Arizona Central

An Avondale woman who spent 11 days sleeping in her car said the city treated her unfairly when her home was condemned in December for lack of electricity.

But city officials said Christine Stevens violated building codes, a health and safety concern because Avondale homes are required to have heating systems and a running refrigerator.

Stevens, 47, was trying to make ends meet by powering her home with solar panels

and batteries for several months before Avondale code enforcement officials visited her on Dec. 10.

"We explained to her that the panels weren't enough to sustain a quality of life

there," said Pam Altounian, code enforcement manager for Avondale.

Stevens said she was not given adequate notice before officials gave her 24 hours to contact Arizona Public Service Co. to reconnect electricity or her home would be condemned.

Avondale said a code enforcement officer, Carlena Jones, inspected the property in the 2300 block of North 123rd Lane on Oct. 21 and Nov. 4 and left a notice of violation hanging on the door. According to case reports, both notices went unanswered.

"I acknowledged that I remembered seeing something but it didn't look official, and I only saw one. It looked like something from my homeowners association," said Stevens, who lives in the Rancho Santa Fe subdivision.

But Avondale records show Stevens told officials she had received both notices, marked: "Avondale code advisory." Both hangers give a notice of complaint and instructions to call a code officer.

Case documents cite a complaint from a neighbor in October. The unidentified woman complained about the property's appearance and said she believed there was no electricity powering the home.

When Stevens failed to contact Avondale after Nov. 4, Altounian contacted Avondale police and asked for information on her home.

Disputes with APS, Avondale

Police told the city that APS had filed a theft of services complaint on Sept. 14, said Reuben Gonzales, spokesman for Avondale police.

APS told police that the home had been disconnected from electricity since January 2009, but that an electric meter had been tampered with in September.

Stevens, who had a roommate and was in California at the time, said whoever tampered with the meter did so without her knowledge. As the homeowner, she took responsibility for the complaint, paid about $400, according to Avondale Municipal Court documents, and discontinued use of electricity.

"Once we received notification from police that she had been without electricity for some time, things changed and we were very concerned about health and safety at that point," Altounian said.

Avondale officials said Stevens was in violation of the city's building codes. The city requires homes to have enough electricity to power a refrigerator, cool a residence to no higher than 88 degrees and heat a residence to at least 68 degrees.

Stevens told The Republic that six solar panels and eight batteries in her home provided light and powered either a computer or a television for three bedrooms.

Stevens used an ice box for food and in September began to power a refrigerator with assistance from neighbors, who allowed her to run an extension-cord between the two homes.

She did not power heating or cooling systems, but said that she managed without them by using her pool in the summer and sweaters in the cooler months.

Layoff triggers financial woes

Stevens was laid off as a risk compliance officer for Wells Fargo Bank in January 2009. She has been working as a security guard for Trident Security Services, making $200 a week, since November, she said.

After a failed payment to APS in January 2009, her electricity was disconnected and Stevens decided to discontinue use of electricity in her home.

Stevens said she understood that officials were doing their job but felt they did not provide her housing assistance, despite informing them that APS would not be able to fix the meter for several days after Dec. 10.

APS spokesman Damon Gross confirmed that a winter storm "strongly impacted" the company around that time and that Stevens' electricity was reconnected on Dec.22.

Stevens said she informed Jones, the code enforcement officer, that she "had no place to go" and that she was grateful her dogs were allowed to remain in her property, because they didn't fit in her 1997 Mazda Miata with her.

Avondale officials said they unaware that Stevens was living in her car or they would have offered further assistance. Case reports show enforcement officials offered Stevens social services information on Dec. 10 and asked her if she had a place to stay on Dec. 15, to which she replied "yes."

Stevens said she had no knowledge of building codes and was unaware that solar panels must be inspected.

She has since paid about $1,338 to APS, including overdue fees dating to January 2009, theft of services payment, and reinstallation fees. Stevens is back at home but was unable to pay two mortgage payments on the house and is now in danger of losing it, she said.

She hopes her ordeal will help others avoid similar mistakes.

"Electricity was the last thing on my mind," Stevens said.