Renters announce the formation of the Charles Place Tenants Union

"We don’t have reliable hot water, my air conditioning doesn’t work, and they locked us out of our community room when we tried to work together to make things better.”

Tenants of Charles Place Apartments in Providence’s North End announced that they have formed the Charles Place Tenants Union with supermajority support. They demand that their landlord, the New York- and California-based real estate corporation Standard Communities, agree to negotiate a collectively bargained lease in good faith. Charles Place Tenants Union represents tenants of the 200-unit residential property, and is the newest and largest chapter of the statewide Rhode Island Tenants Union.

“As tenants, we deserve healthy and safe apartments,” said Charles Place Tenants Union leader Donna Perry. “In my 6 years living here, I’ve seen management come and go, but they’re not around to take care of us. We don’t have reliable hot water, my air conditioning doesn’t work, and they locked us out of our community room when we tried to work together to make things better.”

Tenants raised numerous concerns about the quality of the housing provided by Standard Communities. Tenants are facing poor living conditions, including junk fees, inadequate heating and cooling, and pests. Tenants also face mistreatment from management, including false accusations of unpaid rent and the fostering of a culture of fear and intimidation. As tenants began organizing to address these concerns, building management retaliated by locking tenants out of the community room where they had been meeting. Tenants call on Standard Communities to not retaliate against tenants for exercising their legally protected right to organize.

“When I moved in a few months ago, there was already a pest infestation in my apartment,” said Charles Place Tenants Union leader Ramona Barros. “Management is never here, and I constantly hear my neighbors complaining about needing maintenance and not getting it. We are coming together to make this building safe and livable for all of us.”

Charles Place Apartments is a 200-unit apartment complex primarily serving seniors and residents with disabilities. Under Section 8 regulations set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), accepted tenants pay a subsidized rent equivalent to 30% of their monthly income.

Charles Place Tenants Union demands that Standard Communities act in accordance with its words by ceasing to retaliate against tenants for exercising their right to organize and by negotiating a collectively bargained lease agreement in good faith to ensure residents are afforded dignity and respect.

Here’s the video:

Abby Theas, Charles Place Resident and Union Organizer

“I remember our first meeting in the office, when they called the cops on us. When we were leaving, one of the managers said, about us, ‘Don’t worry, they ain’t going to do nothing.’ Well, guess what? We’re here, and we’re not playing with y’all.

“I just want to go straight and read this: I’ve been living here for three years. I’ve been associated with this building for over 25 years. I’ve seen the ups, the downs, and the go-arounds. We came together to form a tenant unit here at Charles Place, and we’re looking to sit down with the landlord to negotiate improvements. We want a peaceful and respectful process to fix things. We need staff who understand and care about the people who live here.

“We barely even see them, and when we do, they literally have blinds pulled or they just ignore us. We need a full-time resident service coordinator. Not one that focuses on a small majority, but one that can serve our entire community, because we have a mixed population in this building, and we want everyone to get their services.

“We have two maintenance guys, and that ain’t enough for a 10-story building with 220 apartments. We’re not asking for more maintenance; we’re asking for a janitorial staff, as we’ve had over the years, to keep the building clean. Also, repairs: AC and hot water issues. We shouldn’t have to wonder when we get up in the morning whether we’ll be able to take a shower or have AC. And I’ll be dog goned when we get up in the morning, whether we’ll be able to take a shower that day. If you’re going to get on the mic and tell me that I should get up earlier in the morning to take a shower, after you take $2,800 a month from the government and my share, it ain’t happening.

“We need steady and reliable maintenance in the building. We try to keep it up: We mop and everything, but we need janitorial people to come and clean the building every week.

“One of our biggest problems is our community room. After our meeting, we were locked out of our community room, and the hours have been changed. In a building that’s had the same hours for over 20 years. As a new owner, you’re going to take our community room? You’re going to come in and tell people, who don’t have anywhere else to go, who want to go there and socialize, that they don’t have anywhere now? Now, if you come to our building, everybody’s standing outside. Everybody’s all over the place. It’s wild. We need our community room back, and we want it back now.

“As tenants, we never wanted to fight with management. We want a seat at the table. We want you to hear us, fix what needs fixing, and provide what needs to be provided. We want bingo like other places. We want different things. I know HUD gave you money for it. Come on with those dollars. We are extending an olive branch to management. We are not coming to fight. We are coming to work together respectfully. We are coming to negotiate. We want to be heard, and we want to improve our lives, for the elderly and disabled who live here.”

Carol Phipps, Charles Place Resident and Union Organizer

“I’ve lived in Charles Place for five years. The first issue I want to focus on today is disrespect. I’ve been waiting three days for a simple light bulb. They give me a runaround for fixing everything. They don’t keep track or prioritize things, right? All I want to do is be heard. Why is it so difficult to get anyone to listen? We’re a very diverse building. We need management support that reflects the building’s diversity.

