Our Lady of Good Counsel SRO

I lived here for 3 years and the happiest day in my entire life was the day I moved out.
THE GOOD. Our Lady of Good Counsel SRO provides single-​room occupancy, assisted living for low-​income adults who are 21 years old or older. Purchased in the mid-​1980s from the Catholic Diocese, the historic building originally was three separate structures — an all-​boys school, an all-​girls school and a rectory — run by the Sisters of the Josephites Order. The buildings were renovated in 2003 and joined together. The parking lot between the buildings was turned into a lobby, and each of the residences were turned into 76 single room occupancy units. The building is owned by Caring Communities, which falls under the housing department of Catholic Charities. However, rent subsidies come from HPD state funds. According to a representative at Catholic Charities, turnover for the SRO apartments is low, and there is a very long waiting list. That is the good news.
THE BAD. All of the residents are from either the shelter system, prison, rehab or the mental hospital and sometimes all four. This does not make them bad; however if you’ve ever been to a homeless shelter, prison, rehab or the nut house then you know that you have your garden variety at each. And with this mix there is sure to be some misfits in the bunch.
THE UGLY. The first day I moved in, a crackhead knocked on my door at 4:00 am asking for a cigarette. Even after I put signs on my door, «DO NOT KNOCK» there was at least one person daily who knocked, with a «give me», «loan me» or «can I have» request. Around the 1^st and 3^rd of the month, most of my neighbors were drunk or stoned or both and the entire building became party central. On any given day or night that first week of the month there were fights, objects being thrown out of the window and frequent police activity. As if that’s not enough there were more mice running around than Disneyland and when I left in March 2013, there was a HUGE bed bug infestation. The on-​call exterminator Mike is a frustrated wannabe actor who sprays an aphrodisiac that attracts vermin instead of killing them. Mike refuses to provide mouse traps because he claims, «it’s not in his contract.» With all the restoration having been done to the premises; someone forgot the auditorium below the mezzanine which is mile high with damp newspapers and a serious asbestos condition. Management is comprised of ex-​addicts and assorted misfits who treat the tenants like dirt and walk around with walkie-​talkies like they are police. The property manager when I was there was this arrogant, ignorant, self-​serving woman named Jeanette who expected everyone to «bow down» to her like she was Queen Elizabeth and unless you paid her «under the table» you couldn’t get any services (not even a light bulb changed). On Christmas, Catholic Charities sent over bags of gifts for the tenants. Jeanette and the fake CASAC counselor Joyce took ALL of the presents home. The activities director has her favorites so if she doesn’t like you, you don’t find out about the Broadway shows or other planned outings until AFTER your neighbors return bragging about what a great time they had. In the middle of the month when folks subsidies run out, there is rampant break-​ins and in-​house prostitution. A month before I moved out, someone was shot and robbed right under my window. Even if you have nowhere else on earth to live, TRUST ME YOU DO NOT WANT TO LIVE HERE.