On October 21 of 2021, Zumbro House Inc. issued residents of a 200 unit assisted living facility (Wings of Newport, at 2300 Hastings Ave, Newport, MN) notices to vacate for November 30th. The senior residents, many disabled and dependent on services, say they have no time to find alternative housing as winter weather sets in. Residents also state that promised services such as administered medication, dining, and nursing staff were never realized or were inadequate, and in some instances, unlicensed.
Resident Lucretia Brewer states: “People who already deal with the daily challenge of a disability have been thrown into a health and financial crisis by the decision to not renew our leases.”
Zumbro House has indicated they plan to upgrade the building and re-rent at a higher price. The building is newly constructed and opened its doors on Sept 1st, 2020. There is no significant visible damage. Residents claim refurbishment is a pretext for cleaning out the building of its current tenants and avoiding consequences for unfulfilled promises.
Resident Charlene Harper states: “All we hear about is damages to the building but we don’t see them. We as tenants have the right to know what is going on. They only tell us that we have to leave, but all we want to know is where we are going to go, and what are we going to do?”
Residents organized powerfully to protest evictions and demand proper administration of the building. With the assistance of HOME Line organizers, the tenant association held a protest, a press conference, testified at city council and hosted a Thanksgiving dinner to bring awareness to the injustice they faced. They demanded that Zumbro House to meet with them and offer lease extensions as well as vouchers for moving expenses. They also urged the City of Newport and Washington County to step in and remedy the situation.
Chris Onken, CEO of Zumbro House was reluctant to meet the tenants’ demands.
Resident Crystal Rex states: “I finally got a call from Chris for the first time since he put that notice under my door. I told him I was still finding a place to live and needed more time. He told me he was not open to giving more time and that he would start the eviction process on Friday. This isn’t right. We residents know we need to move and we’re trying our best but we need help and more time. On top of that it’s two degrees outside and COVID is still a serious issue in Minnesota.”
Currently, residents are represented by Housing Justice Center in a Tenant Remedies Action against Zumbro House and the lawsuit has yet to be resolved.
Press coverage:
- Star Tribune:
- Pioneer Press:
- KARE 11:
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