“I want to echo everything Amy said today. We need hot water, elevators, AC, investment in the building, and more.

“When this started, I felt so hurt by not being heard. That’s all I wanted for years. Once we started this organization, I found my voice through this community. I’m finding support from my neighbors - that I never expected. I talked to many neighbors and learned about them. I feel more confident in myself and in standing up for what I believe in.

“I call on the management to sit down and negotiate, whether it’s Wingate, the property manager, or the owners out of California. We need the decision makers to come to the table and address these concerns. We’re more united than we ever were. I am so proud to announce that we’ve come together as a super majority union today.”

Juliet Hart, an organizer from the Etta Apartments Tenant Union (EATU)

“I am here today to support Charles Place in their fight to protect their rights and get things done in their building. I started organizing because it was clear that it was needed. Our manager, Louis, made us feel like we were in prison. He threw away our grocery carts, harassed us with threatening notices, and tossed my bird feeder in the trash. Once we organized, we started to see change, not only in the building but in ourselves. People who were against the union joined, more motivated to get involved. I am very proud of the people here today. After we went public, our landlord agreed to come to the table and negotiate with us. I am confident that today, your landlord will see us standing and fighting together, and do what needs to be done.”

Caleb Madison, Organizing Director for Reclaim RI and the Rhode Island Tenants Union

“I am so proud to be here tonight at the Charles Place Apartments because the tenants here have decided to come together and form the Charles Place Tenants Union. Just last night, as I was talking to people and starting to gather folks out here, I was hearing stories of elders trapped on their floors because the elevators were down for hours. That’s not okay. That’s not right. Both elevators were down, and I hear we’re down to just one elevator today.

“That ain’t right. On top of that, I’ve been hearing stories of air conditioners still not being repaired. They had all winter to fix it. Why is it that today, when it’s 90 degrees out, elders are stuck between floors, wondering if they can have a cool, safe living environment? I’m so proud of the tenants who have come together today to decide they won’t deal with this anymore.

“Today, we’re calling on Standard Communities LLC, the owner and landlord of this building, and Wingate Property Management, to come and negotiate with the tenants to reach an agreement that improves their lives, improves their conditions, and gives them a voice in the respect and dignity to come and negotiate with the tenants to get to an agreement that improves their lives, improves their conditions, and lets them have a voice in the respect and dignity that they deserve.”

Representative David Morales

“I want to start by saying how proud I am of our Charles Place tenants, because what I see here is a community of neighbors and friends who care about one another enough to stand in solidarity. I know that for years, you have had to deal with issues related to a lack of hot water, elevators going down for hours at a time, and infestations, and when you called management and reached out on your own, you found yourself in a position where you were ignored, and your concerns were not validated.

“But in this moment, we have the collective voice of a tenants’ union that will stand together and make sure that whenever there are concerns about code violations, you’re not forced to speak up alone, you’re speaking together. As I look around this crowd, I see Rhode Island. I see neighbors of all walks of life, of different backgrounds and languages, and I want you to know that we have your back, Charles Place Tenants Union. We have your back to ensure that you receive dignity because every one of our neighbors in the Providence deserves to live in dignified conditions, and we’re going to make that happen together.”

Jimmy Gonzalez, Vice President of the Centennial Towers Tenant Union

“Oh my God, I’m excited. I really am. I can feel the energy that we had when we did this at Centennial. It’s super contagious. I want to say so much, but I’ve got to keep it brief, or I can be here forever.

“I like that you guys did it faster. You guys came together, listened to what we had to say, and everything fell into place. I can feel the love. I’m here for you guys. We’ve got your back. Centennial Towers Tenants’ Union is here for Charles Place. Whatever you guys need, we’re there, obviously. Let’s kick some ass. Let’s get this shit done. Oh my God, I’m excited. Let’s go!”

Jelly, Seven Stars Union Steward

“I work at Seven Stars Bakery, and several years ago, we formed a union. The union is the best part of my workplace. When we come together to be strong, we can bring managers to the table and hold them accountable for unfair actions. I look around me, and I see caring neighbors, but there are people out there who only care about power, and when they see the power we have when we’re together, they know they have to listen.

“There have been times when we fought frivolous write-ups, had to deal with issues just getting good temperatures in our stores, and management dragging their feet. When we came together as a union and told them we would not stand for this and would hold them to the contract, they had to listen.

“I hope everybody here sees the power that they have in joining together. Strong communities and neighborhoods are built in the workplace and the home. As a child of the ‘90s, one of my greatest mentors \was Mr. Rogers. When I look around, I see neighbors, the beauty of the human spirit, and dignity, and I see everybody here who deserves dignity and deserves to have their voices heard by the administration of this apartment. On behalf of the union workers at Seven Stars and all union workers everywhere, we support you.”

