OASAS Leaves Three-Quarter House Residents in Limbo

In this op-ed in City Limits, three-quarter house resident Jasmine Monk describes how tenants in seven houses operated by Interline were left to fend for themselves after Interline operators were indicted for Medicaid fraud. Already poor conditions deteriorated rapidly, with no heat and hot water, and broken locks on doors. While the city stepped in to help ameliorate these problems, there has been no meaningful support from OASAS, the state agency that oversees the drug treatment programs residents had been attending. Without stable housing, residents can easily become homeless or relapse. “Without knowing what the next day will bring — whether my house will have hot water or if I’ll receive a notice of eviction — I am not able to take the steps to continue working on achieving my goals, like pursuing my education or finding stable employment. Instead, the stress of perpetual housing instability puts my recovery at risk.”