Residents protest conditions at senior housing complex, saying they are ‘always concerned for what’s going to happen next’

Lacking hot water, packing the ceiling with plastic to avoid leaks, and encountering roaches in the mail room are daily occurrences for a West Philadelphia apartment complex’s senior residents.

After years of fighting for solutions with ever-changing building management, residents gathered outside Brith Sholom House at 3939 Conshohocken Ave., on Friday to demand safe and dignified housing.

“We are always concerned for what’s going to happen next,” said Marguerite Byrd, one of the more than 150 residents living in the 360-unit apartment tower, which is in receivership and set for sheriff’s sale in June. “Last night they shut down two of the three elevators, and the fire alarms went off three times. Suppose there was a fire, how will people get off? We are seniors, many are in wheelchairs.”

The 77-year-old resident’s fear is not unfounded.

According to the Public Interest Law Center, the Brith Sholom House fire suppression system fell out of compliance in 2009.

In a 2020 fire, no serious injuries occurred, but several stories of the 12-floor building were reported to have been filled with smoke, and a senior had to be carried 10 flights down by a relative.

In 2022, the building fire infringement was brought up to code, according to the center, but was soon out of compliance again.

The complex itself has over 300 violations since 2007, according to the Department of Licenses and Inspections, with about 100 classified as serious code violations. L&I declined to comment, citing active litigation. The violations put residents in “an immediate hazard to health, safety, and welfare,” according to the Public Interest Law Center.

Open violations include those for pests, exterior structure windows, inspection, testing, and maintenance.

In November 2023, the building was placed in receivership, after owner Brith Sholom Winit LP’s petition for bankruptcy was dismissed. Since then, hot water has returned, and repairs have begun taking place, but residents say the roots of the problems remain unaddressed.

Current building operator Stockton Real Estate Advisors Property Management did not respond to a request for comment.

Inside the building, fresh paint and vacuumed carpets are signs of change, but the smell of moisture, mold in the pipes, and exposed wire continue to plague the less-visible areas, including the basement and residential hallways.

Sharon Burnett is still waiting for someone to repair a leak on the ceiling above her toilet.

For the last six months, Burnett has been periodically replacing the plastic she pins to the ceiling with multicolor studs to prevent what she believes to be sewer water from coming through.

“I constantly pray that nothing comes gushing down,” said the 61-year-old, recalling the evening she came home to a bathroom inundated with brown water. “It messes with your mental health. I feel unsafe.”

The lack of response from the administration led her to consider leaving. “I don’t want to leave, we have a good community here, but you get tired of people treating you like they don’t care,” Burnett said.

The building is set to be sold at sheriff’s sale on June 4. As the residents prepare for change, Byrd hopes the next owner remembers that “even though we are getting older we are still human.”