Caleb Madison

“Many people think Wingate Property owns this place. Wingate Property manages it. The folks who actually own this place are called Standard Communities out of California. They own tens of thousands of units across the entire country. These folks receive millions in subsidies, probably to the tune of tens or hundreds of millions in subsidies, to provide housing for people. But if this building is any indication of how Standard Communities does business, I think we should very much question why they’re getting so many tax dollars every year. We are calling on Standard Communities, Wingate. We don’t care who, whoever can make these decisions, to sit down with the tenants and negotiate a fair agreement to deal with things like the hot water, the elevators, the safety, the respect, and the dignity that everybody living in this building deserves.

“For those of you in management and decision-making roles with Wingate and Standard Communities, we’re at a crossroads. You have an opportunity to work together with the tenants and with us to have a good future here. This building could be a beautiful place. And from what I understand, it was some decades ago. And now we have an opportunity to come together to make it that way again, to make it central to the neighborhood, to make it a place that people feel proud to call home rather than feeling like they have to hide. And unfortunately, if you don’t want to do that together, there’s another way we can do things. We are not afraid to pick it. We are not afraid to fight. We are not afraid to protest. We will stand together and make sure we get this thing done.

“Is that right, everybody?

“I want to say one more thing. If you’re a tenant and you’re looking at this crowd of people and you think, well, in my building we could never do that. You are dead wrong. You can do this. You can organize a union. You can build your power where you live. All it takes is picking up the phone and calling the union. We’ll be there with you. We will help you through all of this. Just like these tenants made that call, supported each other, and built an organization that can last. You deserve lasting power where you live, and you can build that too.”

About Standard Communities

Standard Communities is a privately held national affordable housing developer and owner with headquarters in New York and Los Angeles. Standard Communities owns approximately 28,500 units across 22 states and Washington, D.C., with a current goal of 50,000 units by 2030. The company was founded in 2008 by co-founders Jeffrey Jaeger and Scott Alter, who acquired their first portfolio by bidding on distressed loans during the housing crisis. Jaeger and Alter began focusing exclusively on affordable housing acquisition and development in 2011.

Standard Communities has rapidly expanded its affordable housing development and rehabilitation, and the firm was ranked 6th in Affordable Housing Finance’s 2025 rankings as the largest owner of affordable housing units nationwide. On the company’s website, Standard Communities claims to be “...committed to providing high-quality, healthy, sustainable housing for individuals of all income levels.” Standard Communities is also a certified B-Corp as of 2023, meaning they have voluntarily signed on to be assessed by B-Corp on the company’s impact on the environment, community, governance, and its workers and customers. Overall, the company places great emphasis on its reputation for charitable work and for providing extremely high-quality, affordable housing.

Standard Communities purchased Charles Place Apartments in March 2015 for $18.25 million. Its previous owner was Charles H. Tapalian, the former owner of Cheater’s strip club. Standard Communities received a $26 million tax-exempt loan from RI Housing, provided by Citi Community Capital, to purchase and rehabilitate Charles Place Apartments. This financing came with a 40-year affordability agreement, meaning Charles Place Apartments will be affordable until at least 2055, and Standard Communities is guaranteed income until then. Standard Communities’ Rhode Island portfolio consists of five affordable apartment complexes: Charles Place, Curtis Arms, Tanglewood Village, Colony House, and Riverstone. It also includes approval for a new development of 115 affordable units at the old ProJo building at 203 Westminster Street. The new ProJo Apartments development received about $7 million in a first-ever state low-income tax credit from Governor Daniel McKee in May 2025.

Jeffrey Jaeger lives in Los Angeles, California, and Scott Alter lives in New York City. They are co-founders of Housing on Merit, an affordable housing non-profit based in California, and both consider themselves heavily involved in the philanthropic community. In 2025, Jaeger and Alter gave a $2.5 million gift to UCLA to create the Jaeger Alter Standard Communities Affordable Housing Program.

“As we grow, we continue to prioritize the human aspect of housing by creating communities that are not just affordable, but dignified, well-managed, well-maintained, and rooted in long-term impact,” said Jaeger in a 2025 interview. In another 2025 interview, Alter emphasized the importance of community spaces, stating, “We want residents to feel like they’re living in a community, and the social component is so important.”

Providence City Councilmember Justin Roias (Ward 4)

“It’s been a challenging week, so for this to happen today, I’m going to ride off into the weekend, feeling inspired. I serve this neighborhood as your city councilor, and today is special because Charles Place residents have decided to step out of the shadows and into the public square to say something simple: ‘We matter.’

“I am proud to stand with the residents of Charles Place as you publicly announce the formation of your tenants’ union, because what I have witnessed here, over the past several years as your city councilor, has been extraordinary, and not in a good way: There are real problems in this building.

