MESSAGES:
Read submissions from the e-mail, text, and recording lines, or submit your own.
“I’ve been in Arcata since Dec 2019; when I arrived reasonable rents were able to be found. I first rented a furnished 1/1 for $1350 which I thought was high but It was convenient. After a few months I moved to a 2/1 for $975 no utilities included. My landlord raises the rent every time it is allowable by law; I now pay $1126. I pay water/sewer/garbage/utilities. It is a fourplex and whenever an apartment is vacated they raise the rent; first time to $1200, recently to $1400. The original furnished place I rented sold and is now a $100+/night vacation rental. Another place I looked at to rent is now a vacation rental. A house I looked at to buy (in Eureka) is now a vacation rental.
These facts are disconcerting. I have a good job but I no longer even look for a new place to rent because they are all ridiculously overpriced. The fact that it is Ok to make the renters forced to pay for the water, sewer, sewer repair fee, garbage and recycle collection, is to me abominable. I’ve never seen this anywhere else. And of course all of these have gone up in cost. My landlords purchased the place cheap, if they have a mortgage it is likely 2-3% interest yet they are raising the rent every chance they get so they can increase their ROI at the renter’s expense.
I lived here in the late 90’s and the situation was completely different. Rents were reasonable and landlords paid W/S/G as they should!”
“As a single income, single parent I have been on the verge of homelessness for the past 3 years. This has forced me into dangerous living situations, month to month leases, withheld deposits (despite documentation), electrical fires, no heat etc. if I speak up or withhold rent I will be evicted like the past tenants were. Despite being illegal, my rental applications have been passed over because of my kids as they are a liability in dangerous homes. We have moved 3 times in 3 years with gaps of homelessness in between. My first landlord here was a psychopath that would barge into our apartment unannounced and evicted us when we asked her to stop. Our second place had a meth lab next door, our current home, while we love it, is dangerous and desperately needing updates and I’m having to navigate letting the landlord know what the issues are with the house without being a “pain”. Even when I gently inform her, I get long, rambling nonsensical replies and no repairs. I moved back home to Humboldt to start a new business that is also an ecological service and while I’m trying to stay focused on the big picture/important work, being stuck in survival mode is a massive impediment.”
“I came from out of the area, from Stockton after being displaced from my home because code enforcement had taken 14 long months to get the landlord to address a rodent infestation. The landlord then filed a retaliatory eviction even though Stockton was under an eviction moratorium. The judge was arrested for a DUI and behaved all kinds of inappropriate ways for which he received judicial censure. I left because I couldn’t get legal representation to fight the eviction and thought that I should avoid an eviction on my record. It doesn’t matter. Homeless is worse than eviction on your record.
Homeless with two dogs, I can’t leave them to work. Even with ESA recognition, shelters refuse assistance and there’s no help if you are not in a shelter or safe parking program.
Catch 22, if you have dogs you can’t leave them to work, no work no housing. No lawyers because there’s no money in defending low income tenants.
I came for the cooler weather, so my dogs can stay in the van if I go to the library or try to work.
I thought between cooler weather and cheaper rents I could make it. Finding a plethora of minimum wage jobs that cover no one’s rent.
”
“1. I hear a lot of criticism when discussing who new housing should be built for.
I’ve heard: They shouldn’t be building single units, it’s unfair to families. They shouldn’t be creating more rental housing, it’s unfair to prospective homeowners. They shouldn’t build apartments for students, it’s unfair to the rest of the community. They shouldn’t be trying to build for so many people, our population shouldn’t grow so fast.
It’s hard to hear this from people who seem to assume everyone must have the same life goals and capabilities and community ideals. Some people want to live alone and never want a family. There are people in this community who will never be able to afford to buy a house. Students need housing as much as anyone else. Lots of people from out of the area are moving here and there’s nothing we can do to stop that.
No one is saying going forward every new housing project will be the same, so it’s frustrating to hear people denounce specific types of housing or individual projects being proposed just because it’s not what they personally think should be prioritized. No single building can be for everyone. We need all types of housing, for every demographic, and lots of it, now. There isn’t enough for anyone right now, we need to build for everyone.
