Miramar Towers, which has been experiencing overnight lines for senior apartment applications, has decided to accept applications by mail.
The apartment complex has also made restrooms and other amenities available to Korean seniors, including Korean American seniors, waiting in line.
Ktown Action (President Yoon Dae-jung) said it met with the regional manager of the apartment management company on December 5 to improve the application and registration processes for Korean seniors.
According to Ktown Action, Korean seniors can fill out an application and mail it to the Miramar Towers management office at 2000 Miramar St., Los Angeles, CA 90057. However, the application must be postmarked no later than December 21, 2023.
The management company recommended that applicants include a photocopy of their Social Security number and identification when sending in their application.
They also informed them that arrangements would be made to provide restrooms for Korean seniors waiting on the sidewalk in front of their apartments.
In the past, Korean seniors have had to wait in line for hours to apply for housing but have been unable to use the restroom.
“We are very happy to reduce the difficulties experienced by Korean seniors,” said Yoon. “We will inform the Federal Housing Administration of this situation so that local residents can receive and submit applications more conveniently.”
Meanwhile, Miramar Towers, which has 157 one-bedroom apartments, began accepting new applications for the first time in nearly a decade. However, the company limited the location and time of application distributions, leading to all-night lines for Korean seniors.
Since November 20, Miramar Towers has been handing out applications at the office every Monday and Wednesday and accepting applications on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. As a result, on the first day of application distribution, more than 100 Korean seniors waited in line all night to receive their applications.
In addition to the Miramar Towers headquarters, Ktown Action also contacted Deputy Mayor Jenna Hornstock of the Los Angeles Housing Department to make suggestions to alleviate the problem.
Just in case, the organization has also reached out to the Korean American Federation of Los Angeles and U.S. Representative Jimmy Gomez, who represents Koreatown, to discuss other options.
For now, Ktown Action has requested that applications be accepted at the Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance (KIWA) office.
Miramar Towers is part of the federally funded Section 8 program, which allows residents to pay 30 percent of their income and have the rest of their rent subsidized. It is also one of the most preferred senior apartments for Korean seniors due to its proximity to LA Koreatown. More than half of the current residents are of Korean descent.
BY NICOLE CHANG, JUNHAN PARK [chang.nicole@koreadaily.com]
