Clearview Apartments

In October 2021, Outreach Coordinators and myself for the City of Savannah were tasked to go out to Clearview Apartments in West Savannah. An eye opening experience. We are tasked to give residents living in Clearview Apartments residential assistance. They will be moving out of their homes in less than 60 days.

“Clearview apartment homes will eventually be home to around 340 units of mixed-use housing, to include affordable and senior housing, that’s according to Mayor Johnson.” 

“‘In my opinion, Clearview has been really uninhabitable for the last 30 years. The property was purchased by Cardinal in 2018, not for investment, but to demolish it. And it’s been a refuge for criminals and the like,’ Mayor Johnson said.” 

“Mayor Johnson says out of more than 170 units, there are currently about 19 people living in the homes. He says they can’t be allowed to hold up the process of development and making the area more livable anymore.” 

- https://www.wtoc.com/.../new-affordable-housing-plan.../

We knocked on a door. The front porch of the small apartment was littered with Modelo glass bottles and cans. There weren’t any blinds or curtains hung up in the windows so you could see inside of the home. A line hung up in the living room used for laundry and the only furniture was a vacuum sitting in the corner. 

A man answers the door. He cannot speak English. We had to tell a Spanish speaking man that he had less than 60 days to move out of his home. He shows us a paystub that shows a name. The paystub is from the Ports, the largest single-terminal container facility in North America. $200 for 2 weeks of work. There are 3 people living in the small tin roofed home. We give him a flyer and took down his information. We tried Google translate but there was an obvious language barrier. That was heartbreaking. 

We knock on another door. No answer. We hear a rooster crowing from inside. I am told by my coworker this area is known for rooster/ dog fighting. Most of the homes are boarded up. Windows are broken. A door was kicked in and there was wood that nailed it shut. The residents living in these homes live beneath the poverty line. Paying less than $500 in rent. And the thing is? These aren’t even low income or government housing.

21.9% of Savannah residents live in poverty. - https://www.census.gov/.../savannahcitygeorgia/DIS010219

“Savannah has historically been a city of economic extremes – home to wealthy residents in high-income occupations and residents with very low incomes. The vibrant economy of our county and region often bypasses the city’s low-wage earners. More than 38 percent of the workforce residing in the city works in hospitality, retail, and health care sectors that persistently pay lower wages.” - https://www.savannahga.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=2407

You’re either rich or poor here. Or military. Even then, the cost of living keep increasing. We need to do better.