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Housing Authority To Evict Ailing Tenant, Companion

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By JOHN W. ALLMAN, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 21, 2007

Updated: 12/21/2007 12:14 am

TAMPA - Not all Christmas stories have a happy ending, but Kathy Bickford's tale is especially sad.

She suffers from a severe lung ailment, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, among a host of medical problems. Her body is withered, her weight down to about 80 pounds. Her doctors, she said, have given her six months to a year to live.

That should be her most pressing concern. It's not.

Bickford, 59, is being evicted Jan. 4 by the Tampa Housing Authority from J.L. Young Apartments, a senior housing complex on North Florida Avenue where she has lived since June 2001.
Bickford and her longtime companion David Marshburn, 61, are being kicked out for two reasons: the apartment manager's accusation that Marshburn threatened her, and the couple's failure to keep their apartment clear of clutter.

The couple was in a panic this week thinking the eviction might be imminent. They initially were told to vacate by Dec. 13 or face legal action.

But Tuesday they said they have nowhere to go that they can afford. They make about $1,200 a month combined in disability payments and pay $364 a month in rent.

"I feel like I'm lost. I'm in a sinking ship is what I feel like, and it's going down fast," Marshburn said, tears in his eyes, as Bickford coughed and cried out, her body convulsing in pain. "That stresses me more than anything, my lady of 25 years, her health going to hell like this."

Housing officials backed off the eviction Tuesday when contacted by a reporter. They said the couple could stay at J.L. Young through the end of the month.

Wednesday morning, however, the panic returned.

No Options Available

The couple woke to find a final eviction notice on their door, left by a Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputy. The notice gave them 48 hours to leave.

The housing authority stepped in once again and stopped the eviction temporarily, giving them 16 days.

Thursday, Lillian Stringer, the authority's director of public relations, said the agency had looked to see whether other housing options might be available. None were, she said.

The couple's troubles stem from multiple allegations against Marshburn, a recovering alcoholic who has back problems and has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

He has been arrested four times since 2004 for domestic violence. Police and court records show he was not convicted in any of the cases.

In September 2006, Tampa police reports say he and Bickford argued and he hit her with a broom and his hand. One of the strikes knocked off Bickford's glasses.

In the report, Bickford said she was afraid of Marshburn and that he needed help.

Marshburn this week said he was drunk at the time. He acknowledged a problem with alcohol, which he said contributed to his behavior. However, he said he hit Bickford with a banana peel and not a broom or his hand.

Marshburn received a One Strike notice after that arrest. One Strike is a federal policy by the Department of Housing and Urban Development that allows housing authorities nationwide to govern and punish tenants as each sees fit in an attempt to eliminate violent crime and the influence of drugs.

Tampa housing officials have used One Strike to evict problem tenants. They also have stipulated treatment and/or counseling for others, in lieu of eviction.

In Marshburn's case, Bickford begged authorities to allow him to receive anger management and alcohol treatment. In October, the authority struck a deal with the couple, provided that Marshburn stop drinking and not get in any more trouble.

Marshburn had completed anger management by that time, according to housing documents, and he is receiving treatment for alcoholism.

The Final Straw

On Nov. 15, however, Marshburn was accused of threatening J.L. Young's property manager with a cane.

He says he was stressed out, relapsed and was drinking. He went to talk to the manager, Hazel Harrison, about an apartment notice advising him to move belongings off their patio.

Harrison told Tampa police officers that he yelled at her, threatened to wait for her at her car and raised his cane as if to strike her. She said she thought he would have hit her had maintenance employees not stepped between them.

Harrison called 911 and Marshburn was arrested on a disorderly conduct charge.

Marshburn, who walks with a cane, said he didn't threaten Harrison or try to hit her.

Wence Cunningham, director of public housing, said Tuesday that Marshburn has had multiple chances. He criticized Marshburn for not allowing anyone to help him remove clutter from his unit, which is also cited in the eviction order.

"He can't say, 'I don't have anywhere to go.' Everyone you evict is like that," Cunningham said. "I think we've given him ample opportunity."

Marshburn said late Tuesday that he rented a storage unit for $107. He doesn't know how long he can afford it or how he will move their belongings. His back problems prevent him from lifting heavy items, he said.
Bickford said she is not afraid of Marshburn because he has stopped drinking. "In fact, I wouldn't know what to do without him now," she said. "He's my babysitter."

She said she just wants to find someplace quiet that they can afford, if possible.

"I want to get some peace of mind for our last years of time together," she said.

Reporter John W. Allman can be reached at (813) 259-7915 or jallman@tampatrib.com.

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