HARTFORD, Conn. (WFSB) – The Concord Hills Tenants Union held a rally at Hartford City Hall Wednesday to demand action from the owner of the Concord Hills apartment complex, which has been at the center of a housing crisis since a fire displaced dozens. of tenants in August.

The fire, which occurred on Sherbrook Avenue, forced residents from 50 units.

Many of those units were later broken into, further complicating the situation.

Tenants have been living in hotels since the fire, but their temporary housing will soon end, with many facing uncertainty when they will be able to return home.

Tenants are calling on Greyhill Group, the property’s owner, to expedite repairs and allow city inspectors access to units in need of restoration.

According to Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam, the owner must either resume construction or allow the city to step in.

“Greyhill Group must either start construction or open the gates and let the city in. We are here today to appeal to the Greyhill Group, asking you not to hinder the city’s efforts to repair these twenty-seven units and bring the residents back to safety. housing before reaching December,” said Mayor Arulampalam.

Tenants are also pushing for an expansion of their temporary housing and greater accountability from the New York-based Greyhill Group, which they say has failed to deliver on promises about repairs.

“We are somewhat disappointed and reluctant to be out of the town hall again but we have a group of people who need to be able to move back into homes where they have been paying rent faithfully for years in many cases and Greyhill have dragged their feet and it seems to try to run out the clock,” said Connecticut Tenants Union Vice President Luke Melonakos-Harrison.

The city told residents they had until Dec. 10 to vacate their hotel rooms, but tenants say necessary repairs have not been completed in the three months since the fire.

In an effort to help, the city of Hartford offered tenants a $4,000 stipend to help with relocation costs and worked to find comparable housing options.

However, city officials stressed that they cannot allow people to stay in hotels indefinitely.

Despite repeated efforts by reporters to contact the Greyhill Group for comment, there was no response.

The city also offered to cover the remaining $50,000 in construction costs needed to complete the repairs, but Greyhill Group reportedly declined the offer unless the city agreed to lift a lien on the property .

As the deadline for hotel stays approaches, tenants are increasingly frustrated and are demanding swift action from both the landlord and the city to ensure they have safe and stable housing in the future.

Channel 3 has contacted the Greyhill Group for comment but has not heard back.

Copyright 2024 WFSB. All rights reserved.