Meeting to Establish Stop Bedbugs DC, A Unified Campaign Against Bedbugs
The Norwood Tenant Association is collaborating with the District of Columbia Department of Health to organize a summit to address the problem of bedbugs in Washington, DC. The tenants at the Norwood got involved in advocating for a community approach to bedbug infestations after a multi-year battle against infestation at their own building. After the Norwood tenant organizers presented their work regarding education and pest control strategies at a public meeting in July, 2008, the group was approached by the DC Department of Health to help design a campaign to address bedbugs throughout the District.
The goal of the summit is to learn about bedbug biology, bedbug control, and to establish a DC wide task force that will address enforcement, education, data collection, and legislative approaches. Presenters will include Dr. Dini M. Miller, Associate Professor, Dodson Urban Pest Management Laboratory at Virginia Tech, Ray Lopez, the 2008 recipient of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Community Health Leader Award for his innovative approaches on controlling bedbugs without using pesticides, as well as representatives from the pest management industry who will share the latest industry approaches. The summit will take place on Friday, March 27, 2009, at 441 4th Street NW, Room 1107 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
In the last decade, bedbugs have been making a comeback in major American cities. There are lessons to be learned from the cities that have taken on the problem as a matter of public policy, including New York, Chicago, Cincinnati, Boston, San Francisco and Toronto. It is now clear that a multilevel task force must be implemented to address the problem in our nation's capital. Combating an infestation of the tiny insects, which prey on human hosts while they sleep, can quickly add up to thousands of dollars and sleepless nights for those who suffer with them. Members of the Norwood Tenant Association have documented some of these struggles in a recent feature bedbug cover story in the January 30, 2009 issue of the Washington City Paper.
Bedbugs don't discriminate; they affect residents in high end luxury apartments, as well as those in more modest dwellings. In dealing with bedbugs, residents in DC often find they are fighting an uphill battle in trying to find the correct response to the problem. Even well meaning landlords may not be fully educated in proper pest control practices, and as a result they risk contributing to the spread of the bugs in neighboring apartments and homes. Working together, Stop Bedbugs DC will promote a unified approach to address the resurgence of bedbugs in Washington, DC.
The summit will establish various stakeholder groups that are affected by bedbugs, and empower them to take action to combat the problem. This event will also include discussion of legislative and enforcement approaches, as well as citizen involvement through tenant groups, senior and public housing, and educational outreach through government and local businesses on the front lines of the community.
The first district-wide summit has been organized with the help of the Department of Health, with special thanks to Peggy Keller and Gerard Brown with the DC Department of Health, David Fabian, Silvia Inéz Salazar, Eunyoung Lim, and Randy Green of the Norwood Tenants Association, and consultations from Renee Corea of New York vs. Bedbugs, and Jessica Kevan of Chicago vs. Bedbugs.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Norwood Tenants Collaborate with DC Department of Health and Organize “Stop Bedbugs” Summit in Washington, DC
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tenants organize health fair for residents with no health insurance
LOGAN CIRCLE, WASHINGTON DC-Saturday, March 14th, from 9:00 am-12:00 pm, the Norwood Tenants Association will be partnering with the Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs, Mary’s Center and La Clínica del Pueblo to host a community health fair at the National City Christian Church,
In this current economic downturn, many working families have lost their health insurance. The
“The Norwood Tenants Association is holding this event as part of our effort to address the needs of our community,” says co-President David Fabian. Fabian explains that as a result of organizing, the tenants at the
The
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Tenants Take Back the Neighborhood: Fight "Condozilla"
Norwood Tenants Honor Diversity, Community and Successful Year with Celebration and Performance
Thomas Circle, Washington, DC– On Sunday December 14th, 5-7 pm at the National City Christian Church, the tenants of the Norwood Tenants Association will come together to celebrate victories in organizing, and honor our diversity with a multicultural holiday party. The festivities will also include the play Condozilla, starring the children of the Norwood Apartments.
