It has been over 50 days since 120 residents of the Terrace Towers Apartments were displaced because of a fire; unfortunately, it sounds like the days are sure to continue.
We don’t just report the initial story—we follow through to its conclusion. Read and watch our previous reporting on this story below and see more stories that we've followed through on here.
“This is not home; we want to go home,” Doneasha Smith said. “It’s hard because we have to try to make ends meet.”
“As a mother, there’s nothing for my toddler to do. There are no parks close, there’s no transportation, there’s no pools, there’s nothing,” Smith said.
You may remember Smith, News 5 talked to her in her North Olmsted hotel room last month; at the time, she figured everyone would be back home by now. At this point, Smith is being told residents might not be home until early January, all while much of their belongings, like clothes and food, are still in their units.
“I can’t get none of that. We have to call and make appointments to come get some of our stuff, and we have to get approval from them on if it’s essential for us to even have it,” Smith said.
News 5 has tried to get more information from RHM Management, the company that manages Terrace Towers. News 5 has called, left messages and even went to the company’s corporate office in Lyndhurst, and no one has gotten back to us.
In the meantime, Smith shared a letter that she said she got from the property management. It said that tenants are still expected to pay their rent in full.
Residents said that RHM is currently paying for their hotel rooms.
“How do you expect for me to pay my rent and take care of myself when I have multiple needs, doctors’ appointments, my doctor is on Lee Road, and I don’t have transportation to get there? It’s like I’m stuck out here, and they don’t care,” Smith said.
News 5 asked a Cleveland Civil Attorney if residents are legally required to pay rent since their home is unhabitable, but the property management is paying for their hotel rooms.
Tera Coleman pointed to section 5301.11 of the Ohio revised code.
“If your rental property is completely destroyed by a fire, this statute provides that you are not liable to pay rent unless there’s something that says otherwise in your lease agreement,” Coleman said.
Many of these residents don’t have their lease because they can’t get into their apartments right now, so they’re just working to make ends meet and continuing to count the days likely through Thanksgiving and Christmas until they can finally get home.
“I don’t have an income, I don’t have a job, I don’t get social security, I don’t get unemployment, I don’t get anything, my income is from doing hair and babysitting.
