LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A group of Las Vegas seniors who thought they’d found a forever home are now being given just a few days to pack up and leave.
Varsobia Home Care, the company that owns their independent living facility, has recently sold the property, leaving the residents with no time and no answers.
“They’re talking about locking doors and putting our stuff out on the curb,” said Virginia Collins, one of the residents at the facility.
Virginia reached out to Channel 13, desperate for someone to listen to what she and her three other housemates are facing.
“We’ve been put through hell,” Collins said.
“I don’t want to live like that,” another resident told us.
At the beginning of the month, the tenants were told that by Jan. 30, they would have to move out. Some said they will have nowhere else to go.
Relocating isn’t easy for these seniors. Many of them have fixed incomes, and the cost of moving is out of reach.
Virginia led us through the hallways and shared they weren’t just dealing with the heartache of being displaced; they’ve been enduring tough living conditions for months.
“We have no hot water and you can let it run and run and it never heats up,” she said.
One of the residents opened up a new NV Energy account in their own name just to get the power back on after the residents claimed it was turned off.
The issues at this facility were eerily similar to those we reported last summer at another Varsobia-owned property. That facility, just blocks away, had gone without air conditioning for weeks during a blistering summer heatwave. After our reporting, the issue was resolved, and the state launched an investigation.
WATCH: Channel 13 obtained video of those residents being evacuated after reporting on the lack of air conditioning.
A spokesperson for Varsobia Home Care did respond to Channel 13’s request for comment, saying:
Thank you for your concern regarding the property in question. To clarify, this is not owned by Varsobia Home Care Services and is not a care facility nor a group home. It is an independent living arrangement where elders rent the property and manage their daily lives with no needed care or medical assistance provided by us.
The tenants were informed that the property is for sale and have been given ample amount of time to relocate. We have also provided them referrals to other independent living options to assist them in finding suitable housing.
Please let us know if you have any further questions or concerns.
Senior Reporter Alyssa Bethencourt did have more questions. In a follow-up email, she asked this:
- Can you please clarify this?
"This is not owned by Varsobia Home Care Services and is not a care facility nor a group home." - Is the property in question-related at all to your company/ownership?
- Also, if it's not owned by your team, how and why did you inform tenants that the property is for sale and say that they have been given ample amount of time to relocate?
- Why would you all provide referrals to other independent living options to assist them in finding suitable housing if you are not involved?
- When were residents notified?
- How were they notified?
- Can you confirm that there have been issues with electricity and a lack of hot water at this property?
Channel 13 was able to confirm through property records that the house was owned by Varsobia Home Care. Details on who recently purchased the property are still unclear.
