Meridian At Braddock Station

I have been a resident for roughly 10 years. For the most part, I was fairly pleased. Alas, no longer. I moved from one apartment to another and things have gone from good to horrible. First, I had to fight tooth and nail to have my hot water heater fixed. After over a year of having a lack of appropriate hot water and/​or extreme energy bills (almost $ 300 a month some months — I live alone and generally am not home enough to use much energy), they finally put a new unit in my apartment. That set in motion other issues. I thought my heated air had problems, but assumed it was in my head because I had a new unit (the same unit provides hot air and water) and my water was fine. I contacted the emergency number when temperatures dipped down to 14 degrees (January 4), and maintenance indicated the hot air wasn’t connected. They connected it, ran the water for a short time, and said all should be okay. After FREEZING for hours, I called emergency maintenance again. They said they knew the heat wasn’t fixed, but with a new pipe things should be okay in the morning. At no time was I offered a guest suite with appropriate heat.
I stayed home from work (January 5) to either make sure that the job was done, or that I was provided a warm place to sleep the next day. Finally, the heat was fixed. What I didn’t know was that my water was contaminated. I felt inexplicably ill the last few days (nausea, headaches, stomach issues, cramps, and other symptoms), and when I went to boil some water for tea (January 7), I realized the water was brownish! I went to the front desk to seek a place to stay with safe water (showing the brown water), and they said they had to ask since that was not an emergency. I was denied. Maintenance said, «they were already aware of my problem,» and to run my water for 5 minutes, which was an insult to my intelligence since I had showered, brushed my teeth, washed clothes and dishes, and consumed this water the last couple of days (you cannot see the color when it is running, only when still). I also notified the Paradigm corporate office by email since no one thought to have a manager speak with me.
Then, the maintenance man I trust stopped by my home to let me know that he was aware my water was contaminated and that it was fine before he connected the heat. He stated that he entered my apartment to check on everything on January 6, and ran the water for several minutes and saw that it was indeed contaminated. He informed his supervisor, Jorge, that my water was fine until he connected the heat and that it was now contaminated. Jorge informed him NOT TO DO ANYTHING (even let me know), tying his hands and putting my health at risk along with my beloved pet. No one said anything until I sent emergency messages informing them I was aware of water contamination in my home and needed assistance. I was further angered when I heard that Jorge said not only not to do anything, but if I did eventually find the problem and complain, to just have me call their corporate office because he didn’t know what to do and didn’t care (not surprised at all — he is the same person that had me wait oceans of time before providing a new heat unit… which I have heard is not the correct one for my apartment anyway — he is basically awful).
Paradigm (the management company) DELIBERATELY allowed me to consume and cleanse with tainted water for several days, endangering my health and my pet. Not once did they take any measures to inform me of safety issues until the problem already occurred. Additionally, there are other concerns from certain members of staff with horrendous attitude problems or incompetence (one was both — she lost my personal information when I moved apartments, and then was a total horror to me), certain maintenance requests not being fulfilled, and etcetera, but those are small potatoes to them knowingly causing residents harm to either save a few bucks, because they are not capable of diagnosing or fixing problems, or get some sort of thrill from being basically evil.
I contacted my doctor, and will see them in the morning, but I am not sure that they can help if they don’t know what I consumed. At this point in time, I am very scared about adverse effects, especially if they end up being longer term from exposure. This was needlessly reckless and to be honest, unlawful according to VA Code, section 55 – 248.13 (Landlord to maintain fit premises). The fact that it was purposeful exposure should really give pause to anyone considering moving here unless sweeping and immediate changes are made to staff.

I have been living here for almost a year, in phase 2 building on First St., and I couldn’t be happier with my decision! The office staff are extremely helpful and considerate. The concierge staff have all been so wonderful! Ty, Clint and Ally are truly remarkable people! The maintenance crew are incredibly responsive, and I have only had minor issues to call them about, everything has worked properly in the unit. Overall, i am completely satisfied with my choice to live here, it’s so close to the Braddock Metro station, a five minute walk.

I don’t even know where to begin. The staff is unprofessional and inconsistent in enforcing complex policies. Maintenance requests are not addressed in a reasonable time-​frame and are poorly fixed once the issue is recognized. I will not be renewing my lease and strongly encourage others to look at other nearby apartments.

