Seniors living in a low-income housing building in downtown Oakland say their safety and maintenance concerns are being ignored. With the help of translators and tenant advocates, the mostly Cantonese-speaking community held a rally Tuesday to complain about recent break-ins, hot water problems a nd a lack of concern by management at Southlake Tower. “I really hope that the building management respects us tenants as elders and that they would properly listen to our comments and our demands and to be able to work it out with the landlord to resolve our issues,” resident Fei Peng said through a translator. A week ago, an elderly couple woke up to find someone prying into their fifth floor apartment. They said the person ran away without harming anyone. “Every night now since the break-in, I put a chair up against my door so if somebody breaks in, I can hear it and maybe use my pepper spray or something,” resident Francine Broadnax said. Broadnax voiced other concerns, saying sometimes there’s no hot water or it suddenly goes from cold to scalding. “Can you imagine being in the shower and then all of a sudden the water gets scalding hot?” she said. “It’s crazy-making.” Residents also said management locks the first floor community center and bathroom at 5 p.m. and on weekends. Residents said Christian Church Homes management, which operates the building, hadn’t responded to their ongoing complaints – until Tuesday. NBC Bay Area witnessed staff sprucing up the downstairs, and several managers showed up to talk to reporters. “We will hear concerns,” said Avni Desai with Christian Church Homes. “We will continue to engage and make sure we do better and that this is a place they’re proud to call home.” Managers said they fixed the water issue Tuesday and will continue to address security concerns. ...read more read less