2. Personally, I need to live alone, and I think everyone should have the opportunity to make that choice, it shouldn’t be a luxury. I don’t want a partner, I don’t want a family, I just want my own space where I can keep to myself in peace. I had many roommates in many households over the years, some were fine, some were better, but most situations ended up with me under a tremendous amount of stress from interpersonal conflict. More than once, to avoid getting evicted or sued, I had to pay for other people’s shares of rent or deposits when they refused to pay or put in the work to cover their own responsibilities.
My mental health from all this was so poor at the last place I lived I started to look for a single unit I could afford, and it took over six months to find one because there were so few options. I think I was only able to find two other units I applied for over all those months before I found my current apartment.
I feel extremely lucky to have found this place when I did, because I know from seeing many friends struggle to find housing the past two or three years it’s even worse now. Last year I had a dear friend who had been in a similar toxic household situation and didn’t want to risk living with roommates anymore either, except she had a deadline to find a new place by the end of that lease. For three months she tried really hard to look everywhere for a single unit. She wanted to keep living here, had gone to HSU and been in Arcata over ten years, but there just wasn’t anything available in all that time, and she ended up having to move out of the county and back in with her parents until she could figure something else out.
I’ve been in my apartment over four years now, and although I’ve technically been able to afford to live here, it’s not affordable in the sense that almost all my income goes to rent and other costs of living, so I’m not able to save very much and have to be very frugal about all other expenses. It’s worth it to me since I have been so much healthier and happier the past few years, but it does make me nervous that it’s not something I’ll be able to sustain if my financial situation changes, or doesn’t keep up with inflation and rent increases, or if some kind of large emergency expense comes up.
So when I hear people criticize building single rental units because it’s not fair to families or people trying to buy homes, or because it’s just student housing so it’s not inclusive to the rest of the community, I want to scream. There are people in this community who don’t want a family or partner, and who will never be able to afford to buy a house, and they can’t find anywhere to live. There aren’t enough options for anyone, so we need to build every type of housing we can, from low income studios to four bedroom family homes and everything in between. Everyone deserves options, families, students, and spinsters alike.”
“In 2019 I moved back to Humboldt County and became available to spend more time with my older brother who owned a house in Eureka. After some time he revealed his roommate had decided she no longer needed to pay rent and she proceeded to try to force my brother and his son to leave. I witnessed her abuse consisting of verbal threats, damaging the property, taking over the kitchen and laundry. Theft of personal property and completely trashing her room. He did actually leave for a time but my wife and I convinced him to move back in to avoid losing the house to squatters. She had no written lease, refused to move out but was able to remain on the premises during an 8 month eviction process that cost me $1500. It was a nightmare for my mentally Ill brother who lacked the normal sense of self preservation and had more concern for homeless and people with more needs than himself. Some of those people sensed his weaknesses and took advantage by using the strong renters rights in CA to abuse his family. When she was finally evicted her room was piles with a foot of rotting food and junk and some of my brothers missing possessions. I own property in three states and am very reluctant to rent out any rooms in my lovely Arcata duplex near HSU. I’m a great landlord who always maintains property and keeps rent reasonable. In Colorado the rights of landlords are strong enough to evict a non paying tenant in a few weeks. Tenants there love me and have been renting for over 10 years continuously. Your efforts have successfully reduced my potential contribution to adding more local rental options for the time being. Are you interested in discussing this problem of CA tenant protections keeping rentals off the market? I’m all ears.”
“ I am including a lot of information about my employment since housing and employment can be two issues that feed off each other and do not happen in isolation. I don’t know if it’s too long.
I lost my job at the end of April 2022. I had previously been minimally employed. I can’t talk about housing without mentioning employment since those two issues interact with each other. Right now, I have a good landlord who I don’t have anything bad to say about, but I am afraid of not having enough money to pay rent. There were moments when I tried to get another job, but then had moments when finding another job seemed like more trouble than it’s worth given how difficult it is to find a job around here. Too much job hunting without getting hired by anyone, making you feel like an unwanted loser who is in the Guinness Book of World Records holding the record for “most unwanted job hunter.” After a while, I would wonder what the point of job hunting is when no one will hire me not matter how much effort I put into it.
