A number of Kenmore Hall tenants have been having problems with the H.S.I. social service staff since roughly May 2013. The issues include: · the closing of the community room at midnight and the lobby at 1:00, prohibiting tenants from having the 24 hour access they’d all been accustomed to for many years (this is allegedly because a number of fights between tenants had broken out, and rather than ban the fighting tenants, all tenants are deprived of the use of common areas that would be a relief from the close quarters in the tiny “studio” apartments) · commencing monthly “home visits” by social workers; social workers haven’t communicated clearly why these home visits are at all necessary, but the widespread lie the social workers tell tenants is that they signed a consent form as part of their original packet of material when they moved in. Nobody recalls signing a consent form like that, and nobody who’s asked to see the form has been allowed to see it. · Some tenants have been given peculiar health forms to sign, including one tenant who was given an HIV consent form to sign. Most people are refusing to sign them. · Tenants seeking relief from problems in their units like severe infestation by mold or roaches are told that they themselves are the cause of the problem, even if they don’t have food lying around in the open and have been filling out work orders requesting help getting rid of the problem · Tenants who call 311 about heat/hot water and other issues are told that H.S.I. can’t afford one more violation, that the tenants must not call 311 again or there will be a legal retaliation, and then tenants are banned from going on movie trips with the social director. Tenants who resist submitting to the new rules are told that they are: · Mentally ill · Hoarders · Nuisances, and subject to legal action, including possible eviction · Having a nasty attitude toward case workers · In need of help from Adult Protective Services (APS) Please keep in mind that the commentary about the tenants’ frame of mind comes from case workers who are usually at least 20 years younger than most tenants, and who don’t display their academic affiliation and which degrees they’ve earned.