Housing Issues
City court case against Little Rock residences with code violations near completion
The Little Rock environmental court cases against two residences with a history of code violations are still pending after a Thursday hearing. Big Country Chateau on Colonel Glenn Road has new citations against it after a February inspection, while a house on West 24th Street owned by a landlord with a history of legal issues […]
Vote on short-term rental bill delayed until after Spring Break
An Arkansas lawmaker pulled down a bill to deregulate short-term rental properties to amend it after hours of discussion and testimony on the proposal Wednesday. Senate Bill 197 would prohibit local municipalities from enacting ordinances to prohibit or limit the use of property as a short-term rental. The legislation defines short-term rental as a single-family […]
Public housing work requirement clears Arkansas Legislature
The Arkansas Legislature sent a proposed law that would require able-bodied adults to work or volunteer part-time to receive federal housing assistance to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ desk for approval Thursday. The House voted along party lines to pass the amended House Bill 1196, with 80 Republicans voting yes, 15 Democrats voting no, and two […]
Public housing work requirement bill wins Senate approval
The Arkansas Senate approved legislation Monday that would require able-bodied adults to work, volunteer or train in order to receive public housing assistance. Senators voted 28-5 to send House Bill 1196 back to the House for final consideration. The legislation would require any public housing agency in the state to require able-bodied recipients of housing […]
Proposed work requirement for federal housing assistance advances in Arkansas Senate
The full Arkansas Senate next week will consider a proposed law that would require able-bodied adults to work or volunteer part-time to receive federal housing assistance. House Bill 1196 passed the Senate City, County and Local Affairs Committee with no dissent Thursday. Able-bodied adults between the ages 19 and 64 would have to work or […]
Renters of troubled Little Rock house will be required to appear in city court
The three tenants of a house on West 24th Street in Little Rock will be subpoenaed by their landlord in an ongoing dispute over living conditions, the landlord’s attorney told a judge in Little Rock environmental court on Thursday. City code inspectors cited landlord Imran Bohra and his company, Entropy Systems Inc., in June and […]
Arkansas House approves work requirement for public housing recipients
A proposed Arkansas law that would require able-bodied adults to work or volunteer part-time to receive federal housing assistance will head to the Senate after passing the House in a party-line vote Monday. Adults between the ages 19 and 64, except people with disabilities and participants in drug and alcohol treatment programs, would have to […]
Judge grants request to freeze assets, name receiver for Little Rock apartments
(This story was updated by Sonny Albarado on Feb. 4, 2023.) A Pulaski County circuit judge on Friday froze the assets of the owners of the troubled Big Country Chateau apartments in Little Rock and issued a temporary restraining order to protect tenants. Judge Cara Connors also granted Attorney General Tim Griffin’s emergency request to […]
SESSION SNAPSHOT: Arkansas Legislature rolls through Week 4 with ice and amendments
The fourth week of the Arkansas General Assembly’s 2023 legislative session brought lots of ice and amendments. Senate Bill 43, which targeted drag shows, has demanded the most attention of any legislation through the first month of the session, but by the time the House and Senate adjourned for the weekend, it had been so […]
Proposed work requirement for federal housing assistance advances in Arkansas House
A legislative committee approved a proposed Arkansas law on Wednesday that would require able-bodied adults to work or volunteer part-time to receive federal housing assistance. House Bill 1196 passed on a split vote after state lawmakers and witnesses debated the legality of the proposal and the feasibility of implementing it. Public housing benefits are administered […]
Apartment tenants plead for help over unsafe conditions, pending utility cutoffs
Little Rock officials and state Attorney General Tim Griffin’s office are working to extend utility and water cutoff deadlines at Big Country Chateau, an apartment complex that faced similar service cutoffs last year. Tenants received notice recently that Entergy Arkansas will cut off power to the 151-unit complex on Feb. 6 and Central Arkansas Water […]
Health and safety risks at Little Rock house persist, tenant says
Terry Lauderdale and his two roommates live in a camper in the backyard of the house they rent on West 24th Street in Little Rock. The house itself is no longer livable because of nonworking drains and faucets, a broken water heater, and holes in the walls and ceilings, Lauderdale said. He is fed up […]