I really don’t like this place. My mom picked this out and she is always easily sold things. She called me super excited and could only talk about «The amenites». Granted they are great, but the rooms are super basic and kinda dated to me. The main bedroom doesn’t even have a ceiling light. Bathroom is extremely basic and dated to probably the early 90s. The cabinets are made out of some very cheap material.
Lastly, the concierge named «Ty» is extremely perverted. Old enough to be my father and extremely persistent even after explicitly telling him it is inappropriate.

The billing office is a disaster. I tried reaching them regarding a billing issue multiple times over 2 months and received no response. After I finally reached someone, I was told «there is nothing that can be done.»
I turned in a parking pass that was $ 100 a month. I called on the first of the month, they told me to bring the pass in, which I did, but still charged me for the month. They then told me they require 30 days written notice. If that is the case, they should have told me that before I turned in my parking pass but paid for a full month of of use of something I didn’t even have.

A slight update with our rental. Everything said above continues to be the same. I have recently renewed my lease and I will now be on year 4 of living here. Its a great place to live. The recently update lobby area is complete.
I’ve checked out other locations that are roughly the same distance to a metro station and they are about 200 – 400 more a month in rent.
Again price per sqft I’m happy.

Meridian at Braddock has been stealing water from our apartment since January. Three times they told us the public water would be disconnected from our apartment. In April the Senior Vice President of Paradigm Management, Alice Barrett, couldn’t be bothered to call me back on the phone as I requested, but wrote me a letter April 16, 2014 stating it would be fixed. She never followed up. This month we got a water bill for $ 102.20 because Meridian has continued to steal our water. And they have admitted public water for the building is coming from our unit’s water line. I’m so thankful that December is our last month here. We will never rent from a Meridian property again. Not to mention all the other issues, but this one takes the cake.

I love living here. It’s surprisingly affordable especially with regards to it’s location and GREAT amenities: There’s a fancy espresso/​coffee machine in the lobby of both buildings, there’s a fabulous gym with all new state of the art equipment and the pool area is really nice. It takes me 10 minutes to walk to work on King Street every day. Can’t beat that. Everyone on the staff is extremely helpful and friendly. I’ve locked myself out of my apartment twice and both times they just jumped up, walked with me up to the apartment and let me in– no problem! At the last apartment I lived in they would change me $ 50 to be let in and it would take them an hour to get there. There’s also a convenience store right inside the building! This is one of the best parts because it’s fully stocked and has everything you would need if you ran out last minute or couldn’t get to the grocery store. I really have nothing bad to say about this place. I’m really going to miss it when I move out of the country next year:(

While there is no perfect apartment community, this one is the best I’ve lived in so far. I’m going to miss living here (I’m moving for work.)
The management is very responsive and professional. Kevin always replies to my emails right away. The units themselves are very nice and modern– carpeting, good appliances (they replaced my dishwasher with a brand new one when I moved in), and I love the sunroom (the taller building has these). Maintenance responds quickly to problems and always completes them professionally. I have never had issues with someone entering my apartment without my permission, as another reviewer stated. The rent is also good for the area (expensive if you’re not used to NOVA, but reasonable compared to some other buildings). They recently allowed people to have dogs in the building, but fortunately people have been very responsible and I have not encountered messes or other problems as happens at other communities. The management does this cute thing where they feature peoples’ pets each month. They also hold community events which is a nice touch.
I only have a few criticisms. The gym equipment seriously needs to be upgraded. For the amount people are spending to live here, I’m sure they could afford to replace the treadmills. I also don’t know why the pool isn’t open on Mondays. This seems really weird. Lastly, the woman who works nights is CONSISTENTLY rude. I have noticed this and so has my boyfriend when he comes over. It doesn’t matter if I’m asking for the smallest thing, she is always rude and acts like I’m wasting her time. I’m sorry, but you have a pretty good job and the residents here are nice and polite. Just be professional. The man who works nights (and sometimes days) is, however, very professional and friendly. If I have a problem, I try to go to him and not the woman.
Overall, I’d definitely recommend this community.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed living here for almost 2 years. The maintenance team is amazing– they fix anything in 24 hours. The concierges are also charming and friendly. I often wish I could take the metro to work, so I could see them on a daily basis. There are often community events, which is a nice bonus; I’ve occasionally brought friends. Finally, the rooftop and top floor lounge are amazing. It’s an unbelievable view.

