Rent dispute at Marietta facility could force recovering addicts out on the street
MARIETTA, Ga. - Recovering addicts at a Marietta sober living facility say they feel their freedom is hanging in the balance all because of a rent dispute.
The house on Lockheed Avenue in Marietta has been the landlord's home for 40 years, and for the past five, part of the building has been Threshold of integrity, a recovery house
"Recovery is the most important thing right now. If we get kicked out, we have to go back to selling drugs or doing what we were doing just to survive because we have nowhere to go," Richard Elsasser said.
Both tenants and the landlord agree: The building has seen better days. There are large cracks in the floorboards. Tenants say taking a shower is risky as some of the bathrooms have holes so deep rodents climb out from under the structure.
"It looked better before [the current lessee] came in," landlord Lloyd Nwrocki said.
The sober living facility director, Eric Phillips, claims the landlord should have paid for the wear and tear over the years, including electrical problems, a sink that will not drain and unsealed and hardly operational tubs.
The Marietta Fire Marshal says they have visited the property seven times since June over a sprinkler system. If violations aren't made by the next inspection, tenants could be forced to evacuate.
Nawrocki claims he does not have money to make the repairs because Phillips has not paid rent.
"I have been paying him and I am almost three months behind, but I have been paying him something because I've been trying to get things fixed," Phillips said.
"The fire department came out to do a sprinkler inspection. It was $4,000 to make repairs and I said you haven't paid rent," Nwrocki said. "All I need is past due rent and it's gotten up to over $10,000. How can I pay repairs if he hasn't paid the rent?"
Tenants like Elsasser, who was just released from the Fulton County Jail, fear what will happen at the next inspection, as they say facility is all they have.
"That's it. It's basically what everybody has. They got a family but can't go back because of their addiction because they're getting the help they need. Most people are mandated to be here. If they're not here, we have to go back to jail," he said.
The dispute between Nawrocki and Phillips got so heated Wednesday Nawrocki called the police. Things ended peacefully, but ultimately, those in recovery are still desperate for another place to live.