The difficulty finding a job became reason to hold on to my job at the time the entire pandemic despite having a boss who was very inconsiderate when it comes to covid. He would never wear masks, not even during a mask mandate. While most businesses had plastic screens between the clerk and the customer, this job did not. My boss also did not require customers to wear masks. I constantly felt unsafe at work, but didn’t feel comfortable quitting and taking advantage of the robust unemployment because of questions about my ability to later find another job or get my previous job back after the pandemic. Many people got paid to stay home and got to enjoy both safety and security, while I had to choose between safety and security. Some people who have money or better luck finding a job are able to safely quit. Not everyone has the luxury of quitting. If you know anyone in my position, do not say “if you don’t like your job then just quit.” I was constantly terrified of getting covid on the job. I have wondered why this place didn’t get in trouble. I think it stayed open without a proper clearance from the county. Having to choose between quitting to protect myself from covid vs. keeping my job so that I don’t have to deal with unemployment and the chance of no one hiring me when it’s time to go back to work is not an easy decision. I’m really lucky that I didn’t get covid as far as I know, especially before the vaccine. This left me with a lot more than average hatred toward people who don’t wear masks when they should.
I got laid off from that job is April 2022 because of the business closing. The amount I received in unemployment benefits was not enough for one month’s rent, which created a crisis situation. Fortunately, I had gotten a good tax return to make up the difference and I was able to sell a few things, but I can’t completely depend on that. The other reason for me to not be too dependent on unemployment benefits is that I can only collect them for a finite amount of time. I have to find a job before they expire. Given my previous history of bad luck finding a job, I had no reason to suspect that this would be any different. My previous experiences with job hunting were definitely discouraging me.
I have not told my landlord about my situation. For the most part, I have tried to appear to have everything together and able to pay rent on time. My landlord is also my neighbor. We live in two different units on the same property. He has been an overall good landlord and gave all his tenants a discount on rent during the pandemic.
Despite him being an overall good landlord, there are moments when if rent is due and I’m not sure of my ability to pay it, and also if I don’t know what to say to him, having him as a neighbor can make things difficult when I’m not ready to face him. I might not feel comfortable being home when he knocks to ask about rent.
During fall 2022, there were a few moments when I felt really uncomfortable being home. I had a few hiccups in my unemployment benefits that I didn’t really recover from and other sources of money appeared to be drying up. I do not enjoy holding my hand out for money to anyone. If someone gives me money once, I might feel uncertain about hitting them up for money again wondering if they could only afford to give me so much. I think I managed to get my rent paid in October 2022, even if I don’t remember all the details about how.
In November, I was without enough rent money. I also left my house to do something. When I came back, my landlord was home. I wasn’t ready to face him, but I also didn’t know how to get in my house without being seen. If he is inside his house, I might feel comfortable briefly going in and out to grab something, but not staying and hanging out there for long periods. If he is outside doing yard work, it is even more difficult. I went in to grab something and then left immediately. I decided to look for some place to go until I feel comfortable going home, preferably a place where I might see a friend or someone I know who I can talk to.
I kept walking around Arcata trying to find a place to go. I briefly poked my head into the ACME Widget Store (undisclosed local business in Arcata with a name that has been changed) and didn’t see anyone I know. Even though I don’t use widgets, I do have experience going in there as a customer. Widgets are not the only product or service that the ACME Widget Store offers. I have seen people I know there before and have friends who are fellow repeat customers. Since I didn’t see anyone I know, I just poked my head in and left, and moved on to find somewhere else. There are businesses where I know the employees, but none were open at the moment or if they were, the employee I know was not working at the moment. This was a difficult situation where I needed someone to talk to. I shed a few tears as I walked around trying to find a place to go. I walked by the ACME Widget Store again and spotted a friend walking in dressed like an employee after having not previously not known that he worked there, so I went in. I figured that he would be someone I can talk to, but I was going to wait until the moment was right. I was not going to walk in and tell him off the bat what was going on. I knew not to interrupt him when he was busy doing the duties of his job. During that wait, I did run off to the bathroom multiple times to shed some tears since I didn’t want other customers to see me cry.
While waiting for that moment to talk to my friend, one of the managers of the ACME Widget Store approached me. He asked me how I was. I was not feeling like saying “pretty good” like we are programmed to do automatically regardless of how we feel. I mentioned unemployment and had a hard time fighting back tears. The manager told me that he could hire me, which I was not expecting. He asked me what my experience was. The widgets are not the only product that the ACME Widget Store sells. I have experience being inside widget stores and buying products that are not the widgets that the Widget Store is most known for. Because of my life long experience not using the widgets, which are things that the majority of people use and purchase, I was aware that my knowledge about widgets was way below the average layman, which is why I did not feel qualified to work there and therefore never applied for a job. I wanted to avoid situations where a customer asks me questions about the widgets when they probably know more than me about the widgets I am selling. I had previously been going to the ACME Widget Store regularly for the last month to buy the products other than the widgets and had also looked at items to consider buying when I am in a better place financially.
