KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On Tuesday, tenants at Quality Hill Towers announced 65 striking tenants will pay rent this month.
"We have voted to pause our strike," said Clara Blessing, a tenant at Quality Hill Towers. "We do not make this decision lightly. We are using every means necessary to reach healthy and clean homes."
The announcement is the latest development in the KC Tenant union's 64-day long picket.
"Let me be crystal clear: we will not stop organizing. We are not backing down. While this moment does not represent an outright victory, it is not a defeat," Audrey Williams said. "Every single day, the union will continue to fight for our homes and get results. If we have a chance, the chance lives with the tenant union. We have a chance, and it lives with this tenant union at Quality Hill Towers."
KSHB 41 has followed the tenant strike from the beginning.
In October, Independence Towers received $1.3 million from Fannie Mae for repairs awarded to Trigild Inc., a court-appointed receiver for the property.
Residents at Quality Hill Towers received a new boiler, water heater, and flush valves, per a Tenant Union Federation spokesperson.
"They've made quite a few unit repairs where people had had holes in their ceiling," said Grace White, an organizer with the Tenant Union Federation. "Last week, they announced that they were going to pay out approximately $40,000 to tenants who are current on rent with $200 gift cards."
Striking tenants told KSHB 41 Sentinel Real Estate, the managing company of Quality Hill Towers, issued 10 non-renewal lease notices to picketing tenants.
It's the landlord's latest move forcing the hands of tenants, prompting them to pause the strike.
"If they do not reverse the lease on renewals, if they file a single eviction, if conditions do not improve, then the tenants will have no other option than to vote to reauthorize the strike," White said.
Strike organizers told KSHB 41 this move is a step in the right direction to show the tenants desire to reach a fair agreement.
"We have been working with our landlords since day one to find a solution," said Hell Woods, a Quality Hill Towers tenant. "The whole purpose of this strike is so we can have safe homes, and we’ve been trying to get to a solution since day one."
Since the beginning of the strike, the tenants have withheld over $125,000 in rent.
KSHB 41 reached out to the Quality Hill Towers Leasing Office for comment and didn't hear back prior to the publication of this story.
KSHB 41 was provided with a written statement from the Federal Housing Finance Agency:
"The FHFA and Fannie Mae met with the Tenant Union Federation on Nov 8 to share updates on the status of the repairs at Independence Towers and Quality Hill Towers as well as to hear from tenants directly. This is an unfortunate situation for the tenants, and the FHFA has continued to work with Fannie Mae to address areas where it is legally permitted."
KSHB 41 will keep you up to date on Sentinel Real Estate's position.
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KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. Share your story idea with Ryan.