Evicted tenants rally over lack of affordable housing in Plainfield

Evicted tenants in Plainfield rallied on Saturday to hold city leaders accountable for the lack of affordable housing.

Amanda Lee and Rob Taub

Aug 19, 2023, 9:12 PM

Updated 474 days ago

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Evicted tenants in Plainfield rallied on Saturday to hold city leaders accountable for the lack of affordable housing.
Those tenants have been scrambling to find secure housing over the last two weeks. On Aug. 8, families came home to that eviction notice due to hundreds of maintenance violations.
Residents told News 12 Cyclone Investments, the property owners for 501 and 515 Seventh Street took over those buildings three years ago and ever since they have had issues which lead to 501 being condemned. Demonstrators added they want the city and the state to step in and make sure residents can get safe secure housing now and in the future.
"They’re obviously now upset because they’re either sleeping in their cars or they’re sleeping on the floor,” said tenant Estephany Blanco. “They don’t have a place to go, and it seems like nobody is really doing anything about it. There’s a lot of people, a lot of children that are extremely effected by this."
Blanco also acknowledged tenants were told it will be at least six months before they can even move back into 501.
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