Fannie Mae to provide $1.35 million to go towards repairs at Independence Towers

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - On Friday, KC Tenants and Representative Emanuel Cleaver’s Office announced that $1.35 million from Fannie Mae will be going towards repairs at Independence Towers. It comes as the tenant unions at that complex and Quality Hill Towers in downtown Kansas City are on rent strike.

“It’s incredibly exciting,” said Anna Heetmann, with KC Tenants and the Independence Towers Tenant Union. “It’s really the first major win that we’ve had in this rent strike and it’s really big. Over $1 million towards repairs that we have needed for years.”

Heetmann has been a resident at Independence Towers for over 5 years. She says during that time, she’s experienced pests in her unit, water damage, and a hole in her ceiling for years that has not been fixed.

“I’ve had periods where my bathtub wouldn’t drain, my kitchen sink was unusable for eight months,” said Heetmann. “It’s been a lot.”

The news comes as tenant unions at both Independence Towers and Quality Hill Towers in downtown Kansas City are on rent strike, now the longest rent strike in the region according to KC Tenants. Friday marked day 25.

Heetmann says she and other tenants have felt empowered since the strike started at the beginning of October.

“We have seen some improvements that we know wouldn’t have taken place if we hadn’t escalated to this point,” said Heetmann. “We have shown there is power in our rent and that’s what we were trying to do. We need to be included in the conversation, and we are willing to take this risk to make that happen.”

In a statement, KC Tenants call this a majority victory and the first breakthrough since the start of the rent strike. The statement continued:

“We appreciate Representative Cleaver for having our backs and fighting for ability from the regulator, Fannie Mae, and our building’s receiver, Trigild, Inc. While we celebrate this step, we remain committed to our rent strike, which demands structural solutions. Ultimately, this is a one-off bailout for the parties that have neglected their tenants. We expect Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Sandra Thompson to meet us at the bargaining table. We will not back down until tenants have a bargained contract that protects our homes.”

Rep. Cleaver’s Office says the $1.35 million Fannie Mae is providing will go towards repairs and covering operations at Independence Towers until the property can be transferred to a new owner. It’s in addition to the $425,000 provided by the company earlier this year. Trigild Inc was appointed to oversee the property by a Jackson County judge back in May after the original owner of the property failed to maintain proper living conditions for tenants.

“Since visiting Independence Towers last month, my staff and I have been working tirelessly to ensure the voices and legitimate safety concerns of tenants at the apartment complex are heard at the highest levels of government and addressed,” said Congressman Cleaver in a statement on Friday. “I have been in with all parties since my concerning visit to the property last month, and I’m happy to announce that Fannie Mae has provided an additional $1.35 million to Independence Towers to cover operations over the coming months and address other long overdue repairs. While I’m grateful to Fannie for taking action to the work of the receiver, there is more work that must be done to ensure the conditions at the property meet the standards all renters deserve and have come to expect - and I won’t stop pushing for action for my constituents.”

Heetmann says she was with Cleaver when he toured the complex.

“He was appalled and since then, I think that’s really lit a fire for him,” said Heetmann.

A spokesperson at Fannie Mae also provided statements on both Independence Towers and Quality Hill Towers. Regarding Independence Towers:

“When the property owner at Independence Towers failed to perform repairs at the property, we quickly requested that the Jackson County Court appoint a receiver to address needed repairs. The Court appointed a Receiver in May 2024. Fannie Mae does not own or manage Independence Towers, but as the owner of the loan, Fannie Mae is funding repairs and speaking with the court-appointed Receiver on a regular basis. Since that time, Fannie Mae has provided over $1.7 million for the operations and repairs to the property, including repairs tenants have brought to the awareness of the Receiver and property management company. Fannie Mae remains committed to ing ongoing work the Receiver needs to complete until the property has been placed into new ownership.”

Regarding Quality Hill Towers:

“We share the goal of ensuring Quality Hill Towers is a safe and comfortable place to live. However, Fannie Mae does not own or manage Quality Hill. Sentinel Real Estate Corporation owns and is responsible for all operations and repairs to the property. We are receiving regular updates from Sentinel. Fannie Mae encourages all Quality Hill tenants to reach out to Sentinel directly for any issues with their apartment or their building.”

Heetmann says the union will celebrate this victory, but they aren’t finished. Since the strikes started, KC Tenants had stated the unions are demanding national rent caps, new ownership and collectively bargained leases among other things.

“We are not going to be done until Sandra Thompson and Fannie Mae actually come sit down at the table and negotiate with us,” said Heetmann. Thompson is the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

Both tenant unions plan on voting to potentially continue the rent strikes into November.

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