Royal Arms Elderly Tenants in Need of Rent Support

Elderly tenants of Royal Arms need community support to pay rent or move out!

Royal Arms Apartments in the University Hill Farms neighborhood is home to many senior citizens, families, disabled and low-income tenants. After Orosz Properties purchased the modest apartment complex in 2023, they raised the rent by a staggering 20 - 40%. This rent increase and the tenants’ protests made headlines in several news outlets, including Isthmus , Madison365 , Wisconsin Public Radio , and Channel 3000. However, Orosz Properties remains uncompromising on the rent. Now, many tenants are faced with a difficult decision: stay and struggle to make ends meet or take on the physical and financial strain to move out.

These tenants are requesting community support to provide much-needed financial relief.

John is an 80-year-old US Army veteran on Social Security. He is a three-time cancer survivor and was homeless from 1985 to 1994. He has several chronic health issues including severe arthritis, heart disease, and congestive heart failure. John cannot afford the rent increase and needs financial assistance to move out of Royal Arms.

Beth (who wants to remain unpictured) is a 75-year-old part time worker at HyVee. She is a former nurse on Social Security and has lived at Royal Arms for 15 years. Beth feels stuck at Royal Arms because she does not feel capable of moving all her possessions or downsizing by the time she would need to move out. Beth needs financial assistance so she does not have to cut back on essential needs like groceries to pay rent.

Shirley is a 78-year-old with several chronic health issues including cancer, hypertension, and diabetes. Her daughter is a 51-year-old healthcare worker and Shirley’s sole caretaker. With only one source of income, Shirley and her daughter are struggling to make ends meet and need financial assistance to move out of Royal Arms.

Our goal is to collect one month’s rent for these tenants by the end of the summer.

Additional tenants may come forward and become part of this fundraiser, so stay tuned!