Local man awarded human rights honor

When about 60 residents were going to be removed from their government-assisted housing, David Metheny decided to do something about it.

Following his efforts, the Bloomington Human Rights Commission announced Metheny as the 2013 winner of the Bloomington’s annual Human Rights Award.

Metheny is a Bloomington resident and was chosen for his advocacy of the Arcadia Court apartment complex’s low-income and handicapped residents.

The Human Rights Award is given to those who have made contributions or improvements to civil rights, human relations or civility in Bloomington.

Metheny is a tenant of Section 8 housing, which is government-assisted housing for those who fall below the poverty line, as well as those who are disabled and elderly.

He discovered the apartment complex was in violation of the Federal Housing and Urban Development program by having tenants who qualify under Section 8 of the program sign a six-month lease, rather than a one-year lease as per requirements.

Shortly after moving into the apartment complex in early 2012, Metheny was informed that Section 8 tenants were required to leave by the end of the six-month lease because of increases in utility and water bills.

In a notice sent out to Section 8 tenants in fall 2012, the owners of Acadia Court, Elon Property Management, explained to the tenants that Section 8 housing requirements do not allow the tenants to pay more than the voucher amount. Therefore, all 60 tenants needed to move out.

“They were just going to let us all be thrown out and go, and I wasn’t going to,” Metheny said. “I was going to fight.”

After six months of persistently fighting for the rights of Section 8 residents, and only two weeks before the end of his lease that would require him to leave his apartment, Metheny was able to get the apartment complex to change its leasing regulation.

With Metheny’s efforts, Elon Property’s Section 8 residents are now not responsible for increases in the cost of their water bill, and they have been given one-year leases.

But many residents left after receiving the notice. Only 26 residents remained, along with Metheny.

“I’m just sad that these older people here, more handicapped than me, had to find other places to move, and it upset their lives when they had a place here,” Metheny said. ”There was no call for it.”

Susie Rimstidt said she nominated Metheny for the award because of the impact he had on many of the tenants in the same situation.

“He affected the lives of dozens,” Rimstidt said.

Metheny said he continues to work toward improving situations for Section 8 and handicapped residents, he said.

“I think there should be a law or something that would be for those people in town who do run places,” Metheny said. “That is, they take a Section 8 person and then decide they’re not going to take it anymore. They have to grandfather those people in until they leave.”

He said he is concerned with the lack of apartments in Bloomington that have Section 8 or a large enough ratio of handicap housing, he said.  

Metheny’s efforts have been recognized by Bloomington and those residents he has helped.

“I think they are very impressed that someone that has challenges themselves, way beyond the call of duty, addressed an issue that no one was addressing, and saved housing for quite a few low-income people,” said Barbara McKinney, director of the Bloomington Human Rights Commission.

Working to spread awareness of the issue to Indiana Legal Services and through the Herald-Times, Rimstidt said Metheny promoted change to how Section 8 residents were being treated.

His recent award shows the progress he has made, she said.

Metheny said he will continue to advocate for Bloomington residents that qualify for Section 8 housing and who are handicapped.

“It’s just a losing battle because there are so many of us and so little places to rent,” he said.