State College Borough Council Renews Commitment to Safe, Stable Housing

The State College Borough Council on Monday passed a resolution to affirm its commitment to improving conditions for tenants in the local housing market.

Council unanimously adopted the resolution, which outlines several objectives the borough can work to achieve in the pursuit of a more equitable housing market. Key goals include the construction of a “comprehensive tenant advocacy system,” as well as the maintenance of public databases that contain rental information, inspection results, code violations and more. The borough would largely work in partnership with the Centre County Council of Governments to maintain those resources.

The resolution’s objectives were largely derived from the work of Central PA United, an advocacy group committed to “building independent, progressive political power” in central Pennsylvania. The organization previously called for the implementation of a tenants’ bill of rights to support safe housing and combat abusive landlord practices.

“I commend Central PA United, all who have spoken and shared their stories, [borough manager Tom Fountaine] and members of council for all their work on this resolution,” Mayor Ezra Nanes said. “It is a statement of values and a statement of intentions, and it has very clear direction in it. I think, in that regard, it is a very good document.”

According to the resolution, the borough will work with legal services organizations and local non-profits to assist tenants with available resources and provide legal representation to those who face eviction. It also calls on the borough to reform zoning policies to support sustainable housing and explore incentive programs that could encourage landlords to “follow best practices.”

Additionally, the passed resolution largely seeks to expand prospective renters’ and tenants’ access to housing information in the State College area. Central PA United organizers found many online resources were archaic or unavailable, including an emergency accommodations portion of the property maintenance code that was outright deleted, likely on accident. Some hyperlinks on those websites were inactive, potentially barring newer tenants from properly studying up-to-date code.

Council member Gopal Balachandran, who ran for council with the support of Central PA United, said the resolution would not have been possible without Fountaine’s help.

“The manager really worked with all of us to be able to have multiple meetings to make sure that what we were asking and what we were requesting were not duplicative of things that the borough did,” Balachandran said. “He was certainly someone who we viewed as a partner while working through this whole housing resolution… It really was wonderful to see how this partnership worked with the community, a community organization, the borough, council and the borough manager as well.”

Before voting on the resolution, council heard public comments for nearly half an hour. Residents described their difficulties renting in the area and voiced concerns with some of the resolution’s objectives, including the feasibility of maintaining such sprawling resource databases.

One Spring Mills resident spoke during public comment to explain her “frustrating, unnecessary struggles” with the local housing market. She claimed her one-bedroom apartment featured a leaking sink, a rusty fridge and a detached roof that sends rainwater down her bedroom walls. Maintenance workers repeatedly refused to properly repair the ceiling, she said.

“How can we as a community allow this to happen to each other?” she said tearfully. “Housing is a human right. No one should be without a house. No one should have a house that has a leaking roof above their head.”

The Spring Mills resident repeatedly cited frustrations with landlord Rodney Hendricks, who is currently on the receiving end of a lawsuit from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office for allegedly levying illegal charges on tenants and providing residences with unlivable conditions. Hendricks, who manages more than 100 properties in the State College area, falsely accused her of not paying rent and criticized her for seeking repairs for her apartment, she said.

“I say that name and any local within a 30-mile radius would tell you how much of a mistake that would be,” she said of renting from Hendricks.

Renters’ rights in State College have become increasingly significant in recent years, organizers said on Monday. More than 70% of borough households rent, according to the resolution, and more than 4,000 renter households spend at least half of their household income on rent alone. Organizers said those issues, combined with hostile landlords and substandard housing conditions, present threats to the community.

While Monday’s resolution does not immediately alter State College’s housing market, the recommendations should make a difference for tenants down the line. Shirley Gorski, a Central PA United organizer, said the borough’s goals clearly align with the issues facing renters today.

“When going door to door to learn about renters’ experiences, across the board, renters are not aware of their rights, so landlords are taking advantage of renters,” Gorski said in a statement. “They are being charged illegal fees, signing leases with illegal provisions, charged for maintenance and repairs, forced into illegal evictions, and living in very poor conditions that violate their rights. In addition, renters are confused about what resources are available and how to find them; they are unclear about who owns their property, and thousands of renters are paying more in rent than they can afford. This legislation will go a long way toward addressing many of these issues.”