The manager who hired me, who I initially thought was the owner, created a position that I was able to do before the widget store opens that did not require any knowledge about the widgets. He gave me 10 hours a week, which was not enough, but better than nothing. It seemed like enough to replace unemployment benefits, a source of income that I wanted to replace because I can only get it for a finite amount of time before it runs out. The manager was nice and told me that I was allowed to be given some free non-widget essential items that the widget store sold when I needed them. Some products that they sell in addition to widgets are necessities that I use. As the manager worked to create the position for me, he made an effort to find tasks that I could do to get more hours. I also had some family who helped me out with rent for a few months.
I also had trouble with Food Stamps because I had sold a few items, which I reported in order to explain how I paid rent when unemployment benefits were not enough to cover rent, but I had a hard time submitting proof, which lead to me being kicked off my benefits and needing to pay for food out of my own pocket. I ended up having to reapply.
About a month after I started working there, there was an employee meeting. The person who was speaking to all the employees at the meeting was someone I had never seen before despite having worked there for a month. Based on how he was talking and what he was saying, I was able to tell that he was the real owner. The manager who I previously thought was the owner, is definitely one of the higher ups and is often there doing some of the work, in addition to his leadership role that lead me to think he was the owner. The real owner is never at the widget store. He just knows what goes on there as a result of watching employees through surveillance cameras. The real owner wanted everyone to be more efficient and gave advice on how to sell more widgets and make more money for the business. He also talked about cutting costs and moving tasks around. That was the first sign of my job being in danger.
The following week, my hours went from 10 hours a week to six. Things got slow for the holidays, so they cut employees’ hours. In January, they gave me two weeks off. I was already dealing with having too few hours. I hoped this was temporary. At the beginning of the second week, I asked the manager who hired me when I get to start working again. He said next week. The day before the first day of “next week,” I learned that I was not scheduled for the third week in a row, which was devastating for me. On the first day of “next week,” I went to the widget store when I knew the manager would be there and asked him when I get to work. He decided to have me come in the next day. I had to ask again days later for more hours. At normal jobs, you don’t have to repeatedly ask for hours just to avoid not being scheduled at all. At normal jobs, you are given a set amount of hours without having to ask, or having to only ask once. If I only get hours when I ask repeatedly, I start to feel unwanted. I get the feeling that the real owner, not the manager, wants to cut costs. I talked to a co-worker who I was already friends with before working there one day while hanging out off work.
At the beginning of February, I started worrying about not being able to pay rent and didn’t want to face my landlord when I wasn’t ready. One day, I left my house and when I got back, I saw my landlord outside doing yardwork, so I felt uncomfortable going back home at all, even just briefly to grab a few things. I eventually went to the widget store, where I had moments of repeatedly running off to the bathroom to cry because of my rent situation. My co-workers took care of me while I was there and gave me some free essential items. I went home during the evening because I know that my landlord will not come by to ask me about rent after 8pm, even if he knows I’m home. I found some cash laying around my house, which I was able to use for rent. I paid my rent, which makes me more comfortably able to be inside my home with my landlord knowing I’m home.
Today started out as a normal work day until the end of the day when it was time for me to clock out. One of the managers informed me that they are letting me go and gave me my last paycheck. I am still processing this and feeling really scared. I am having some issues with food stamps right now. My landlord has not evicted me or anything, but I am still scared of not having enough money for rent. I don’t know if I could get another job in time to have enough money. As I type this, my emotions are still kind of raw. I have heard a few friends talk about bad experiences with landlords, so I might be one of the lucky few with a good landlord, but hearing their stories can make me feel afraid of telling my landlord about my financial situation. I do wonder what going to the widget store will be like the next time I go. I don’t have anything bad to say about my co-workers. I also don’t know what my next experience seeing the manager will be like, since he is someone who I have seen standing outside the widget store as I walk by. The real owner is someone who I only saw once the whole time I worked there and probably doesn’t know my name. I have never talked to him. I never saw him there other than the employee meeting. He is an absentee owner. I have wondered if he knows about, cares about, or feels the impact of his decision to cut costs or how it impacts employees.
