Communications & Public Affairs
Sept. 17, 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: State Rep. George Young
Phone: (405) 557-7393

Rep. Young Responds to Pressure Put on Senior Homeowners

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. George Young today issued the following statements after receiving numerous calls for assistance from senior residents in his House District asking for help after receiving multiple aggressive mailers pressuring them to sell their homes.

“It has been brought to my attention that numerous mailings are being received by residents who live in House District 99 asking in a very forward manner if the owners would like to sell their homes” said Rep. George Young, D-Oklahoma City.

One of the mailings asks, “Are you trapped by an unwanted house? Do you want to sell without a hassle?”

Young said his Capitol office has received numerous calls regarding these mailings and he now is seeking to get a better idea of the number of older residents being targeted for this type of advertisement. Not only do the mailings include the address of record for the homeowner, but they have the name of the owner and a picture of their home displayed. He said this is very upsetting to some of his older constituents.

Young is asking residents in his district to let him know if they or a loved one has received such mailings. Callers can contact his office at 557-7393.

Those who call are asked to have the mail piece available to discuss.

“What we want to do is get in front of a situation that may be targeting a particular group of individuals due to the rising cost of living,’ Young said. “We hear of many scams that target our elderly population, and sometimes they are falsely led to make decisions that seem beneficial to their financial security but in the end are extremely harmful to their livelihood. We want to protect those elders from making a quick decision due to the onset of such overwhelming suggestions.

“We want to avoid possible displacement of our loved ones and any plausibility of legal actions due to their lack of knowledge regarding the possible direct intent to buy out a particular area of the city by one company.

“We are well aware that gentrification is real,” Young said.

Gentrification is defined as the process of renovating and improving a house or district so that it conforms to middle-class taste.

Young said, “We are aware of the efforts being made within the city to change the urban areas to meet the needs of those who are seeking to move closer to the downtown areas. This seems to be a direct manipulation to change a particular district area.”

Young said, “Let’s be proactive and change the narrative about who is caring for the state’s elderly.”

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