Seniors concerned about rent payment change to online system

INDIANAPOLIS — Residents at German Church Senior Apartments on the east side reached out to WRTV after concerns about the new way they’d have to pay their rent. Seniors said the change to the online or walk-in payment system wouldn’t be accessible for most of them.

"They have made it so hard for us,” said Lesley Hall.

Hall is legally blind and one of many seniors at the complex who are disabled or even home bound.

“Usually, we could just take our rent down to the rental office and drop it in the box or give it to the manager and get a receipt,” Hall said.

On Wednesday she said the apartment informed residents paying in-person at the office would no longer be acceptable anymore.

Instead, they would have to pay online, set up an ACH payment that would make automatic withdrawals from their bank accounts or use a Walk-In Payment System (WIPS) at locations like Western Union, PLS, or Walmart.

"A lot of us don't even have cars a lot of us don’t have family to help us out,” Hall said.

Residents told WRTV, many of them are 55 or older on a fixed income.

Some said they don't have bank accounts and transportation would be a big barrier to making those payments off the complex, along with access to paying online.

“I used to have a computer, but I don't now, I'd have to have my niece or brother's wife do that,” said Shirley Jackson, another resident at the complex concerned about the new change.

Residents said many of them don’t have computers, smartphones, and if they do, some don’t know how to use the technology.

Residents also told WRTV the apartment doesn't have a community computer yet to use to make the payments online.

WRTV talked to the President and CEO of CICOA Aging & In-Home Solutions who offered some advice.

“Lean into my financial institution and see, is there an automatic payment kind of system that I could set up,” Tauhric Brown said. “I would also suggest seeing if there is a family member, a caregiver, a family member that they're really close with, that they can trust to make those online payments every month."

Some seniors at the complex like Louise Harris are comfortable with computers and plan to help her neighbors as much as she can.

In the meantime, residents WRTV talked to are asking the apartment for more resources, like a community computer with training on how to use it, along with more time to adjust before the change goes into effect October 1.

WRTV reached out to the apartment complex and property managers T&H investments about the change, but we have not yet heard back.

Residents said the apartment is holding several meetings to discuss the new changes, the next one will take place on Monday, Aug. 19.

Local resources available to support seniors can be found on CICOA's website .