Brooklyn Park Human Rights Commission recommends new policies to improve Huntington Place Apartments

“There was a common thread of frustration, discouragement, anger, hopelessness, with the majority of tenants that were visited. These are face-to-face, at the doors, over and over.”

In late June, city officials expected that the nonprofit housing manager Aeon, which owns the apartment complex, would face $10,000 in fines after missing deadlines to address code violations.

Estimates place the population of the complex, which has 834 one-bedroom units, at 2,500-3,000 residents. It is the second largest complex in the state after Cedar Riverside in Minneapolis.

Aeon purchased the property from the former management company Dominium in 2020 for approximately $90 million, pledging to keep rents affordable.

Before the sale, former Mayor and current Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Lunde referred to Dominium as “slumlords” amidst complaints of violence and poor living conditions at the property.

The Brooklyn Park City Council, acting as the Economic Development Authority, approved a $5 million loan for Aeon for the rehabilitation of the complex when the complex was sold. The council later approved an allocation of $1 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding for security improvements at the property after a spate of high-profile gun violence.

So far, Aeon has received $2.2 million of the city’s loans for building and site improvements.

Now, with continued resident complaints about livability at the complex, the Human Rights Commission recommended a full audit of Aeon’s financial records for the complex, including contractor logs and security practices, a more robust inspection plan, creation of a new master project plan for the capital improvements at the site, and an anonymous complaint system for residents to report their concerns.

Aeon should be required to provide the city with all maintenance and repair reports, report all gas leaks and water shutoffs, report any resident complaints regarding sexual assault or other abuse to the Brooklyn Park Police Department, post all tenant policies in public spaces and develop more robust communications strategies, the commission said.

They also recommended that Aeon be required to hire emergency maintenance staff or contractors to be available 24/7 and that all staff be required to wear IDs, uniforms, and undergo background checks.

The commission, as well as residents who spoke during a public hearing, noted a long list of issues at the site.

In questions of security, there are many issues with interior and exterior doors not locking, latching, or being otherwise damaged, Commissioner Chelsea Youngquist said.

“We did see some bodily fluids and also heard that a lot of times there are bodily fluids that aren’t properly cleaned,” Youngquist said. “Cleaning is woefully inadequate and inconsistent.”

Many residents are fearful of reporting issues to the police or to management and fear retaliation from Aeon, she said.

The nonprofit group Minnesota Acts Now, which the city hired to patrol areas of intense gun violence and conduct violence interruption work, has earned praise from the Police Department for their efforts.

Residents speaking to the commission, however, have questioned the group’s role at Huntington, and feel that they have not taken on an active role in improving conditions at the complex, Youngquist said.

Huntington Place employees and contractors conducting maintenance work often do not wear any form of ID, and there is no central paper trail noting when work has been completed or if residents are satisfied with the work that has been done, according to Youngquist and the commission.

Residents have reported sexual harassment from a male member of the Huntington Place staff and have not seen Aeon take action to remedy the issue, Youngquist said.

Issues related to water damage and mold were also consistent themes in the commission report.

Resident Anthony Underhill, age 22, said he has daily seizures his doctors have tied to mold exposure and past trauma.

“My doctor said that the levels of mold toxicity in my blood are like I bathe in toxic mold every day for a year,” he said.

The city’s inspection team and community engagement staff have started a door-knocking pilot program to identify maintenance issues and improve communication with residents, according to Kim Berggren, community development director.

There are other legal remedies in the court system to compel Aeon to improve building maintenance, Berggren said.

Eric Anthony Johnson, President and CEO of Aeon, did not cast doubt on the issues discussed by residents and the commission. “We’re not saying the experience that the residents are undergoing is a fictional story,” he said.

He asked the council to consider changing the terms of the city’s loans for flexibility to allow for the immediate deployment of funds to address in-unit repairs.

Easier access to funds would allow Aeon to conduct more serious unit renovation work between before winter, Johnson said.

The council pressed Aeon and city staff to work to improve the conditions at the complex.

“Listening to these concerns concerns me,” Councilmember Boyd Morson said. “Aeon, we need more.”

Councilmember XP Lee fought back tears as he noted he once lived on welfare as a child.

“I am emotional – to hear the stories of how these residents and tenants are dealing with this on a daily basis,” he said. “What are we, who are we, if we can’t help the most vulnerable of us.”

“These aren’t just crocodile tears,” he added.

Councilmember Wynfred Russell said he hoped the meeting represents a turning point for the complex.

“My refugee camp home was a lot better than what I see and the pictures that I’ve seen, and some of the visits I have held there and seen what folks, the conditions in which they are living in,” he said.

Councilmember Tonja West-Hafner said Aeon needs to conduct a unit-by-unit needs assessment and develop a long term financial plan, considering the significant debt Aeon took on to purchase the property.

She also questioned the non profit’s ability to fix units before winter considering the existing maintenance issues.

Councilmember Susan Pha said the council can no longer accept delays in building improvements, and that a new plan that holds everyone accountable should be drafted.

“I’ve spent the night angry, emotional, downright pissed off that we are here today and we’re in this place where HRC has come forward to say we need you to do this plan,” Mayor Lisa Jacobson said.

“Sexual harassment in 2022 is never O.K. and if that has not been taken seriously by any member of your staff and has not really investigated it, I highly doubt that there are multiple people coming forward with these allegations that are just false — that needs to be addressed tomorrow.”

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