Throughout my unemployment, one thing I have told people not to say to me is “don’t worry, you’ll figure it out.” This is a very vapid, hollow statement that shows how little the person saying knows about my situation. I don’t know if I should expand on this or if I have types too much. I have thought about including a list of things that no one should say to friends in these kinds of situations. ”
“I’m a freshman at Cal Poly Humboldt, a wildlife major at the university...
I am not from the Humboldt or California, I’m from the Montana, and low and behold when before I moved to California to my surprise I found out from the university that housing on campus was not going to happen. I just find it so ironic that this university talks about how they’re prioritizing incoming freshman for why they’re kicking everyone out of the dorms but as a freshman I couldn’t even get housing on campus nor could I get housing in a hotel at the comfort in for whatever, I didn’t have transportation as an option, I had to find a place in eureka and I have to get rides to campus everyday from family members cause I still don’t have a license and there’s no where for parking.
Coming from Montana, a very deep red state, that’s a state right now where the government there is trying to take women’s rights away, the LGBTQ+ communities rights away, and imagine a students shock that let’s say who’s trans and who’s trying to get out of a state where they have or are trying to take their rights away only to find out when they get to Cal Poly Humboldt that they have no right to housing, that they have no right for a place to live. You know I was fortunate enough to have a nice landlord and a nice living situation but not everyone has that.
My frustrations with leaders like with congressman Jared Huffman, who’s the congressman house representative that represents Humboldt iand others who allegedly say they care about young voters I want to know what they’re doing to help young voters in their city or district. I’d like to know what they’re doing and I don’t mean talk I mean action to help get students off the street so they can have an education and a safe place to live. And if they don’t want to work with us, we can always do it the old fashion way and vote them out.
I’m someone who’s white and it’s people that are my skin color that need to be here right now for communities of color, that need to be here for the LGBTQ+ community, who are at much more higher disadvantage rates than people like me. I will be going to the city hall protest next week and I’m hoping more people join me there in that regard”
“ I was a homeless youth in high school and college and offer housing to older teens and young adults”
“I lived in Humboldt from 2013-2021 and housing was impossible to find or afford. I jumped from one unstable housing situation to another. We almost never met our landlords, were constantly subjected to poor treatment, and lived in housing that didn’t meet the habitability standards of california and had numerous code violations.
Initially, I worked for the HSU housing Department as a student and lived in the dorms. They offer staff free housing as their payment. When that ended, I struggled to afford off campus housing or find somewhere I could be comfortable or felt safe. I slept in an illegal sublet where I had to take care of someone’s rat for a couple months. There was no heat, the breaker routinely blew, and the other tenants fought like cats and dogs. I learned later it was so full of mold and rotten that the second story bathroom could have fallen through to the first floor at any minute. After that there was a period of about two months where I couched surfed at multiple peoples houses while I searched for a rental. Two weeks here and two weeks there. My grades and mental health suffered and I was dealing with physical health issues as well. I dropped out twice and almost never finished school. It took me four years to find a stable home where I stayed as long as I was in the county. There just wasn’t enough housing or housing I could afford. I was working multiple jobs to afford the places I had and there were so few rentals. I couldn’t afford all the rental agencies multiple application fees so I had to use craiglist and friends.
The entire time I lived in Humboldt I never once lived in a place that didn’t have some code violations or unsafe elements. Most places had black mold, rats, electrical hazards, or lacked basic utilities. But I was mostly broke. I couldn’t afford a lawyer, I didn’t know who to call. Any effort on my part to fight back could cause me to homeless once again. Landlords had no problem retaliating because they had the money to fight and we didn’t. And my story is one of the better ones. I know people who couched surfed for much longer or who lived in their vans while trying to go to school. There is not enough housing and the housing that does exist is overpriced and unsafe. I got the chance to comeback a few months ago for a job and I didn’t do it just because of housing. I love and miss Humboldt every day but I know I wouldn’t be able to find somewhere to live. I’m no longer a student but I am a pet owner. And being a student or a pet owner are the worst things you can be to a Humboldt County landlord.
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“To me, a secure housing market would mean affordable home ownership opportunities/programs. I’d love to be able to be a homeowner in order to feel safe and secure. I’d love to see my friends and family be able to afford their own own home, especially those who are raising children...
