DECATUR, Ga. — People living at a metro Atlanta independent senior living facility say they are being priced out of their apartments after their rent jumped 12%.
The residents said they have to make a tough choice between paying for medicine and paying for rent. They said on a fixed income, it's virtually impossible for them to continue to stay at Mansions of Decatur after the rent hikes.
“They raised my rent, my lease just over my budget,” said Chap Williams, who lives in the Mansions of Decatur. He said he's one of about 130 residents who've seen their rent jump -- a $400 a month spike for a one-bedroom and $500 for a two-bedroom.
“It was like a shock, a semi shock, and I thought to myself, now $400 a month, where is that going to come from, and I just realized I don’t have it. It’s not available,” added Williams.
When he moved into the independent senior living complex five years ago, his rent was $2,900.
However, Williams said that with each year that passes, he and the other residents have seen increases well above cost-of-living adjustments. The current increase, which is the largest Williams has seen so far, came after the property was purchased by Focus Healthcare Partners, an investment group based in Chicago.
“I feel very angry about it I feel like there is just no concern, it’s all dollars, there’s no concern for the people who are giving them those dollars,” Kay Mazur said. She is among the residents who‘ve written letters to federal, state, and county officials hoping to stop the increases, but he hasn't had any luck.
“The investors have moved from nursing homes because of federal laws, and that kind of thing, to this group of people who live in independent living situations, as we have, because there’s no federal law, so they can do a lot of things without having interference from the government," Mazur said. "We're like pawns."
And for those like Williams, who are on a fixed income, the increase means choosing between his medicine or finding a new place to live and leaving the community he loves behind.
“I have no choice about the medication; I would immediately die. That affects my availability to pay rent, and so it’s just a big challenge,” Williams explained.
11Alive reached out to Focus Healthcare Partners multiple times and was told they do not speak to media. A representative from their management company, Manage Mansions LLC, also kicked us off the property despite the fact that we had permission from residents to visit with them in their unit, which is allowed per their lease.
After that encounter a representative, who would not disclose which company they worked for, sent us the below statement.
We rolled out 12% increases in April 2023 in response to past (and ongoing) inflation pressures.
Wages (specifically “Hospitality” wages) and Raw Food – our two biggest costs, by far – both had cumulative inflation (NATIONAL AVERAGES) of ~20% from 2021-2023.
Food commodities that are more applicable to senior living had even bigger cumulative increases over the same period: wheat, corn, milk, OJ, beef, etc., increased 20-60% over the same period.
Our cumulative rent increases (6% in 2022 and 12% in 2023) = 18.7% ---> Lower than Raw Food and Wages over the same period.
The 2024 increases will be in line with inflation, which should be around 4%.
Still, residents like Williams and Mazur said they haven’t seen any benefit from increases in rent. In fact, they say they have lost amenities under the new management company.
“When you find out that it’s going to be $400 a month, that’s $4,800 dollars a year out of your budget. That's a huge chunk. And for me, I wouldn’t be able to sustain that for more than a couple of years, if that,” Mazur added.