APRIL 19, 2024 ANN ARBOR TONY SMITH Groundcover contributor On April 3 there was an opportunity for residents of the Delonis Center to participate in what was called “a client advisory / action meeting” (a community meeting where a sample of residents were sought for input). The meeting was held on the third floor after lunch with special guest Dr. Barry Bateman. Bateman is a member of the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County Board of Directors and head of program development for the Delonis organization. Barry is a U-M graduate who spent most of his professional career as a primary care physician in New York City. When he retired from medicine he returned home and became involved in philanthropy. Accompanying him at the meeting were staff members and a ton of Girl Scout cookies. Bateman is a likable guy and after he discussed his background, he had us look at a list of themes for what I would describe as kind of a Delphi meeting (defined as “a structured communication technique or method, originally developed as a systematic, interactive forecasting method that relies on a panel of experts en .w ik ip e di a . or g /w ik i/ Delphi_method) The meeting proceeded this way: 1. Overwhelming general praise for services and staff 2. Case management and housing service issues 3. Clients who feel neglected 4. Concerns about client behavior 5.Concerns about residential programs 6. Concerns about staff behavior. Behavior is inconsistent. (My comment: This is an area I'm not sure about because it kind of depends on the individual's perception.) 7. A newsletter would be helpful addressing housing/shelter/jobs 8. Valued resources external to the Shelter Association and other services for the homeless. These points are typed as they appeared on the sheet that was given. Between bites of Girl Scout cookies we Board member Dr. Barry Bateman and Program Director Kate D'Alessio were among those listening to those sheltering at Delonis. attempted to make it down the list. The “clients” being served (Bateman views it as a service industry) had not been briefed very long before the meeting took place so it was not very organized. However it will likely lead to more focus groups in the coming weeks; reports are to be made to the board about possible improvements. I think that much of what I see that needs improvement is bad manners; impoliteness and jive turkeys with a chip on their shoulder. LOL. I absolutely hate listening to people yell at someone on the phone in the cafeteria or get into it with each other. A bit of discretion with heated personal matters would be nice. A bad attitude and a sense of entitlement are not helpful. Some had said they felt members of the staff might be racist. I think this is a load of bunk, I think everyone I’ve met see CLIENT page 10 GROUNDCOVER NEWS Reportback from Delonis' client advisory meeting 7 Tenant Talk: Loren's dryer testimonial LOREN Ann Arbor Tenants Union So, I have to admit that I don't feel like the issue I want to discuss today is the biggest issue facing renters, and I understand and know there are larger problems facing renters every day. That being said — why is the dryer always broken? Almost every month since I started renting my current apartment, one of the dryers, or a washer — sometimes both! — have been broken. Dryers running without heat, washers not running or filled with water, money being deducted but not starting — and it’s been this way for all three years. One of my earliest memories at my apartment was finding my clothes still wet in the dryer I used; when I discovered them one of my neighbors came in saw me in frustration, and then told me it’s always broken. He had, at the time, been renting there for a few years himself. When I spoke with McKinley Inc., my landlord, I was informed that they didn’t own the machines, so the request would have to go to the thirdparty company that owns them. Weeks went by, and at some point that dryer was finally fixed, but the other one had started acting up. My frustration grew over time, and I started taking the bus or a car service to the laundromat — spending more money and time on the issue because it was better than losing money to the machines. Eventually, I realized this was unsustainable, so I went back to using the machines. One day when I was so annoyed that both dryers were running without heat, I filed a complaint with the third-party company, and weeks later received a paper check for $7 to refund the money I lost. I haven’t requested a refund since; it just didn’t seem worth the time and postage. There seems to be this confusion with landlords about who is responsible for laundry machines. Even if they don't own them, I certainly don't own them, and it’s one of the amenities that they offer — one of the only ones I genuinely care about — so why am I unable to confidently go to the laundry room and complete this basic process from start to finish? The sharing aspect doesn’t really work when tenants have varying laundry needs — students, families with kids and newborns, overnight shifts, differently abled and elders — all using two washers and two dryers multiple days a week. Of course, they break often. Try being used by 20+ renters week in and week out. I wish I could afford a place with machines in the unit, but in this current rental market that simply isn’t a luxury I can afford. So, at least once a month, a chore that should take maybe a couple of hours can take five or six. Whole days lost doing laundry. Or worse, not doing laundry at all, only exacerbating the problem for next week. I feel so silly even complaining about this, but as you can see it takes up so much of my free time. And I think, simply put, for the amount we pay in rent we deserve so much better than having to strategize doing the laundry in 2024, as if it’s an impossible task. Tired of broken laundry machines? Join the Ann Arbor Tenants Union and demand better. You’re invited to our next general meeting: Sunday, May 19, 2-4 p.m. — ICC Education Center, 1522 Hill St.
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