I generally enjoy living here. I’m glad I chose this building. The main perks I see are some staff members (Alejandra, Ty, Kevin, and the intern Alexis). They overall keep on top of their grounds and maintenance, with a few exceptions that keep my rating from being 5 start. For example, the window washers only cleaned half of the windows in the units. After 3 complaints, they put in a work order to have the others cleaned, which were not done well by any means, the tvs in the gym
Don’t work properly, the club room only has 2 channels, and the security in the building is non existent. People are routinely buzzed in, not asked to sign in, and it causes a complete lack insecurity in what is supposed to be a secured building. All that said, nothing is perfect. It has a great location, and most of the people
Are awesome. The coffee in the lobby is a great perk. Ps. Did I mention Alejandra is awesome? It was with reiterating. Oh, what’s with the dirty boat in the garage? I see it on my way to the storage unit?

Three years and no complaints. The staff is friendly and responsive, and the floor plans are spacious. We love having a concierge to receive packages, let in the cleaning lady, etc. Our only wish would be for an ice maker, but that’s minor. They just re-​did the lobby in a much more modern style (it needed it), and they’re about to start on the floors. Looking forward to it!
The pool hours are weird in summer, opening less on the days when people would most like to use it, but you can’t beat the rooftop location.
Club room is nice, and has an awesome view of the DC fireworks on the 4^th.

We can not leave this dump soon enough. The only good thing I can say about this place is Ty, the concierge.
1. In general the Meridian at Braddock is poorly managed with a seemingly incompetent, frequently indifferent, and sometimes flat out rude staff. The night staff (one girl and one man) is lazy and rude.
2. Maintenance has let themselves into our apartment while we are sleeping THREE SEPARATE TIMES!!! They claimed each time was for an emergency situation, which was utter crap. There is no valid emergency when you had planned to fix a building problem weeks ago, but failed to do so. It is not only disturbing and unnerving to wake up when strangers barge into your home, but it’s completely uncalled for and inappropriate.
3. The rent is steep. They raise it considerably every year. The parking is expensive and the garage is crowded. We returned from our wedding and honeymoon to find a letter slid in our door notifying us we have been slapped with a sizable fee for not paying rent on time (one day late since we were overseas!!). We have NEVER missed a rent payment in the 2+ years living here. When we explained the situation, the staff could have cared less and still demanded the fee. The party room, while although nicely appointed, is ridiculously expensive to use. The prices as of a year an a half ago were $ 300 reservation fee, then $ 50 for every hour you want to use it.
4. There is CONSTANT noise and disturbance all around the building every day. Deafening noise from the construction projects outside. Loud clanging whenever the trash trucks come, which is sometimes twice a day. Construction from within the building that is not only audibly disturbing, but vibrates through the apartments making the floor shake. Traffic from route 1. Ambulance and police cars, whom 99% of the time are responding to an incident in the wretched section 8 housing next door.
5. The location, though, convenient near the metro line, is also another peace disturbance. The horns, the clattering of the wheels on the tracks, the annoying driver yelling through the loudspeaker on the platform. All very audible in the apartments, even when the windows are tightly shut.
6. No airflow in the apartments. Unless you open your door to the hallway (which isn’t ideal), open all of the apartment windows, AND there is a strong breeze blowing, the apartments are stuffy. Leave a pan on the stove too long and you’ll be screwed smelling like burnt food for the next two weeks.
7. Our air conditioner has had to be repaired six times. They never properly fix it. It’s STILL BROKEN!
8. The windows are filthy. Once a year they post a notice about having the windows professionally washed. They have never been washed. One of our windows is almost completely covered with outside paint splatter. They said they would fix it when we moved in. I only got a screen on a window (6 months later) after requesting it 3 times.
9. Twice a year they make every single person move their vehicle in the garage to another floor in order to «power wash» the garage clean. They charge you a towing fee if you do not move it by the specified date and time. There are not enough spaces to accommodate this move. The last two times the notice has been posted and the cars FORCED to move, there was no cleaning that took place. The first time we witnessed this situation, the apartment maintenance staff literally used a garden hose and «watered» the floor of the garage. There was no power washing so the garage is still coated in oil, rust, and dirt. The disturbing part is the foundation cracks and weak spots that are obvious in the garage floors when wet. Massive leaking occurs everywhere!
10. They have an insect problem here. Not only did we have tiny beetles in our kitchen-​ware closet when we moved in, that were supposed to have been fixed (we still find those same beetles about once a month), others in the apartment have complained about insects. We frequently see pest control trucks outside. Because the screens are not tightly fastened in the frames with random holes in the mesh, other insects easily find their way in.

