CLEVELAND — As the snow falls, so do the hopes of a man living in an apartment on Cleveland’s East Side. He told us he’s been begging for help from the property’s management for several months, but, in the cold, he still has no heat, electricity, or water.
For Rod Solomon and his dog Sparky, their home is more than just uncomfortable. Solomon’s friend Miguel Vazquez is there to help.
“I wrapped (Sparky) up this morning because he was cold. I came in and he was shaking,” said Vazquez.
PUT DOWN $2K DEPOSIT
Solomon told us he and a former roommate put a $2,000 deposit on the apartment back in the spring, but when he moved there in June, the electricity still wasn’t hooked up.
He said the managers of the building to this day haven’t fixed the lines.
"I just need it to be up to standard,” said Solomon. “There’s no reason for me to be here if it’s going to be like this.”
He showed us a copy of the lease that states water is included, but the water was turned off a while ago.
Vazquez teared up thinking of what his friend had endured.
"It’s nonsense that he’s got to sleep in these conditions,” said Vazquez.
EVEN THE MORATORIUM COULDN'T HELP
All of this is happening within a week of Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb announcing a moratorium on cutting people’s utilities off. But that only applies to Cleveland Public Power for electricity. Solomon has the Illuminating Company. And as far as the water, Solomon’s water was already off, so even that won’t help him.
“I just want to be able to come home into a warm home with electricity and stuff,” said Solomon.
INVESTIGATORS CALLED FOR ANSWERS
While we stood in the apartment, we called several numbers for various managers of the property, asking for answers to Solomon’s claims and current living conditions. We left messages and, so far, we’ve heard nothing back from them.
“Get the lights on. Get water on,” said Vazquez. "As of right now, this place is not livable.”
Solomon said he now works in addiction services after dealing with his own drug issues.
"I went to recovery to build myself up, and now it’s like everything is being torn down,” said Solomon.
Even with that, he said, if for nothing else, he wanted to warn others about his experience.
"Just be careful of the places you choose and make sure you vet the people,” said Solomon. “And make sure nothing like this happens to you, because this should not happen to anyone.”