“Residents have told me about absentee management, and frankly, I have seen some of it myself. I visited Charles Place and walked past the management office, where curtains were drawn across the windows, blocking residents from seeing inside. Now, maybe there’s an explanation for that, but the message sent to those who live here is ‘We don’t want to see you, don’t bother us.’ It tells residents that management would rather put up a barrier between themselves and the people who pay rent than build a relationship. Whether intended or not, that is how it is experienced by those who live here.

“Residents have told me that the hot water barely lasts through the morning. They’ve told me about air conditioning units that have been broken since the beginning of summer, with little urgency to repair them. They’ve told me about elevators that are consistently broken in a 10-story building. Think about that for a moment: We have elderly residents, residents with disabilities, and residents with serious medical conditions who have been forced to climb up flight after flight of stairs to get back to their homes. That’s not because of some blizzard, natural disaster, or an emergency, but because the elevators are not working.

“When an elderly resident or someone with a serious medical condition is forced to climb 10 flights of stairs, that is not merely an inconvenience. It is a risk to their health and safety. In some cases, it can be a risk to their life. Residents have told me about questionable late fees and rent charges that many feel are less about accountability and more about shaking down tenants who are already struggling. They told me about the disrespect they feel daily, about feeling ignored, about feeling like management views them as rent checks, rather than human beings. And they’ve told me about notices that say management may enter their apartment at any point between Monday and Friday (and they somehow called that a notice).

“Let me remind them, in case they didn’t get our notice: Residents have the right to organize.

“Friends, no one should be expected to spend an entire week wondering when someone might walk through their front door. No one should feel powerless in the place they call home. As serious as these issues are, that is not what inspires me about Charles Place residents. What inspires me is what happened next: something remarkable happened here, and I’m not sure if you know it: You all stopped acting like strangers and started acting like neighbors.

“I heard the story of Donna meeting a resident who was struggling and helping him to get a bed, not because someone told her to. It wasn’t her job; she did it because she cared. I heard about a new tenant who had fallen on hard times and didn’t know where to turn. Another resident here took her under her wing, showed her where resources were available, helped her get connected, and even invited her to a Mother’s Day brunch so she wouldn’t feel alone.

“That’s all in the process of organizing.

“I heard about residents going door to door to check on neighbors who might be sick, elderly, isolated, or shut in. People started to share groceries, share information, look out for one another, and make sure everyone feels safe. What I find most beautiful about this movement is that it reflects what Providence is supposed to be. Look around us today. We have Black, Latino, and white residents, English speakers, Spanish speakers, and people from different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. And despite everything that tries to divide us in this country and in this moment, and there’s a lot that tries to divide us, you all looked around and realized you had something in common: You wanted dignity, respect, and a safe place to live; that common purpose united you.

“I’ve been in rooms with residents who started talking not just about fixing problems, but about building community, and that deeply inspires me. We’re talking about cookouts, celebrations, spending time together, and talking about creating the kind of neighborhood where people know each other’s names. That’s powerful because tenant unions aren’t just about fighting bad conditions; they’re about building the community that we’re seeing today, where isolation once existed, and turning a building into a neighborhood and turning neighbors into family.

“As your city councilor, I want to be as clear as I was with the other recently tenant unions: I will always stand shoulder to shoulder with you, and I will use every resource of government to fight bad landlords who are causing unnecessary stress in your lives. It’s not going to happen. Nobody should trade their dignity for a place to live, and today, Charles Place joins that growing movement of tenants across the north end who are standing together and demanding that we deserve dignity.

“I stood with other apartment residents just as I stand with you today. At their press conference, I said something that I believe even more strongly now. The dominoes are falling in the North End. I’m not kidding. Tenants are watching. People are talking to each other, people are seeing what happened at the apartments and what is happening at Charles Place right now, and they are beginning to realize something powerful: If they can do it, so can we.

“What’s happening right now is bigger than this intimidating building behind us. It’s part of an awakening. It’s part of a growing realization among tenants across the North End that they do not have to face these challenges alone. They have rights, they deserve respect, and they are at their strongest when they stand together. If the last few weeks are any indication of what is to come, I believe we are witnessing the beginning of something historic.

“I predict that the North End will soon have the strongest tenant union density of any neighborhood in Providence. We are building this together block by block and neighbor by neighbor. When that happens, landlords across this city are going to discover something they haven’t had to reckon with for a very long time: An organized tenant is a powerful tenant. An organized community is even more powerful.

“To every landlord paying attention today, I have a very simple message: Residents are organized and paying attention. Residents know their rights and are no longer standing alone. You’d better get ready. To the residents of Charles Place, thank you for your courage, solidarity, and for looking out for one another; and thank you for reminding all of us what community looks like.”