Update: The fire damaged apartment on 1024 W. Hillcrest Dr. is scheduled to be demolished on Wednesday, January 15, according to DeKalb City Manager Bill Nicklas. During the demolition the city requires the water and electric utilties located in the basement of the building be secured during the process.
About 60 residents were displaced when the fire broke out on the 10 hundred block of Hillcrest Drive on December 22, days before Christmas.
Among those who were left without a home is Emerson Baptist, an NIU international student pursuing his master’s in sports management, and NIU visiting scholar Aydin Beraha of the NIU Business School, from Turkey.
He and his roommate ate their dinner quietly at the warming center hosted by the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of DeKalb.
“It's happening at the middle of winter,” Baptist said, “so like, just dealing with this new situation for me is like . . . I'm just really appreciate the help that we're receiving from this organization.”
They lived in a three-room apartment in the same complex as the fire damaged building, in one of the two adjacent properties on Greenbriar Road.
Baptist said they are seeking to settle into a new home.
“We are going through, I will say, a little tough patch with communicating with the property manager right now,” he said. “Today we communicated with them about possibly transferring into a new apartment.”
Looking elsewhere with another property owner is not an ideal option since they are under a lease agreement.
“I guess that the lease agreement is saying that the only way out to get out of the agreement is if the property owners cannot rectify the building for us to move in within 60 days,” he said.
Baptist said their apartment received no physical damage but a lot of smoke. They were able to access the apartment to retrieve their things but haven’t been able to return.
DeKalb City Manager Bill Nicklas said the biggest roadblock for residents to return to their homes in the Greenbriar apartments is getting the electric and water back running. The feeds for those are located in the heavily damaged building.
“This is an upside down and unfortunate situation,” Nicklas said, “which then complicates how soon people can move back in, until some of these things are fixed.”
The city condemned the building and sent a notice calling for a teardown within 60 days.
He said the challenge though in a demolition is protecting the utility outlets located in the condemned building, which the other properties rely on.
Nicklas said communication has improved between the city and the property company compared to what initially existed, but questions remain unanswered.
“What needs to be done and how will we get to when the building can be reopened, and residents can begin their lives anew?”
The complex is owned by the Terraces at DeKalb LLC, which is affiliated with Windy City RE LLC, and Clear Investment Group, LLC, both based in Chicago.
The investment group purchased the complex in 2022 from Hunter Properties as part of a package with 13 separate parcels for $20.7 million dollars.
Amy Rubenstein, a principal in the investment groups, declined a phone interview with WNIJ, but in a statement said “Due to the need for multiple inspections to ensure safety for all, we do not have all of the answers at this time. We believe that part of the building will be demolished, and part of the building will reopen as soon as possible.”
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Jennifer Yochum has been helping lead the city’s efforts to support families and residents displaced by the fire. She says for many the situation is dire.
“They've lost a lot of their belongings, they’re incurring debt,” Yochum said. “If they're staying at the hotel, they're having to drive from a different location to where they work or where they go to school.”
She said a majority of the residents do have renter’s insurance, but it doesn’t cover everything.
“They have their deductibles that they need to meet,” she said. “And while, while these residents are hardworking individuals, most Americans are just one paycheck away from being financially ruined.”
She said local agencies have stepped up to support the families such as the Red Cross, Family Service Agency of DeKalb County and the DeKalb Township, but there are limits.
“Funds are being cut across the board through the state and federal government on an annual basis,” she said. And so, it's, having the community to come out and support each other financially is just simply huge.”
Baptist and his roommate said they were very grateful for the support they’ve received from the community. Since the ordeal, Baptist and Beraha have been temporarily housed in a NIU dormitory.
Beraha, the visiting scholar, said he will return to Turkey in several weeks, but he’s concerned for his roommates.
“We are looking for a new apartment, if possible, to move them in quickly,” Beraha said, “because school begins on Monday.”
