Elderly Tenants Evicted from Near East Side Apartments without Explanation
The owner of the Bryden House apartmentson Columbus’ Near East Side is ending the leases of a number of elderly, low-income tenants, leaving many wondering why and struggling to find a place to live in the dead of winter.
The residents started receiving terse notices in December that they needed to be out by Jan. 31. There was no explanation.
“I was shocked,” said Gregory Pritchard, 59, who has spinal problems and has lived there five years. He fears that if he can’t find somewhere else to live by the end of the month, he’ll be forced to go to a shelter.
The short notice concerns Ben Horne, a lawyer with the Legal Aid Society of Columbus. He believes that though the move is legal, the owner didn’t allow enough time to find new housing.
He’d like management to give residents, many of whom are elderly or disabled, more time to locate an apartment.
