Delay Sought in Senior Housing

Lawndale city officials sent a letter Friday urging the developer of a subsidized apartment complex for seniors to stop qualifying potential tenants until legal questions are resolved about a lottery used to select applicants.

They had previously asked the Detroit-based developer, Cooperative Services Inc., to reschedule the March 13 lottery after discovering that only a small number of Lawndale seniors would participate in it. Of the 306 seniors who applied for one of the 56 subsidized apartment units, only 52 were from Lawndale. Of the 100 given priority ranking, only 17 were Lawndale residents. The complex is the city’s only subsidized apartment complex for low-income seniors.

But Cooperative Services refused to reschedule the lottery, saying a new drawing would be unfair to those who were picked and would delay occupancy of the complex.

In an April 16 letter to the federal Housing and Urban Development department--which provided grants to fund the project--city officials alleged that the ethnic composition of those seniors given priority ranking did not reflect that of the community. Although 1980 census figures indicate that Latinos make up 28.4% of the community, only 15% of the tenant applicants were Latino, the letter stated.

If HUD declines to compel the developer to hold the lottery again, city officials may seek a restraining order against Cooperative Services to prevent the selection process from continuing, City Atty. David J. Aleshire said.