Friday, Jan 14 2011 6:10PM
Residents of a Yuba City apartment complex don't even have smoke detectors in their units.
Tenants in a Yuba City, California, apartment complex are living in conditions that they know are blatantly illegal, but don't know how to fix their problems and are worried they'll be evicted if they complain, reported the Appeal-Democrat.
Units in the rural city's Twin Pool Garden Apartments are polluted with black mold and cockroach infestations, while lacking basic necessities such as heat and smoke detectors. Tenants have complained about the deplorable living conditions to the building's owner to no avail, the newspaper reported.
Dylan Saake, a directing attorney for California Legal Assistance told the Appeal-Democrat that low-income tenants with no means of housing assistance are easy targets for landlords, who often keep residents who don't know their rights in "subpar" conditions.
"It's not that low-income individuals don't have the capacity or the intelligence to assert their rights - it's the lack of resources," he said.
Hazardous living conditions that result in exposure to toxic agents like black mold can have serious health repercussions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Congestion, throat irritation and coughing are common side effects in otherwise healthy people, while those with chronic lung diseases like asthma risk developing infections in their lungs.