The Celebration reflects the diverse backgrounds and eclectic tastes of the residents. The festivities will incorporate elements of a 'Posada,' a traditional Latino Christmas celebration, in addition to=2 0the premiere of "Condozilla," an English and Spanish language play about the DC condo conversion craze. "It's great to see the whole building getting involved in this celebration; from the feature d music talent, to the kids starring in the play, it will be Norwood on display this Sunday" said Silvia Salazar, co-President of the tenants associati on.
What: Holiday celebration and "posada," live music, play in Spanish/EnglishThe Norwood Tenants Association launched the Norwood Cooperative Project to preserve their building as affordable housing; the holiday celebration is being planned to highlight this effort. David Fabian, co-President of the tenant's association added, "We're looking to form a cooperative because we truly value diversity here at the Norwood, as demonstrated by this multicultural celebration. Keeping our homes afford able, and securing the future of the building, will be a great opportunity to preserve quality workforce housing in the heart of Washington."
When: Sunday, December 14, 5pm-7pm
Who: Tenants of the Norwood Apartments, Logan Circle
Where: National City Christian Church (5 Thomas Cir NW), Miller Hall
In addition, the Norwood tenants have organized other events to strengthen their community by hosting a health fair and fire prevention event with the DC Fire Department. The Norwood tenants extends special thanks to the community organizations, tenant advocacy groups, DC government agencies and elected officials that have supported their commitment to improve building conditions and to preserve the diverse community at the Norwood.
The Norwood is an 84 unit rent-controlled building in the Logan Circle neighborhood, five blocks from the White House. Our community includes diverse working families who work in the s ervice industry as waiters at restaurants, cleaning offices in downtown DC, and young working professionals. For more information on the tenant purchase and Co-op, visit www.NorwoodCoOp.org.
Norwood Holiday Celebration & Posada
December 14, 2008
Click image to view detailed program:
Monday, July 7, 2008
Norwood Tenants Address Lack of Health Insurance
- WHO: Norwood Tenant Association, the Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs (OLA), Planned Parenthood, and the Hispanic Institute for Blindness Prevention
- WHAT: Community Health Fair
- WHEN: Tuesday, July 8, 2008 from 1:00pm to 6:00pm
- WHERE: 1417 N St NW
On Tuesday, July 8th, the Norwood Tenants Association will be partnering with Planned Parenthood, Hispanic Institute for Blindness Prevention, and the Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs to host a community health fair in the lobby of 1417 N Street, NW. The health fair will include free preventive eye care exams, information about HIV/AIDS prevention, and volunteers to help families and individuals sign up for DC Alliance Health Insurance.
Many kids and working families at the Norwood Apartments do not have health insurance, much like the 76,000 Washingtonians who find themselves in a similar situation despite working one or more full time jobs. However there are options for these families to obtain low cost or even free coverage through the DC Alliance Health Insurance program. The most important way to protect kids and families is to provide accurate information and access to key preventative services.
“The Norwood Tenants Association is holding this event as part of our ongoing commitment to the people in our community,” says co-President Silvia Salazar. Salazar explains that as a result of organizing, the tenants at the Norwood have learned firsthand that many fellow tenants are in need of something more than just a roof over their heads. As the tenants’ ongoing efforts to improve building conditions at the Norwood continue, the health of the community also depends upon improving access to health care services and health education.
In April 2008 the Norwood Tenants Association partnered with the DC Fire Prevention Bureau to host a neighborhood fire safety awareness event. The DC Fire Department inspected the Norwood and a neighboring apartment building, finding and replacing 48 non-working smoke detectors in the buildings. In July 2007, tenants faced over 30 days at the Norwood without a working elevator. The tenants association held a lemonade gathering to provide support and information for fellow tenants. Lemonade will be served at the health fair as a reminder that many building problems, including bedbugs and mold, persist.
