Nine years ago, elderly and disabled folks who had signed leases for apartments in Highland Woods in Williamstown were told that, due to burst plumbing, they would be unable to move in for what was to be five months. Apartments on the three floors on the east side of the building were gutted and rebuilt, and finally the tenants moved in, safe and sound.
Or not — because on the evening of February 3, 2025, many of those apartments were damaged in much the same way, from the same cause, which was never properly addressed the first time. Hearthway (formerly Berkshire Housing Services) explained in a general meeting with tenants that it had been very cold when the pipe(s) froze.
“It may be cold again when they can finally return.”
Firemen responded promptly each time alarms sounded. A pipe that had exploded was carried from the building. Cleanup crews placed heaters and blowers around the building in an attempt to dry up as much water as possible. Tenants whose apartments were affected were temporarily sent to a local hotel. Others stayed in spite of the water in their homes. Some attempted to mop up on their own in an effort to protect their furniture and belongings. Water collected in hallways and apartments. It poured from ceiling light fixtures.
People on the west side of the building were not impacted except for their concern for their neighbors and fear that the problem would spread to their side of the building as well. Approximately one third of the apartments were eventually declared uninhabitable.
Highland Woods was built to create housing for people who had lost their homes at The Spruces mobile home park to Hurricane Irene in 2011. The Town contributed FEMA money, and funds from other sources were added, but apparently not enough to guarantee a safe and secure building.
Since the opening, tenants have continued to experience plumbing issues in individual apartments. Sheetrock was torn out, pipes replaced, and walls repainted. A malfunctioning elevator left disabled tenants on upper floors stranded for three days. Violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) were actually built into the design; for example, the ADA requires that window handles be mounted no higher than 48 inches above the finished floor to ensure accessibility for individuals with disabilities. At Highland Woods they are 64 inches from the floor in all apartments. The list goes on. And now this newest incident. Hearthway said it is not to blame.
“Tearing them from their community and all that is familiar to them is a form of elder abuse.”
Nearly two months have passed, and only now have tenants been given the full picture. Hearthway met with individual people and sent them off to temporary housing, while their belongings were put into storage. The destination they have been sent to is in Lee, an hour’s drive away — a hardship for people who do not have cars and/or whose medical providers, family, and friends are in North County.
The Lee location includes kitchenettes, but not all the people who were relocated actually cook. Some would have preferred remaining more local, even if they did not have that amenity. But they were not given that choice. People struggled to make the deadline for moving out, boxing their personal items, clothing, medicines, and other everyday needs for transfer to the temporary housing. It was an extreme struggle for some who had no help. Cars filled with boxes… and drove away.
“Too often, because they do not know where to turn, and because they typically lack power, they suffer in silence.”
No construction has yet begun, waiting on reports from the various players who will be cleaning up the mess and final approval from the town. Tenants were originally told they would move back in about five months, but that estimate has been extended to six to eight months. It may be cold again when they can finally return. Tenants who remain will live with construction noise and traffic for the entire time.
Seniors are often plagued by anxiety, loneliness, and depression. They fear for their safety, financial stability, and loss of health and independence. They endure every imaginable ailment. They use canes, walkers, portable oxygen. Tearing them from their community and all that is familiar to them is a form of elder abuse. The mental stress they are experiencing is as harmful as physical abuse — perhaps more so. It is obvious when you talk to them. Their fear and confusion are palpable.
With proper oversight, the heartbreak these and so many other seniors are experiencing might be avoided. Too often, because they do not know where to turn, and because they typically lack power, they suffer in silence indignities and threats to their well-being and safety. This needs to change. All seniors deserve to have an advocate—a caring and neutral ombudsman or counsel who understands their needs and vulnerability. They need someone with a fucking heart.
