University of Virginia Library

'Nowhere To Go' Claim Two

By Rob Buford

Photos By Bob Gill

Inadequate Living Quarters, Dilapidated Kitchen Characterize Sub-Standard Page St. Dwellings

Although Occupants Express Willingness To May More Than $18 Rent, Landlord Refuses To Initiate Needed Repairs

"We don't have anywhere to go,
and it's winter. We'll just have to
wait and see what is going to
happen," commented Mrs. Emma
Michie, who lives at 821 Page Street
in a row of duplex structures
recently condemned as substandard
housing units.

Thirteen families including Mrs.
Mihi are currently renting rooms
in the row of houses from 811 to
821 Page Street a predominantly
black residential area. All have been
served with eviction notices, which
order them to vacate by March 8,
1969. The evicting action was initiated
by the owner, Benton
Patterson, a Charlottesville real estate
dealer who was ordered by the
city to make improvements on the
unfit facilities.

The duplexes currently have no
hot or cold water, and no heating
or plumbing fixtures. Heat must be
obtained by burning wood in
stoves. Lavatory facilities are outdoors.
It is obvious from the sight
of the houses that they have not
had a coat of paint for many years.
The porches on the fronts of the
structures as well as the steps seem
to be falling away from the walls.
Water stands in stagnant pools between
the houses and the street.

Mrs. Josephine Jones, who lives
at 819 Page St., had no more idea
about her future living accommodations
than Mrs. Mihi. Apparently
most of the other residents are
finding themselves in similar positions
of doubt.

Both Mrs. Mihi and Mrs. Jones
rent two room apartments. They
have been paying eighteen dollars a
month in the past, but both expressed
a willingness to pay more if
the owner would agree to make the
improvements called for by city
authorities. Patterson has decided
that eviction is a better solution
than improvements on his houses.
This obviously leaves the residents
in a precarious position.

For the moment, the duplex
residents are standing by and waiting
to see what will happen. Several
persons including a University law
student, John Lowe and a Mr.
Ford, a local minister, have been
working on behalf of the residents
in order to help them find some
answer to their problem.

According to the Daily Progress,
Mr. Lowe told the meeting a program
of definite action to make low
cost housing available in the community
is on the drawing board of
an "active group of about 35 workers
with great creative energy" organized
as the St. Paul's Housing
Task Force, headquartered at St.
Paul's Memorial Church where they
have been meeting for about two
months.

He said the group estimates
some 500 housing units are needed
in the city and 50 are necessary by
this summer and we propose to
have them.

"When if we rehabilitated every
slum in the city we'd still need 200
new units," Mr. Lowe said.

"By 1980," Mr. Lowe
explained, "the city is expected to
have 108,000 population, we're
told.' The need for housing is
immense.' We have people who pay
$60 a month for rent and another
$50 a month for firewood for
heating. They could and would pay
$110 a month for a decent place
with modern heating. We don't
have the housing they can move
into," he explained.

Charlottesville Mayor Vogt said,
"no one can disagree that we just
do not have enough housing in the
low cost area."

Reginald Warfield of 819
Page Street is one of those facing
eviction. He explained that
residents of the houses were willing
to forego their privacy in an effort
to "get something done" about
slum housing. We're not the worst
you will find in the city," he said
and Mr. Lowe noted that some
houses in Charlottesville have dirt
floors.