11. They have a tiny pool which seems more like a large bathtub. I suppose at least they have a pool, but it’s so small you can not actually swim in it.
12. Their remodeling/“updating” project of the lobby and front office (which as mentioned above create a terrible disturbance) have made it look like a retro 70’s art deco space.
13. Signs are posted all around the building of locations that are no-​smoking. Residents frequently rip them off the wall and smoke wherever they please.
14. The apartments themselves are rather small for the high cost of rent. Utilities are high. There is no insulation. The drain stoppers in the tiny bathtubs have never worked, even when replaced. The kitchen light dims and flickers. Ceiling fan perpetually broken. Drainage in all sinks is a huge issue.

EDIT: Move out was a breeze. We decided not to renew our lease after a couple of rent increases. We could not negotiate to have our rent remain the same, but we found something closer to DC for a better value anyway. We had moved out with exactly a month left on our lease, and since Meridian management decided they were converting our unit to a guest suite, we mutually agreed to terminate it early without having to pay a penalty and without us having to pay for the final month. I added a star to credit this service. Thanks!
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I’ve lived in this apartment for nearly two years, and I’ve only recently experienced major negligence by the property’s management. Here are some glaring highlights:
1. I split a 1 bedroom apartment with one roommate. We split the total rent of $, 1670 between the two of us ($ 835 per person) by writing personal checks. This past month, Meridian withdrew $ 2,835 from my roommate’s checking account — from a check that was legibly written out for only $ 835. After more than two weeks of Meridian management promising the $ 2,000 refund for their accounting mistake, my roommate contacted her bank and had the money redeposited to her account by the bank directly as an unauthorized charge.
2. My bicycle, valued at about $ 800, was stolen from an unlocked storage cage in the underground garage. The bike was locked with a steel u-​lock to the bike frame inside the cage, but the cage itself had been unlocked for several days. The thief had removed the rear wheel and left with the rest of the frame. Apparently the night concierge’s security sweeps didn’t include checking the unlocked cage for several nights. In my opinion, this defeats the whole purpose of security sweeps.
After discovering my bike was stolen, I asked the night concierge about potential security footage taken either in the garage or around the building. He said he didn’t know anything about this and couldn’t help me, and instructed me to wait until 10 AM the following morning to speak with the leasing office. I filed a stolen property report with Alexandria PD instead that night. The next week, that cage was locked with a basic combination lock and chain. Too little too late.
3. My toilet would not flush, so I submitted a high priority online maintenance request that morning. The chain attached to the handle had rusted off in the cistern — a simple part replacement. After 24 hours with no repair or response, I emailed the Meridian office to follow up. About 12 hours later, I got a voicemail from the leasing office that «for whatever reason, the request didn’t submit correctly online.» Never got a full explanation why this happened, but this sort of defeats the whole purpose of an online reporting system. It took more than a day and a half for a non-​flushing toilet issue to be fixed. It’s possible I would’ve waited longer had I not followed up a second time.
The only reason this apartment is getting two stars instead of one is because it is 200 yard walk to the Braddock Road Metro station. Convenient, but putting up with the excessive noise all day by surrounding building construction is hardly worth it.
Look elsewhere to rent in Alexandria for a better bargain.

I have lived here for over three years and I am looking to buy or move to a larger apartment somewhere else in the area. The 5% raise on the rent every year is just not acceptable. While I love that this location is near the Metro and Old Town and the management is very responsive to maintenance calls, I can’t fathom why it is so difficult for the management to ensure that the workout room (treadmill monitors) are operational. At best, only two of the four monitors are functional (they are cable-​wired) and at peak times this is not sufficient. I don’t know about you, but a non-​functional monitor (or one stuck on Channel 3) right in front of my face as I run is a non-​starter. I know from the concierges that folks complain loudly and often about this but it never seems to get remedied. Very frustrating.

