King Court residents and housing authority battle over proposed sale

Residents of King Court, housing authority commissioners and officials met at Town Hall for a public meeting on the future of King Court, a housing authority-owned complex. Photos by Frances Taylor.

After months of being on the sidelines, King Court residents have mobilized to fight a proposed plan by the East Hartford Housing Authority that could eventually force tenants to move, following the sale of the housing complex.

About 25 King Court residents came to a Jan. 31 East Hartford Town Council meeting to push back against the plan. The residents have formed a tenant association in recent weeks, and hired attorney David Pels to represent them.

King Court is a subsidized housing complex with residents who work, as well as some who are disabled. The East Hartford Housing Authority, which faced a million-dollar shortfall, entered into a recovery agreement with the federal housing authority to repay funds it owes through the sale of King Court.

The plan, as previously outlined by housing authority attorney Ralph Alexander, would eventually force tenants to move. The housing authority had been in discussion with Goodwin College to acquire the property. Alexander said that he and the housing  commissioners thought “educational “ use of the property would be beneficial to the town and surrounding area, and noted that the college already owns property in the area.  No deal has been reached.

At the time of those discussions, Alexander said, “The tenant association had not been formed. We understand they have concerns about the transfer process, and we have been meeting with them,” he said, noting that discussions had been taking place during recent weeks.

Mary Hill, president of the tenant association, said residents had not been included in the process and do not want to be forced out of their homes. Hill questioned why the process has so far only included Goodwin College as a possible bidder on the property, and why a sale of the housing complex should force tenants out.

“We don't want a time limit to move,” Hill said. “We love our school district and our community and we want to stay.”

Susan Kneip, a former East Hartford mayor and a frequent critic of the Town Council, told the Council the plan to force residents to move was, “a victimization of the residents of King Court by federal, state and local officials.”' The situation is not the fault of the residents, Kneip said, ''but long-term mismanagement of the housing authority” by its commissioners.

“These officials have breached their fiduciary responsibilities and have yet to be held accountable for that. Instead they have been re-installed in their positions,” said Kneip, who called for a federal investigation of the East Hartford Housing Authority.

Town Council member Eric Thompson said he was pleased that residents now had an attorney to represent their interests. He also called on the housing authority to make a greater effort to reach out to the neighborhood surrounding the complex to allow more input from neighbors who would be affected by any changes that occur on the King Court property.