Rent almost doubling at Fayetteville senior complex

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. ( KNWA/KFTA ) — Friendships, community and neighbors are about to be completely uprooted at a Fayetteville senior complex as some residents on fixed incomes are facing up to a 73% rent increase.

A notice from Wedington Place Senior Apartments was posted on August 6 notifying residents of the changes. According to the notice, the price of a two-bedroom apartment is set to increase from $750 to $1150, a 53% hike. For a one-bedroom, the price will increase from $520 to $900, a 73% increase.

According to residents, when they asked what the reasoning behind the hike was, they were told it was due to the apartment not being listed at “market rate.”

After hearing the news, Rosa Floyd began organizing a “listening session” with her parents for residents to be heard. She says her mom has dementia and her dad has cerebral palsy and while the rent increase will affect them greatly, they are finding ways to stay afloat.

“Thankfully for my parents, we can absorb, they can absorb that difference. And we’re not going to let anything happen to them. But there are a lot of people here who either cannot absorb the difference or, you know, need some assistance from others that they don’t have people that in their life that can do that,” Floyd said.

She says one of her biggest concerns if her parents had to move, is that they wouldn’t have access to transit.

“Both of my parents are amazing people, and they’re both in wheelchairs…So, they both rely heavily on the Razorback paratransit system, which you have to live within three-quarters of a mile of a U-of-A bus stop to utilize the paratransit system. And so that’s been a huge benefit that allows them to be independent,” Floyd said.

Linda Barnes, a resident at Wedington Place, says she packed up her things and moved her life to Fayetteville from North Carolina three years ago after her older son lost his battle with COPD. She made the move to be closer to her younger son and grandson who live in Farmington.

“When my son died, my son had been out here, and I had the little grandson. I said, ‘I’m moving there,'” Barnes said.

She says Wedington Place in Fayetteville was perfect for her needs. It was affordable, but also nearby to her son. However, after the complex announced the rent increases, she says she’s one of the lucky ones who can afford to move out.

“My rent would go from $710 per month to $1150. A $450 increase on the month,” Barnes said.

The listening session brought more than just residents to discuss the changes, housing task force member Henry Ho, city council member Teresa Turk, and Arkansas State Senator Greg Leding were part of the attendees.

Leding says affordable housing is an issue he’s seen persist for years.

“Arkansas is literally the worst state for renters in the country. That’s inexcusable. A third of Arkansans live in renter homes. And here in Washington County, that number jumps to over 40%. And in Fayetteville specifically, it goes to over 60%,” Leding said.

But one of the largest impacts coming to this community of residents is the loss of friendships. Barnes said she and her dog Tucker have provided great company to some neighbors.

“[Floyd’s] little mom and dad lived across the hall from me, and I told Betty [Floyd’s mom] this morning and she cried because I go over and talk to them and they’re both in wheelchairs… I have a little dog, he’s 18, but Betty loves him… But I promised her, and I will, I said, ‘I will come back and visit you and I’ll bring Tucker with me, too,'” Barnes said.

Rosa Floyd’s husband, Michael Floyd, has also taken the initiative to create change for the seniors by putting together a legislative proposal.

“What it attempts to do is first it tries to deal with the short term by saying we need to limit the rent caps to 30% of the senior’s income, which that is standard. Professional financial planners tell us that that is a reasonable budget amount,” Michael said. “We want to limit the amount of the increase per year tied to the consumer product index, the CPI, maybe 3%, 4%.”

He says the proposal also encourages nonprofit participation as a long-term solution.

“What we’re really aiming to do is to do is protect the vulnerable people. And maybe if we can get some senior low-income housing past a narrow focus, then we can expand that eventually to low-income housing in general,” Floyd said.

However, Floyd says his reasoning behind the legislative proposal is bigger than just housing.

“Rosa and I are Christians, and we believe that the gospel of Jesus says we’re to take care of the vulnerable people, and that’s what we’re really aiming to do is to protect the vulnerable people,” Floyd said.

KNWA reached out to the owners of Wedington Place today and did not receive a response, however, residents say the apartment has since stated that they can break their leases without penalty and receive a refund.

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