My name is Bobbi Sanchez. I am a 68-year-old female US Army veteran. I have found that the older I get, the harder it is to contribute to society as I am accustomed to doing. Since age 50, I have had to fight stereotypes every step to show I am still an asset that needs and deserves to keep working.
I have had the good fortune to have continuous employment for the past nine months on a contract, and I am on my way to financial recovery but need a little more help. Before I got this contract, I was out of work for a long time, and paying any bills, including my rent, was difficult. I applied for and received aid from the ERAP Program of Tarrant County, Fort Worth, Texas. The first amount was around $2500, and then they gave me an added $4,000, which was enough money to pay rent until December 2021. After the first amount, Management let me know that they would not renew my lease. There was no warning that I was causing any problems. It did not matter that I had been there four years and, as far as I knew, never caused problems, or complained about anything. I had nothing more than my social security check and no other income at this time. I am going to list by bullet points to show what happened.
• Apartment complexes required proof of income exceeding three times the monthly rent.
• Administration fees were between $20-$150 and were non-refundable.
• Most wanted pet rent between $20-$100 per month.
• All wanted security deposits, with some exceeding the rent they wanted per month.
I could not afford any of this. So, in my mind, I was about to be homeless and lose everything. Luckily, my church helped me move into an extended-stay hotel. (Extended Stay America in Arlington, TX, located on Watson Road.) and paid my first month’s rent. That was wonderful, and I was very much relieved and grateful.
In January 2022, a collection agency notified me that my former landlord filed a collection on me and put it on my credit report. It said I still owed them rent, and they demanded I pay it. I contacted legal aid, and the lawyer told me to request a copy of their ledger for the past year to show if they accepted the checks from ERAPS. I cannot prove they took the checks and tried to extort me, but I believe they did. WAK Management has that kind of reputation. Of course, that made my ability to get a decent apartment IMPOSSIBLE, so I ended up being stuck in a hotel that took almost all my pay every two weeks in rent. The last rate raise was $979.00 every other week.
Here are the results of the actions of WAK Management on my life. I have said there is no justice for the poor, and this is an example. As the result of their behavior:
I ended up stuck in a hotel that bled me dry. It took almost all my pay to keep from being homeless. Eating and other expenses are not covered.
I had to pay $10 daily to keep my little Chihuahua. He is very well trained and only 4 pounds. This payment was on top of my room rent.
To move here, circumstances forced me to give up another dog with special needs. This dog had been severely abused and had PTSD. I got him right after I moved into Tuscany Apartments. This action crushed me because the unfamiliar activity triggered a total regression of all the progress had made with him. I will never forgive the bastards at WAK Management for this alone.
I lost eBay inventory. I sell online to earn money, and all that took a nosedive when I could not find the listed things, so I took hits on my account, and my rating fell to 88% from 100%. They sabotaged my livelihood.
Legal aid also told me that the landlord has the option not to take the checks. I never knew that, but I should have been notified that they decided not to accept the payments if that happened. I would love to sue them for all the stress they have caused, but again-no, justice for the poor.
I feel I met my responsibility to them by providing a way for my landlord to get their rent. If they decided to return the check, that is on them. I met my obligation.
On September 12, 2022, at 5:40 pm, I received a “cleaning” notice saying that I leave dishes in the sink and that I have a pile of laundry, and this was not allowed. This notice gave me 24 hours to fix this issue. It just added to my resentment about being stuck in a hotel that sucks me dry and loves to hassle me. I had no reasonable expectation of privacy. Management ran this place like a barracks or a halfway house. There are a lot of people here on some sort of relief and so there are all kinds of rules that one must follow. We are not guests, we are inmates. This harassment has been going on since July 2021, when I was between contracts and late with my rent. Management called me three times per day demanding I leave and threatening the cops, I told them to bring it on. I reported this to cooperate and that resulted in the manager getting fired or transferred. I didn’t care which. This harassment upset me a great deal.
On 11 September 2022, I stopped by the lobby to check my mail on my way to the room and I learned that I had been locked out of my room. It wasn’t up to company standards. They were not even going to let me in to get my dog. After much yelling and desk pounding, they finally agreed to let me into my room until Saturday because I don’t get home until 6:30 pm. I tried to explain that my room is cluttered because I have eBay inventory that I need to keep near to ship on time. They did not care. I despise a house and I can’t live in a space that has to always be ready for inspection like an army barracks. To add insult to injury they took 250 dollars out of the rent I already paid. I told the clerk to polish up her resume.
On September 13, 2022, I am no longer allowed to stay in my hotel room. My things are still there, and God only knows if they will give me time to remove them. My employer is giving me hell because I brought my small chihuahua to work with me. The policy says no pets and no children in the office. It doesn't matter to them that I can't leave my dog anywhere because he will probably be hurt, and I no longer have a home to take him to. With this company, the policy is the same as the law and cannot be broken, even for emergencies. I had to bite my tongue hard to keep from telling them what I think of their policy and their attitude! I am so angry and stressed right now.
On September 14, 2022. I went back to the Budget suites of America. I was denied access to my room to get my belongings. When I came by on the 13th, I was told that I could get my things that day. I showed up to do just that and was denied access when my key did not work. Since the manager was not there, I left. I returned this morning to be told that I will have to fish my things out of the dumpster, and they will call the police. I told them to go ahead and call. It took 35 minutes for the police to arrive. I was parked in front of the room waiting for the dumpster parade. The manager kept saying it isn’t personal. How can it not be personal? I was able to get a hotel room -no cooking- but I have a place to leave my dog where I know he will be safe.
The company I was working for let me go on 13 September. Seem they don’t like troublemakers. How dare I try to protect my dog from the bastard manager that wants me gone? The nerve of me. Now I have no home and no job. Lucky me.
I wish I had good news. I told the boss this morning that I may be homeless in a day or two and I got a rousing "meh." It is moments like these that make me realize that the spirit of caring is dead and buried, I don't want to be homeless and lose everything, but that is where I am headed. I thought things were improving. How could I be so stupid?
Things are tense now. I feel as though I have been checkmated. If I go to work, I may lose my home and belongings, and if I stay home, I can lose my job. I feel like there is no winning here. The stress is unbelievable.
This is another example of no justice for the poor.
Someone responded to my post on Facebook “oh please.” Why don’t people at read the story before deciding I am not worth anyone’s time or trouble?
Today at 5:40 pm, I received a “cleaning” notice saying that I leave dishes in the sink and I have a pile of laundry. I have 24 hours to fix this issue. This adds to my resentment about being stuck in a hotel that sucks me dry and loves to hassle me. I have no reasonable expectation of privacy and get to pay for the privilege. If I was a masochist I might enjoy it but I am not. Management runs this place like a barracks or a halfway house. There are a lot of people here on some sort of relief and so there are all kinds of rules that one must follow. We are not guests, we are inmates
I am so tired of holding my anger in at this behavior. I need to find a way to get myself out of here. Anything you can contribute would be wonderful. Thanks in advance…
Today at 5:40 pm, I received a “cleaning” notice saying that I leave dishes in the sink, and I have a pile of laundry. I have 24 hours to fix this issue. This adds to my resentment about being stuck in a hotel that sucks me dry and loves to hassle me. I have no reasonable expectation of privacy and get to pay for the privilege. If I was a masochist, I might enjoy it but I am not. Management runs this place like a barracks or a halfway house. There are a lot of people here on some sort of relief and so there are all kinds of rules that one must follow. We are not guests, we are inmates
I am so tired of holding my anger in at this behavior. I need to find a way to get myself out of here. Anything you can contribute would be wonderful. Thanks in advance…