CAMDEN – Jasmine Pike grew up in the Camden area, has been active in the community and is raising a family as a single mother.
But Pike is becoming one of the victims of the growing shortage of affordable housing in the area. The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to his dire housing situation.
Pike is evicted from the apartment she, her 13-year-old son and 18-year-old stepdaughter have lived in for three years.
Pike lives in a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment above the building housing the Owl & Turtle Bookshop cafe. Before the pandemic hit, Pike worked as a recovery trainer for Sequelcare of Maine and a server at a local restaurant. But both of those jobs were lost during the pandemic, with the restaurant closing for a while.
The single mother of two had also earned money planning and overseeing Airbnb bookings for one of the building’s three apartments. She homeschooled her son during the 2020-2021 school year.
The building was sold in June 2021 and the new owner decided to rent the apartment, used for Airbnb, for long term rentals. This resulted in further loss of income for Pike, although she said it helped provide housing for locals.
She received pandemic unemployment benefits during the pandemic, but these ran out in 2021. In December, she was preparing to return to work when she contracted COVID-19. When she recovered from this bout of illness, she returned to work, securing a job at French & Brawn Marketplace in Camden.
The new owner of the building also increased her rent from $1,050 to $1,200. She acknowledged that it was a reasonable rent for the apartment, but that money was tight and she was unable to pay her rent in January and February.
On March 14, 2022, landlord Bradley Madeira sent him a notice of default and termination of the lease, citing default of payment for those two months and March also at that time.
Madeira acknowledged that Pike texted her saying she was applying for housing assistance, but that didn’t change the fact that she was behind on her rent payments. He said he was unwilling to make a deal in which a third party would help pay the rent as had been done in 2021.
“We understand that you have experienced economic difficulties as a result of the global pandemic and we feel for you, however, we have the responsibility to pay our own bills and we rely on the rental income we receive from our building in order to to transport and maintain the property,” he said in the March letter to Pike that was filed in Knox County Court when he began the eviction process.
He gave her until March 15 to pay $2,400 or the lease would be terminated and she would have to vacate the apartment by April 15.
The money was not paid and the case went to court. Pike said she spoke with the landlord’s attorney at a hearing in June and was confident that if she could get money to pay the back rent, she could continue to stay in the apartment. Maine does not provide attorneys for people who are in court and at risk of deportation.
On Tuesday, July 19, she was back in court and Judge Barbara Raimondi ruled that Pike had seven days to vacate the residence.
Pike said Penquis was ready to pay the back rent and the next three months’ rent, but the landlord wouldn’t consider changing his mind.
Madeira responded on July 21 to an email request for comment from the newspaper. He said Pike’s lease expired on May 31 and was already in bad shape due to his default on rent payments since December 2022.
“We have already gone through the process of collecting months of unpaid rent on his behalf from Penquis last year and are under no obligation to enter into a new commercial agreement with a tenant who has still not met the terms of his lease. “, he said.
Pike said she turned to people she knew in the community and many offered advice. Her friend Holly Anderson created a Gofundme account — https://www.gofundme.com/f/jasmin-pike-keep-a-home-for-her-kids?utm_campaign=p_nacp%20share-sheet&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid= IwAR3ZjpziyTEVycL6Q37R8of1VRInvGm-jNT651jL5R5LfXv8FmN4Sx9i8SY — to help him get money to pay his rent.
In one day, $3,310 was raised. But the problem now is to find another place.
Social media accounts show many people are desperate to find housing, often because their buildings have been bought by new owners and rents have risen beyond what tenants can afford. Waiting lists are long for all types of accommodation. Some families live outside in tents.
The Maine State Housing Authority released a report in 2020 that showed that year the median rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Knox County was $1,000 and the median income needed to pay that rent was $1,000. $40,000. Figures for 2021 and 2022 are not yet available, but anecdotal information indicates that prices have risen sharply during these pandemic years.
Pike isn’t the only one facing eviction.
Maine sheriff’s offices are responsible by state law for serving documents to eviction persons. The process is for landlords to go to court and get documents that need to be served on tenants. Hearings are scheduled and the judge orders both parties to meet with a mediator. If no agreement can be reached, a hearing takes place.
If the court rules in favor of the landlord, then a writ of possession is issued, which is served on the tenants by the sheriff’s office, ordering them to vacate the premises.
In the first five months of 2022, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office served 25 quit notices on tenants. Nine writs of possession were issued by the court and served by the sheriff’s office.
And trying to buy a home was already out of reach for most low-income people. Soaring house prices have now left many middle-class families unable to afford housing in the area. This has created a labor shortage for local businesses, as workers are unable to find accommodation.
For Pike, she doesn’t know what the future holds for her and her family.
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