The Norwood apartment building was included in the recent Washington Post series, “Forced Out,” about deteriorating rent-controlled buildings targeted for condo conversion (“The Profit In Decay” 3-19-08). The tenants of the Norwood said ‘no’ to a condo pitch by the Tenacity Group in January 2007, and instead demanded that problems be fixed ‘today.’ Tenants at the Norwood call for an end to persistent housing code violations, and remain committed to preserving affordable housing.
Sphere: Related ContentTuesday, June 10, 2008
Dealing with Bedbugs: Tips
After dealing with bedbugs at the Norwood Apartments for many years, we have become unofficial bedbug experts. Despite our efforts there are still many apartments with bedbugs, and without organized bedbug extermination throughout the building, we fear it will be a long time before they are completely eradicated from the building.
Although bedbugs cannot be completely killed in one shot, if you stick to proven strategies you can win your battle with the critters.
Getting help from your building management or local exterminator should be your first step, but YOU CAN DO-IT-YOURSELF if you're not getting a quick or adequate response. The tenants association at the Norwood has researched the proper chemicals and do-it-yourself methods online, and we have taken up a collection from tenants to assist them when bedbugs invade.
The most important thing to do is not get overwhelmed or embarrassed if you find out you have bedbugs. They were all but eliminated from American homes the 1950's with the widespread use of the pesticide called DDT. Since the 1990's, however, bedbugs have started to return in force.
Step 1: Educate Yourself, Then Do Something About The Problem!
There are many reliable resources on bedbugs available online. From academic research to blogs, there is a wealth of information and products available. Please see the Bedbugs Link section below for more information.
DISCLAIMER: The content in this page is not a substitute for professional advice. If you think you have bedbugs, please consult an extermination professional and your landlord if applicable.
- If you get bedbugs is because you're dirty.
- Bedbugs just 'came back' a couple years ago.
- You can't get rid of bedbugs, it's too expensive, difficult and the pesticides don't exist.
What to Do TODAY!
- You can use bug spray (like OFF! or anything with DEET) on your entire body as a temporary measure to repel bedbugs. Some people have also used natural essential oils such as lavender, lemon, or neme oil on their bodies and their bedding.
- Buy a mattress cover (must be anti-dust mite) to encase your mattress and prevent bedbugs from getting out.
- Find out if your neighbors have bedbugs. Together you can determine how widespread the problem is and bring it to the attention of your landlord and hopefully come up with a strategy to get rid of the bedbugs
- Purchase a spray that contains Deltamethrin at your local hardware store or online. This will kill and draw out the bedbugs from their hiding places. Make sure to spray mattresses, furniture, drapes, floors, baseboards. The spray comes ready made or mix-it-yourself.
- Purchase a powder/dust such as Drione Dust which contain Pyrethrins (derived from flowers). Apply the powder (AFTER spray from step 1 has dried) to baseboards, mattresses, behind picture frames, around the bed, and in the bathroom where bedbugs go for water. As the bugs crawl over the dust, it will dry them out and kill them. The powder has a lasting effect for months and will supplement the spraying.
- Make sure in the mean time to wash clothes and sheets in hot water, remove clutter where bedbugs can hide (consider getting plastic containers for storage of documents and clothes).
Bedbug Links
http://www.ento.psu.edu
http://www.ento.psu.edu
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg
http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomolo
http://mayoclinic.com/health
http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid
http://kidshealth.org/kid/ill
Bedbugs in the News
http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/1427
http://a.abcnews.com/US/story
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09
http://www.wftv.com/news
http://www1.umn.edu/umnnews
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11
http://www.newyorker.com
Blogs
http://bedbugsnyc.blogspot.com
http://bedbugsnyc.blogspot.com
http://bedbugger.com/
http://www.mahalo.com/Bed_bugs
Friday, April 11, 2008
Norwood Tenants Plan Community Event to Demand Fire Safety: Sat. 4/12 (Español abajo)
- WHO: Councilmember Kwame Brown, Norwood Tenant Association, DC Fire Marshall, the Mayor's Office on Latino Affairs (OLA), the DC Metropolitan Police, TENAC, the Latino Economic Development Corporation (LEDC)
- WHAT: Community safety event and education fairWHEN: Saturday April 12th from 2 to 3 pm
- WHERE: Closed off street in front of 1417 N St NW
In the shadow of a recent five-alarm apartment fire in Mount Pleasant at a building with over 7,000 housing code violations, tenants remain concerned about fire safety. The tenants at the Norwood Apartments have organized a community safety event and education fair this Saturday to increase fire safety awareness in the Logan Circle neighborhood. As we learned from Mount Pleasant, a fire can affect an entire neighborhood, not just 'problem' buildings. The event will take place this Saturday April 12th from 2 to 3 pm on the street in front of 1417 N Street NW.
