Some tenants who live in federally subsidized public housing in Colorado Springs say they believe their involvement in organizing tenants’ rights groups at their apartment complexes has led to blowback from the Colorado Springs Housing Authority, including to the point of imminent eviction.

“The retaliation and intimidation have been ongoing and blatant,” said Betty Field, a nearly four-year resident of Centennial Plaza Apartments, an 11-story, 99-unit building east of downtown.

The Colorado Springs Housing Authority’s Paul Spencer argues to the contrary.

“There certainly isn’t any retaliation against tenants who either form or join a tenants’ association, and we will not tolerate that by any of our staff,” said Spencer, whose agency manages more than 1,000 units under the government’s Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program for low-income residents.

Field, a former social worker who in 2018 made a bid for a seat in Colorado’s 5th Congressional district, ticks off a few examples, including what seem to residents to be subjective protocols for handling complaints.

“A few months ago, the building manager tried to evict me based on one neighbor’s complaints, and the manager had never told me there were any complaints against me,” Field said.

Until recently, Field chaired the Centennial Plaza Tenants Association, which she formed in 2022 to “increase tenant activities, safety and sense of community,” according to the group.

Members have advocated for improved living conditions, tenant participation in governance, and a better quality of life. Field said about half of the tenants have joined, and the group has so far successfully lobbied for surveillance cameras and new signage, among other upgrades.

Field stepped down as the leader because she claims she’s been targeted with unfair practices.

In one situation, 55-year-old Field, who uses a wheelchair full-time due to inflammation of the spinal cord, submitted paperwork for her daughter to be designated as a live-in aide, which she says was the suggestion of the building manager.

“I received an email from the building manager saying the information was sent and submitted for approval,” Field said.

Following “a hiccup from the doctor’s office to the housing authority,” Field said her doctor did authorize a live-in aide. But two weeks after being notified that the information had been submitted for approval, Field received a denial of the request for accommodation to have her daughter stay in her apartment and help her with daily physical tasks.

The housing authority says it sent three notices to the doctor’s office with no response. Field said her doctor’s office told her they never received any request.

Two days later, she received an eviction notice for having “an unauthorized guest.”

“The way evictions are handled is like a weapon, and it will continue to happen unless we can get accountability and transparency from the housing authority,” Field said. “The rules need to be equally applied to tenants.”

For instance, a man who once physically pinned someone down in the elevator still lives there, said resident Linda Wurst.

“It feels like anybody could get an eviction notice on their door for stupid things,” she said.

Spencer said the housing authority follows state and federal laws, enforces conditions of leases using proper procedures and has a grievance process for tenants.

The housing authority, which is not part of city government, supports tenant organization within buildings, he said; such activity is allowed under Department of Housing and Urban Development rules.

“We have worked with the Centennial Plaza Tenant Association ever since it’s been in place to improve the quality and safety of the building,” Spencer said. “Providing low-income housing is our mission, and we take great pride in trying to make our buildings safer, more secure and good places to live for thousands of people.”

Pamela Langford, a disabled woman who lives at Southview Plaza, a 31-unit building off East Fountain Boulevard that’s also a housing authority project, said she’s “definitely dealt with retaliation and intimidation,” which she attributes to her role in leading informal tenant meetings in her building.

Langford, 51, said it’s obvious she’s fallen out of favor with the manager, who is the same person overseeing Centennial Plaza, because the lock on her storage closet recently was changed without her knowledge, and she couldn’t access her possessions until she found a maintenance man to help her.

Langford said she never found out why the lock was suddenly switched out with no notification or explanation.

Langford has lived in the complex for nearly five years, and a recent complaint from a neighbor — who she says instigated the situation — has led to her receiving an eviction notice, which she’s requested mediation for. The neighbor doesn’t appear to be facing any retribution, Langford said.

“The way they do things has ethical implications — you always feel pressure that if you don’t do this or do this, you can be evicted,” she said. “There are people who’ve been here 20 years, and it’s very uncomfortable. You’re always on edge.”

The manager did not respond to a Gazette request for an interview but forwarded the request to Spencer, who refutes any claims that the agency isn’t operating in an upstanding manner.

It’s not that residents at Centennial Plaza, which has the only formalized tenants’ association, don’t appreciate the management’s efforts to make improvements, said Arlene Burke, one of several advocating on Field’s behalf.

“Betty made it so it doesn’t suck here,” Burke said. “She helped get alarms on doors, mirrors in elevators — she’s improved the place greatly.”

Some tenants plan to address Colorado Springs City Council during public comment at Tuesday’s meeting, and some have posted flyers on their apartment doors to help get the word out.

“Betty put her whole heart and energy into it, and the management has been on her tail,” Burke said. “They’re hoping the association will fold if they get rid of Betty.”

Field is facing a June 2 eviction and is scared she’ll become homeless if it’s carried out. Langford’s eviction date is May 23.

“Once we lose housing, we have three options: a nursing home, under a bridge or the morgue,” Field said. “And I don’t qualify for a nursing home.”

Contact the writer: 719-476-1656