Metro Landlord Accused Of Not Providing Heat To Vet

A freezing cold house lead a disabled veteran to call News 9 for help. 

Chris Simmons is a 62-year-old Marine veteran who recently moved to a group home near Oklahoma City’s VA Hospital to be close to services. When we got to the house Tuesday afternoon, a temperature meter on the wall and another one on a working space heater in Simmons’ bedroom said it was hovered around 50 degrees. 

Simmons said he’s lived there for three months, and pays the operator of the group home $700 dollars a month cash to live there.  He said he’s complained repeatedly about the lack of heat, and working appliances in the dilapidated home.

“There’s nothing. The only heat we have on this whole side is that one little bitty space heater right there,” he showed us Tuesday. Simmons’ landlord was combative, and wouldn’t give us her name, or the organization she works for.  After she struck our News 9 photographer’s camera, and grabbed our photographer, we called police. They calmed the situation down and left. 

Honoring America’s Warriors CEO Scotty Deatherage said he will try to find Simmons a new place to live, and appealed to landlords in the area who could take Chris Simmons in. “Five to seven hundred dollars a month is about what he can afford.  We’ve got to get him into a place or it’s going to kill him,” said Deatherage.  

Prospective landlords can contact Deatherage at 405-948-4376.  Or Scottydee@honoringamericaswarriors.org.