Tenants at the Norwood are concerned about the numerous gaps in fire safety in the building, and potential hidden hazards in other buildings, and they don't want to become another fire tragedy. On April 2nd 2008 the DC Fire Marshal found problems at the Norwood with smoke detectors, fire doors that do not close property, and exposed electrical wires hanging in the basement. As a result of these findings, the DC Fire Marshal will go door-to-door to conduct an inspection of the Norwood and surrounding apartment buildings on N Street NW to identify and abate potential dangers.
The Norwood Tenant Association is collaborating on the issue of fire safety in rent-controlled buildings with the DC Fire Marshall, the Mayor's Office on Latino Affairs (OLA), the DC Metropolitan Police, TENAC, the Latino Economic Development Corporation (LEDC) and tenants associations across the city. This partnership is a positive step towards improving fire safety and will raise awareness about deteriorating and unsafe conditions in the neighborhood. Tenants are demonstrating solidarity by wearing white T-shirts on the day of the event.
DC Councilman Kwame Brown will lead a delegation of DC elected officials and agencies on a tour of the poor living conditions that some tenants are forced to endure at the Norwood.
The DC Fire Prevention Bureau and other DC government agencies will conduct an education fair on N Street NW. Additionally, three fire insurance providers will be on hand to provide information on low cost fire and renters insurance for tenants. Landlords' insurance only covers the walls of the apartment building, and in the event of a tragic fire tenants face losing everything they own unless they are insured.
The Norwood apartment building was included in the recent Washington Post series, "Forced Out," about deteriorating rent-controlled buildings targeted for condo conversion ("The Profit In Decay" 3-19-08). The tenants of the Norwood said 'no' to a condo pitch by the Tenacity Group in January 2007, and instead demanded that problems be fixed 'today.' Tenants at the Norwood call for an end to persistent housing code violations, and remain committed to preserving affordable housing.
_______________________________________________________
- Quiénes: Concejal Kwame Brown, Asociación de Inquilinos del Norwood, Departamento de Bomberos de DC, la oficina de asuntos latinos(OLA), el departamento de Policía, TENAC, la Corporación Latina para el Desarrollo Económico (LEDC)
- Qué: Evento comunitario de seguridad y feria educativa.
- Cuándo: Sabado April 12 de Abril de 2 a 3 de la tarde.Dónde: Cierre de calle frente al 1417 N St NW
Inquilinos del Norwood planean evento comunitario y exigen seguridad en contra de incendios.
Después de el reciente incendio de categoría 5 que termino con un edificio de apartamentos en que tenia más de 7,000 violaciones al código de vivienda, los residentes se encuentran preocupados por su seguridad. Los inquilinos del Norwood han organizado un evento comunitario de seguridad y una feria educativa este sábado para incrementar la seguridad en caso de incendio en el vecindario de Logan Circle. Lo que aprendimos del incendio de la Mount Pleasant, es que el incendio puede afectar vecindarios completos, no solo a edificios que están en problema. El evento se efectuará este sábado 12 de Abril de 2 a 3 de la tarde en frente del 1417 N Street NW.
