Nuns running the St. Joseph's Immigrant Home are acting somewhat less than benevolent, raising rents on tenants and subsequently forcing out those unable to pay.
“You can really tell they do not want us in the building,” Rachel Wunder, told The Post. “They’re trying to suck everybody dry here.” Wunder's monthly rent was raised by $200, jumping from $600 to $800.
The immigrant home, located on West 44th Street in Hell's Kitchen, is run by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York. According to their site the organization "helps solve the problems of New Yorkers in need - non-Catholics and Catholics alike." The building is meant to serve as a temporary and transitional home for working women and students.
According to The Post, the home’s administrator, Nancy Clifford, announced rent hikes earlier this year, but nearly half of the 70 residents are refusing to pay the new rate. Tenants have instead put funds in escrow after receiving legal documents demanding that they vacate the building by July 31. Residents claim that Clifford used previous funds for "unnecessary renovations and furnishings."
Officials at St. Joseph's were unavailable for comment.
