May 13, 2022: A certificate of dissolution and revocation was filed dissolving the Evanston Housing Coalition, INC (EHC Director is George Gauthier. EHC is listed as the owner of the Wesley Avenue Buildings.)

On July 7, 2022 Housing Opportunities Development Corporation (HODC) took over management of the Wesley apartments from Gauthier. After HODC assumed management of the buildings, we residents were told that HUD funding was being used (we weren’t told what for) and that it gave HODC the authority to demand information from the tenants.  When the tenants asked questions, HODC’s responses were vague, rude, dismissive or misleading, and they always ended with HODC stating that if we did not comply, we could move.

September 6, 2022: Form NFP 112.45/113.60  file number 54488563 was filed with the State to reinstate the Evanston Housing Coalition INC.

October 14, 2022: The Structural Shop LTD ( a consulting engineer) inspected the Wesley properties. Their proposal stated that the stairs and landings at the properties at 2014,  2018, and 2024 Wesley Avenue needed to be fixed. They provided an estimated cost of the repairs for the stairs and landings. From 2015 to 2024, there has been one inspection performed at Wesley buildings 2014, 2018, or 2024 that we know of on August 11, 2015.

January 27, 2023:  Wesley tenants were called to the Fleetwood Jourdain Community Center in Evanston to discuss “upcoming repairs “ This was the first interaction the tenants had with their 5th Ward alderperson Bobby Burns. At this meeting Councilmember Burns stated that we should listen to the new management and work with them. So we tried, but received continued rude, dismissive, demanding, and condescending treatment from staff at HODC. It became so distasteful to deal with the rudeness, that many of the residents stopped having contact with HODC unless it was an unavoidable emergency.

In early spring of 2023, a support stanchion was placed on the east stairs of Building 2024. This support stanchion is still in place. No effort had been made to repair the stairs or landing.

November 20, 2023:   Workers began putting support stanchions on the stairs of all three buildings. When asked what was the reason for the stanchions, we were told that they were scaffolding in preparation to fix the lighting. In a little over two weeks, building 2014 started showing cracks around these new additions to the stairs and landings. 

For some reason, even after it was made known that the buildings were showing signs of damage. It was decided that more support should be added to all of the stairs of the buildings, causing an acceleration of the damage.

February 5, 2024: Wesley apartment resident William Carter went to Evanston City Hall to file a formal complaint against HODC for the mismanagement of the buildings 2014, 2018, and 2024 Wesley Avenue.

February 13, 2024:  The tenants of the Wesley Apartments were called to a meeting at the Fleetwood Jourdain community center with City officials, and were given a handout stating that the buildings had been deemed unsafe by the city, and that the tenants would have to move out.

March 2024:  Richard Koenig of HODC  stated that he applied for funds through IHDA to repair the building, and he and city officials claimed he was turned down. However, through a FOIA request it was revealed that after Richard applied he withdrew his application on January 31, 2024. This was two weeks before city manager Luke Stowe sent the letter to the residents telling them that they needed to evacuate the buildings.

Between February and April the city provided NO LEGAL DOCUMENTATION regarding a need to vacate the building. 

Along with the February handout, residents were given other documents with options for moving out immediately. These offers were as follows:

• A one to two weeks stay at an extended stay motel (not located in Evanston) with the possibility of an extension.  
• To pack and move our belongings to a storage unit to be stored for 6 months. (this was later amended). 
• To pay the first months rent and security deposit plus one year subsidized housing.

It was stated at this meeting with the City that there was little to no low income housing available in the city of Evanston. It was also stated that in order to fix the stairs and landings and bring the buildings up to code, it could take as long as three to five years.

May 8, 2024: Notice was posted on 2018 Wesley that the city’s Building Official and Plan Reviewer Andrew San Roman, an electrician who had 1 year of experience examining plans at the City of Highland Park before beginning work as the building official in Evanston last year, determined that 2018 Wesley was an “immediate threat”.

May 9, 2024: Tenants of 2018 Wesley were told by cops and fire officials to take some of their belongings and leave their apartments, and they were moved out of Evanston to an Extended Stay hotel in Skokie. Their apartments were boarded up under police watch, Crime Scene tape was wrapped around the buildings with no explanation about any crimes that were being investigated. Tenants were assured they would have access to their rest of their possessions within a few days, however it took two weeks and multiple requests before any of them were allowed to retrieve any more of their belongings from their apartments.

May 13 and 14, 2024: Tenants of 2014 and 2024 Wesley were required to move out of their homes before their apartments too were boarded up. Most of these families were relocated out of Evanston to the Extended Stay in Skokie and given limited vouchers for food and transportation.