is also ​“operational, but the Board has prioritized an upgrade to enhance security and monitoring capabilities. Bids have been accepted, and plans are underway for implementation.”

The delivered petition will be sent to Huckaby and DeMarco management. Residents will have a chance to begin conversations with the St. Luke’s board at their monthly meeting, set for March 3.