Cincinnati mayor vows action against rent hikes for elderly residents

Elderly residents of Victory Vistas Apartments in Paddock Hills, Cincinnati, are facing rent increases that could double or triple their current payments, prompting them to seek help from city officials.

During a city council meeting, several tenants, including 70-year-old Viola Brown, shared their distress over the potential rent hikes and eviction threats.

"It has left us disappointed, stressed, hurt, let down, and unsure about our livelihood," Brown said during the public comment session.

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval expressed his anger over the situation, stating, "This is wrong. Plain wrong. It is unjust. It is potentially predatory, and I am furious."

Pureval promised to take action to help the tenants remain in their homes.

Local 12 also asked him in an exclusive interview if the city might attempt to reclaim tax breaks given to the building's developer, Kingsley and Company, if any agreements were violated.

"Let me be clear. Yes, as much if not all of it as possible. If any predatory behavior happened, if anything illegal happened, if anything unethical happened, we are going to do everything we can to hold this developer accountable and get back our public dollars," he said.

Kingsley and Company, led by former Cincinnati Bengals player Chinedum Ndukwe, developed the building with federal tax breaks and a $1 million capital grant from the city.

Documents received through open records requests also indicated the company received a 15-year 100 percent tax abatement from the city, based on the estimated $2.6 million worth of the building post-construction.

In its application for the abatement, the company wrote that without the abatement, it was facing a $1.2 million shortfall on the project.

The company has stated it is complying with the law and has assured tenants that rent increases and evictions will not occur until the new year. Company representatives did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Ohio Housing Finance Agency is investigating whether the rent hikes violate the tax agreement for federal tax breaks, with results expected soon.

Brown expressed relief that the council and mayor are taking the issue seriously.

"I was excited to hear that city council is on board. The mayor and the council members are very interested in seeing to it that we are not set out and that this type of situation does not happen again in the future," she said.
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