Residents Gather For Housing, Legal Help After Displacement From Apartment Complex

Several groups were at the Volunteers of America location Saturday near 61st and Mingo to help residents from Vista Shadow Mountain Apartments who were forced to move out this week.

Several organizations around Tulsa showed up to help residents choose a new neighborhood and provide them access to legal services.  

Housing solutions executive director Becky Gligo said the tenants should not have been in this position in the first place.

"This is awful," Gligo said. "We should never live in a city where one out-of-state landlord can put hundreds of our neighbors at risk." 

Gligo said the main goal is to find residents a safe and secure temporary home while the apartment complex is under construction.

The stories Gilgo has heard from residents have been described as sad and horrifying.

"It's really heartbreaking to hear stories about people whose assistance animals had to be put down because the mold was so terrible,” Gilgo said. “They got infections.”

Resident Brandon Rozzell said he's had to deal with unemployment, being behind on rent and is now facing homelessness.

"We've been living out of boxes and just the bare essentials that you would need to get by because they couldn't give us a definitive answer," Rozzell said. 

Gligo said the donations and volunteers help speaks volumes, which is giving tenants like Rozzell hope for the future.

"Gives you the ability to sleep at night knowing that there's people out there that will give," Rozzell said.

State officials said anyone who couldn't attend the event should contact the Tulsa Housing Authority at 918-582-0021.