My husband and I left our home state of New Jersey because rents are skyrocketing up to six thousand dollars a range between two-six thousand dollars a month and the bus service is terrible. So on August 29 2024, we came to Virginia. From August 29-December 15 2024, we stayed at an extended Stay America hotel before finding a one bedroom apartment at the William Byrd Senior Apartments in Richmond. Life was wonderful. The apartment was pretty with a phenomenal view. Rent included utilities there is a van that takes residents shopping. There is a community room, library, and laundry room and parties. The property managers got a bed donated for us. Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box. They put us in contact with an insurance agent who is also a volunteer outreach worker and he set us up with our current health insurance plans. The one lady in charge even looked up restaurants so my husband Steve and I could have Christmas plans. She told us about the JCC and now we have free memberships. Then things changed. The central air system broke down and hasn't been repaired. The elevators constantly break down and the three public bathrooms are locked. The William Byrd has bedbugs. Two neighbors told us they had the bedbugs. One neighbor said she had them twice years before Steve and I moved in. Another neighbor said she had them four years ago when she first moved in. Another friend and neighbor had them and recently moved out. We reported our problem and at first management was kind. We were told You won't be evicted. It's not a housekeeping problem bedbugs are no one's fault they are insidious they come from everywhere and anywhere. The next day we were blamed for the problem. Management said we brought them from the hotel. This isn't true we never had problems at the hotel. Management stole our security deposit and put it in escrow because we had Bedbugs. We had to sleep on the floor for two weeks. We were isolated. We couldn't go to the laundry, library, or community room. We couldn't sit in the lobby were told we couldn't talk to other tenants. We moved out. The good news we are bedbug free because the hotel we moved to had laundry facilities and we laundered our clothes. We contacted senior Connections and were given a social worker named Emily. She misled us. She asked us what we needed. We told her help getting a furnished room and advocate to get our security deposit back. She basically just emailed us a list of agencies which we called. Eight numbers and only two called back saying they couldn't help us. Emily didn't come through. From Steve I called Emily. All she did was tell me what she couldn't do. Emily said the agency doesn't send anyone to meet with people in need they just send lists. I spoke to the Mayor s office and told the woman in the Mayor's office and was told someone would get back to me and no one ever did. I was told I would be sent an email contact. That didn't happen Jackie and I didn't hear from anyone. I contacted social services and was told they don't send anyone out to meet with people in crisis. All they do is send lists. From Jackie and Steve I told the woman in the Mayor's office that one of the major reasons people are homeless is because no one goes out to these people to find out what their needs are when and if they are contacted. These agencies don't send anyone out. They are supposed to work for the people we don't work for them. They wouldn't have jobs if it weren't for us. Property Management and landlords wouldn't be employed without tenants. This hands off attitude on the part of social services and the city is a disgrace. If they can't or won't help people in need of housing or other services they should pack up and go home. They shouldn't be getting a paycheck for doing virtually nothing. All they do is tell folks what they can't do never what they can do. If they can't help anyone why are they there. These people live in cushy land. They get titles a paycheck and a benefits package and do nothing to earn it. Some people in the twenty first century are entitled. Give me a job money and benefits but don't expect me to work hard and earn it. A tech savvy ten year old could press a computer send button to email lists to people. These folks have it made job wise. Cushy land. God Forbid they they should leave their offices and their umbilical cord attachment to their computers. read more