I’m wavering between one and two stars, but mostly because the concierge Tyrone is fabulous. He saves this place from being in the gutter.
The cons:
1) After only one year, they want to raise my rent by 5%. As I recall, cost of living raises usually hover around 2−3%, IF AT ALL. That would be fine if their workout space wasn’t filled with equipment circa 1992, and was always fixed.
2) The night concierges are often M.I.A. when you need something.
3) If you accidentally lock yourself out of your apartment, it’s $ 35. That’s fine if you’re a repeat offender, but on a holiday weekend when NOBODY is around, it’s crap.
4) The Asian lady in the front office is… there are no words. I’ll just leave it at that.
For the proximity to the metro, the price is almost worth it. It’s relatively quiet, and there’s plenty of space.
But I can’t justify staying for that much of an increase.

Management is very dishonest and gives misleading information. They ripped me off $ 400 out of my pocket by giving misleading information.
I was looking into this apartment because I thought I needed a place for 6 months before moving into my new house. I visited the site and specifically asked the Leasing Manager, Daniel, if the deposit would be refundable if I changed my mind, since I knew I was unsure about moving into the apartment. He informed me that the $ 75 fee would not be refundable since they would use it to run a credit check, but the $ 400 move-​in fee would be refundable a few days before the MOVE IN date. I don’t remember exactly how many days before the move in date, but it was around 2 days or so. This was at least 2 months before the move in date.
Then 2 weeks later I decided to cancel my application since I decided to buy another home that would be ready sooner, and therefore I would not need to rent an apartment. I notified Daniel about the cancellation.
Then today, about 4 weeks after I cancelled my application, I realized that I never received a refund for the $ 400. I asked Daniel about it, and he told me that the $ 400 would only be refundable 2 days after the APPLICATION DATE. That was SO NOT what Daniel told me.
I told him that I was misinformed, that he told me that the $ 400 would definitely be refundable if I changed my mind much later, but he not only doesn’t admit that he gave me the wrong information, he also refuses to speak to me on the phone or do anything about it.
I would suggest against renting at this place. Incompetent and dishonest management can speak a lot about how they would cater to your needs once you do move in there.

I’ve lived here for almost a yr now, so I feel reasonably confident in my assessment of the place.
I have lived in 4 states and 5 cities in everything from a tiny asbestos-​laden house with no air conditioning to a multi-​family Civil War-​era Victorian with electric heat to a high rise. I’ve had great landlords and people I had to report to the building inspector. This building is definitely in my top 2.
Since the real estate market in metro DC really doesn’t have a middle and the prices in general are absurd, your choices (if you aren’t crazy wealthy) are mostly a) live in an affordable crackhouse in a sketchy neighborhood, b) have 17 roommates, c) live way out in the suburbs, or d) find a luxury building. The BF and I moved here from Boston for work in a whirlwind period of time – we had to come here, find a place (without a real estate agent), sign the lease, and move in in like 10 days. That part was insane, but when we walked into Meridian, we were super relieved at how smoothly things went in such a short period.
There were some administrative hiccups in the beginning, as some staff members were changing hands, but all in all, we couldn’t love living here more. Management is responsive and maintenance fixes things promptly. The staff are all so friendly and nice. The concierge is great – having packages taken care of, sending in your dry cleaning, arranging for delivery into your apt while you’re away. These are seriously benefits that cannot be underestimated when you work alot. Everyone is very trustworthy, also, which I think is really key. I’m never concerned that I’m going to be a victim of mail theft, or that someone is going to break in, both of which have happened to me over the yrs. I’m also not concerned that management is trying to screw me over somehow and I am confident in their general competency.
Amenities we love:
–gym
–clubhouse with great views and free wifi
–free coffee bar in the morning
–concierge
–underground parking
–washer/​dryer in unit
–sunroom
–on-​site deli
–cheap room rental for overnight guests
–on-​site Zipcar
–BBQ area
–loading dock
–5 min walk to the Metro
–central heat/​AC
–well-​priced for the area
–regular parties for the residents thrown by management
–good neighborhood (close to Trader Joe’s, Target, etc.)
Things I don’t love:
–wall-​to-​wall carpet
–utilities not included in the rent (though not super expensive, cumulatively; maybe $ 150/​mo altogether)
–fridge could be bigger
–bathtub/​shower could be bigger
–wish I had a sprayer on the kitchen faucet
–pet deposit + monthly pet rent
–immediate neighborhood isn’t very walkable
–the pool is pretty small (and shallow)
As you can see by the list, our complaints are pretty minor. Someone mentioned that this was a bad neighborhood, though we think that allegation is hilarious. Section 8 housing and a homeless shelter in the area do not a slum make. We’ve never been the slightest bit concerned about our safety. Recently, a ton of development projects have launched in the neighborhood, and we’re frankly a bit sad about the scope of the gentrification. It’s also a bit suburban for us, coming from Boston, and we miss the hustle and bustle of the city. That being said, we do like Alexandria, despite it being a change of pace.
We love this building so much that we have referred 2 couples that I work with, who also moved in and love it just as much. I’m hoping that we can stay as long as we live in the DMV – I don’t think we’ll find Meridian’s equal.