This means that there should be regulations regarding real estate tycoons from purchasing all the homes to flip them for an astronomical price. These prices end up changing the local market completely, making housing unaffordable to locals and natives. This tactic should be more regulated, giving priority to first-time home buyers in neighborhoods that have housing scarcity...
If mortgages were affordable, maybe that would lead to more affordable rentals.
Another thing in general that would create housing security would be more development. More houses equals more competition, which could lower the rent/sale prices. This would change the perspective of an individual. Thoughts and feelings of moving could go from panic and anxiety to excitement and joy at a new housing opportunity that is bountiful in the area.
There should also be more rules and regulations regarding things like Air bnb. I don’t see how giving tourists priority over housing makes any sense for locals.”
“I was given a 60 notice to vacate my apartment in September, along with the other three apartments in my section of the Westwood Garden apartments (Apt A1-A4). The reason stated for the no fault eviction was that they planned to do substantial remodeling of the apartment. I found a new place quickly due to sheer luck of knowing a friend with private landlord that had an open apartment for rent. Unfortunately the apartment is a single bedroom that costs more than the two bedroom I was renting. It’s less than half the size of my old apartment and yet I’m paying more....
After seeing the article in Lost Coast Outpost I’m highly suspicious that Strombeck just found a convient excuse to get us out of the apartment so they could re-rent it for more money. The housing market in Humboldt is spiraling out of control and has been since for the last 8 years.”
“... D.G. is a shit landlord. I rented a mother in law unit from him in Mckinleyville for 2 years before I was evicted. Little things were wrong with the property, he refused to fix some. The most notable was the trash can, which was severely undersized for 2 units and he wouldn’t upgrade it.
I payed 975$/mo for 1 bedroom 1bath for 2 years. I never was a day late on rent, I never caused any issues with the other tenets or neighbors. I did a lot of improvements to the property, I put in a garden and kept everything in pristine condition.
Out of the blue he texted me asking me to leave. He gave me 2 months which was decent. But the reason he gave was that he needed to do repairs on the property. The repairs he listed were all ones he could have done with me living there. When I did move out he did different repairs that were all unnecessary and cosmetic. Replacing cabinets with shelves, putting a cover over the small cement pad that was sort of a deck, making a closet into a decent pantry. Then he upped the rent to 1340$/mo.
It was a pretty blatent excuse to get me out so he could charge more. I know people have endured far worse from humboldt landlords, but I think this scenario is unfortunately common. Rent prices are absolutely skyrocketing. I rented a room in Arcata when I first graduated in 2014 for 375$/mo, that’s unheard of today.”
“My old place in Sunny Brae, we had our house sold while we were living there. Landlords had the new buyers come over all the time w/o letting us know; same with handypeople fixing things we had called about multiple times.
Like, we went all winter of 2015/16 with no central heat in a moldy shack of a house!! Since they were selling it they actually gave a fuck. I was the only one home
When one guy came in to install a carbon monoxide detector that we previously didn’t have. It went off like crazy and the studio rooms oven was kept on for who knows how long from another unauthorized walk thru. I was definitely like, I’m gonna die in this house.
Currently at my place I’ve had my oven spark and almost burn down my house cuz mice chewed the wires. I’ve told my landlords about the mice multiple times but they haven’t done anything so every hole they could come
in I stuffed with wire mesh I bought myself.”
“Although I currently live in a home I inherited, and am looking to sell it and buy a smaller one (yay generational wealthbuilding), I am trying to make positive changes for housing and transit in Humboldt.
I haven’t been a renter in three years, but I have empathy for people who are renting in this awful rental market - landlords are charging big city prices without people making big city wages.
Many locals are such prejudiced, reactionary NIMBYs that they oppose almost any housing development, but especially affordable housing, which they seem to interpret as “slums for homeless drug addicts” no matter what the proposal is. Then there’s others who claim they oppose apartment buildings because they hate how modern developments look, as though the entire state’s housing needs should revolve around their aesthetic preferences.
The image people have is so bad that I commissioned an artist friend to do a rendering of what an affordable, dense, attractive, secure apartment building could look like, based on the beautiful 1910s and 1920s courtyard apartments that are common in the Chicago area. This style of building allows for natural light and ventilation in all units while also providing a lovely green space courtyard for tenants to enjoy. With an iron fence and gate across the front, there’s also excellent access control. Hopefully it is pleasant enough to change some people’s minds.”