Los inquilinos del Norwood están preocupados por las deficiencias que existen en el edificio, por la falta de seguridad en caso de incendio, y ellos no quieren llegar a ser parte de una tragedia. El 2 de Abril el departamento de bomberos encontraron problemas en el Norwood con detectores de humo, puertas de emergencia que no cierran apropiadamente y cables eléctricos sueltos en el sótano. Como resultado de estas violaciones encontradas, el departamento de bomberos irá puerta por puerta para verificar que todos los departamentos del Norwood y de algunos edificios de departamentos vecinos ubicados en la calle N, NW para identificar y terminar con peligros potenciales.
La Asociación de Inquilinos del Norwood colabora en la prevención de incendios en edificios de renta control con el departamento de bomberos del distrito de columbia, la Oficina de asuntos (OLA por sus siglas en inglés), la policía metropolitana, TENAC, Latino Economic Development Corporation (LEDC) y asociaciones de inquilinos de la ciudad. Trabajando juntos damos un paso adelante para mejorar la seguridad en caso de incendio. Los inquilinos están demostrado su solidaridad usando playeras blancas el día del evento.
El concejal de DC Kwame Brown encabezará una caminata por el edificio con las autoridades de DC y a otras agencias, para ser testigos de las malas condiciones en las que viven varios inquilinos del Norwood.
El departamento de bomberos y otras agencias del gobierno de D.C llevarán a cabo una feria informativa en la calle N St. NW. Se distribuirá información de agencias que proveen seguros en casa de incendio a bajo costo. El seguro del dueño solo cubre las paredes del edificio de departamentos, en caso de una tragedia como un incendio los inquilinos son responsables de sus pertenencias, al menos que estas estén aseguradas.
El edificio Norwood fue incluido en una serie de artículos publicados por el periódico Washington Post sobre el mal estado de edificios que iban a ser convertidos en condominios. Los inquilinos del Norwood rechazaron la propuesta de condominios en enero del 2007 y exigieron que se arreglaran los problemas.
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Sphere: Related ContentSunday, March 9, 2008
The problem: Unsafe living conditions
The Washington Post has documented dozens of cases of tenants being forced out as their homes were cleared to make way for high-end condos (The Profit in Decay, 3-9-08)
Bed Bugs
DC government housing inspectors, Div. of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA), issued housing code violations for building-wide bed bug infestations in 2006 and 2007. Children are bitten by bed bugs on a regular basis. Meanwhile, bed bugs continue to thrive.
We find bed bugs like these on a regular basis.
There is only one elevator in our seven-story building. Tenants are frequently trapped in the elevator, and each year the elevator breaks down for months at a time. Last July, during the hottest month of the summer, the elevator was out of service for 31 days.
The non-working elevator creates a hardship for tenants who are forced to carry groceries, strollers and bikes up the stairs. Seniors and people with chronic health conditions are most affected because they have even more difficulty taking the stairs. One senior who lives on the 5th floor has to carry his oxygen tank up the stairs, while another on the 6th floor has asthma attacks when he is forced to take the stairs. A tenant from the 7th floor on crutches was also forced to live without the elevator for a month. As a result of the elevator problems, many tenants are trapped in their apartments when the elevator is not working.
Management blames the elevator problems on old age, however, there are other 75 year-old elevators in DC that work properly because they receive regular maintenance.
Mold
Excessive hazardous amounts of mold exist throughout the building. Entire walls and rooms are covered in mold. Pictures taken on March 8, 2007.
The DC Department of the Environment conducted an investigation in March of 2007 and found excessive amounts of mold which causes respiratory health problems for seniors and children.Residents who live in apartments with excessive levels mold such as children and seniors, have reported respiratory problems including persistent coughs, runny noses, and allergies.
During the past two years, three managment companies have managed the Norwood, Fleetwood Management, Dreyfuss Management and Cap City Management. These companies remove the mold by simply painting over it. The paint does not stay on the walls and simply peels away underneath the mold as seen in the pictures above.One year later, March 2008, the mold has not been removed.
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