I’m still living in this building, and wanted to update my review for two reasons.
1) The intern issue seems to have been resolved, or maybe this year’s interns were just less rowdy. This summer was significantly quieter in my building.
2) The person in the office that I had an issue with when I moved in here back in 2008 actually doesn’t work here any more, and everyone else I’ve dealt with in the office since has been extremely pleasant.
I’ve been in this building since early 2008, and would recommend it to anyone!

I’ve lived here for 3 weeks now and for now, I’ll give it 4 stars. We’ll see how living here goes over the next year.
First, the staff is great, especially Diana. I was moving from New York but it was easy to coordinate my move-​in over the phone and through email. Tyrone and Pete — the two concierges — are both very friendly.
This is my first experience in living in a high-​rise apartment with a concierge. We weren’t looking for one specifically because it’s not really worth it to me to pay extra for those conveniences but we got a great deal from doing a lease takeover from someone on Craigslist.
If you work in DC or think you’ll spend a lot of time in DC but want to save some money on rent, taxes, etc and don’t mind a little bit of a commute, this place is perfect since it is a ~3 minute walk to the Braddock Road metro which serves both the Blue and Yellow lines.
It’s right in between both Del Ray and Old Town, which both have a lot to offer in terms of restaurants, shops, etc. I wouldn’t say it’s a «short» walk to the main drag in Del Ray or King Street but definitely a pleasant stroll on nicer days. If you have a bike, it’s perfect since it’s such a quick bike ride to either. It is so close that it sometimes seems ridiculous to drive.
There isn’t much in the very immediate area by the apt building though. McDonald’s is just on the next block when you have a Big Mac attack (which I occasionally do). The post office is just 3 blocks away, which is convenient. Blue and White Carry Out which gets rave reviews on Unilocal but I haven’t had a chance to try is also just about 3 – 4 blocks away.
Okay so the issue that most people have with this building is that it is just a block away from a homeless shelter and 2 blocks away from low income housing. I didn’t think this would be an issue for my wife and I since we used to live just a few blocks from public housing in New York City. And in general, it hasn’t been a problem. I had a strange incident where I parked a car on the street and used my remote keyless entry to shut the doors… I have this habit of pressing the lock button 3 – 4 times. A black lady was walking by and shouted at me that I didn’t have to lock it so many times, basically implying that I was paranoid about parking while black people were walking by. I wanted to respond by giving her my spiel about how I grew up in a school system with mostly black people, had many black friends, etc. but whatever… I just walked away. I had another friend who lives nearby tell me that she had a strange incident where some black kids accused her of walking fast, implying that she was afraid of being in the area. WTF!!! I hope these incidents aren’t indicative of some strange dynamic in the neighborhood between people living in low income housing and the yuppies living in buildings like the Meridian and in the new condos/​townhouses going up in the area. It’s unfortunate.
All that being said, if your only exposure to poor black people is from TVs and movies and you’re not interested in broadening your experience of life, then you might not want to live here. There’s another Meridian building (the Meridian Carlyle) that is in a completely yuppified area with no public housing around, closer to King St and next door to a Whole Foods. It’ll be about $ 200 more per month for a 1 BR but you will probably enjoy that experience more. Or if you don’t walk around the neighborhood (e.g. all you do is take the Metro or drive places), then you can probably also get by with avoiding any interaction with the people who live in public housing.
However, I would encourage you to live here AND explore the neighborhood a bit. Sure you may have some interesting encounters with some bums from the homeless shelter or the people who live in low income housing but you know… that’s reality. I don’t know what are good ways to encourage healthy interaction between yuppies and low income housing residents in a mixed neighborhood without having the yuppies come off as being patronizing. But hopefully just being in the neighborhood, spending time utilizing the same city services/​parks/​etc as everyone else, etc. is a start.