TULSA, Okla. — Residents at Parkview Terrace were given 48 hours to remove air-conditioning units from their second-story windows or face a fine and risk of losing their housing assistance.
Salina Dacosta moved into the Tulsa Housing Authority property in Nov. 2021. She said there has never been central air in her unit.
WATCH: Residents call Parkview Terrace's 48-hour AC unit removal notice 'unbelievable'
It's her understanding none of the units in the complex have central air, which is why they provide a main floor window AC unit.
“I understand that they have safety concerns," she said. "I understand that they have health concerns. I don’t think they’re taking into consideration how it’s going to affect us."
Property management provided Dacosta and her neighbors with a main-floor unit.
"They, upon moving in, informed me that I would need to provide my own window units for upstairs to keep us cool," said Dacosta.
The window units are the only way Dacosta said she's able to keep her home safe and cool for her family.
On Sept. 2, Dacosta and her neighbors were given a notice that their units were deemed unsafe in a recent housing inspection and needed to be removed by Sept. 4.
If residents don't oblige, they face a $50 removal fee and risk losing their housing assistance altogether.
She told 2 News that she's frustrated because she's now being told to take units out of her windows that management had told her to put up in the first place.
“They’re taking away our only source of cooling for our homes and they’re not providing us with another solution besides telling us we can go and purchase a $150 portable air conditioner," said Dacosta. "As you may know a lot of people here don’t work and even the ones who do, we can’t afford those things."
She said she will take her window units down because she paid for them and doesn't want to be charged for them.
It's also not worth the risk.
“I can’t afford to lose my home," said Dacosta. "I’m working so hard right now to get off of housing and it’s almost like they want to keep you stuck."
2 News reached out to the City of Tulsa, which is named in the letter, to get clarity on their involvement.
They deferred their comment to THA.
“Last week during a Housing Quality Standards (HQS) inspection (a HUD requirement for HUD-subsidized properties), the inspector explained to the property staff that all upstairs A/C window units and any downstairs units in single windows need to be removed due to causing a blocked egress. The egress is needed in the event of a fire in the unit. The A/C units that the properties provide are not included in the request for removal, only those that the residents have installed. The site did put out notices giving the residents 48 hours to remove them to meet health and safety requirements.
If the lack of additional air conditioning continues to pose an issue for this resident, we encourage her to contact her Housing Coordinator so we can look into options that may be more conducive to her situation.”
"I've reached out to my housing coordinator, and I've not heard anything back," said Dacosta.
Now, she's exploring her options to move.
Before it got to this point, Dacosta said she wishes management and THA would put themselves in the residents' shoes.
“It’s just unbelievable that they would make this decision and not even get with the community and see other options that could possibly remedy their safety concerns," she said. "They shouldn’t be allowed to do this."
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