Summit Garden Apartments

Pros

• A resident loves living at Summit Gardens.
• A resident notes that Summit Gardens' housing program helped her husband go back to school, earn a degree, and secure an excellent lifelong career.
• A former resident says she has only the best things to say about Louise, the staff, and the facility.
• The staff are described as very hardworking and very nice.
• A resident says staff treat her with respect.
• A resident says the rent is wonderful.

Cons

• They allege staff prioritize certain residents based on ethnicity, effectively discriminating against others.
• They claim applicants are told to conceal their ethnicity to improve chances, implying racial discrimination against Black/African American applicants.
• They report inconsistent information about housing status, with status numbers changing and staff giving conflicting promises.
• They describe being denied a unit that was reportedly available, after receiving a positive response from staff.
• They condemn maintenance as slow and ineffective, citing mismatched locks and a deadbolt that has not worked for months.
• They complain of long-standing repair issues, such as rotted kitchens and tubs that have not been replaced for years.
• They report bed bug problems and other pest issues.
• They recount harassment from a neighbor and inadequate action from management to address it.
• They criticize rising on-site laundry prices and a general sense that safety and security are not adequately protected.
• They allege illegal activities by staff and harassment severe enough to involve HUD.

Review

Summit Gardens emerges in these accounts as a place of stark contrasts: a housing community where some residents credit the staff and programs with life-changing opportunities, while others describe persistent safety concerns, maintenance delays, and what they perceive as unfair or discriminatory practices. The shared threads weave together a picture of a property that can feel welcoming and supportive to some, yet opaque, unresponsive, or even hostile to others. The comments span several years and touch on resident experiences from early moves in 2014 to more recent grievances, revealing a complex and often contested living environment.

Several reviewers center their dissatisfaction on the eligibility process and the order in which applicants are called. One person, who says they applied seven months prior, describes their status number as bouncing from #6 to #10 twice, and accuses the management of putting preferred groups ahead of them. The reviewer claims to have been told by staff that Hispanic applicants are prioritized and even that listing a specific ethnicity on the application could determine who is contacted first. The same account alleges that speaking with a staff member led to contradictory statements about status numbers being shared or withheld, with claims that the person was told they were #6 and should be called soon, only to be told later that status information isn't supposed to be shared. The tone shifts between frustration, anger, and a sense of betrayal, including an incident where a staff member reportedly offered a one-bedroom option and then rejected it, insisting that the unit could not be made available to this particular applicant. In this narration, the reviewer ends by suggesting that karma will address those who denied them and urging future applicants not to disclose their race on applications in hopes of improving priority.

Other accounts reveal a different side of the same complex: stories of life-changing support and tangible progress. One former resident recounts moving in with a newborn in 2014, eventually returning to school, and benefiting from a program that helped her husband return to school, secure a degree, and land a steady career. She emphasizes that this path allowed her family to improve their situation and eventually purchase their own home after leaving Summit Gardens. In this perspective, a staff member named Louise and the broader team are described as hard-working, respectful, and instrumental in creating a stable, affordable living situation that enabled personal growth and family advancement. The narrator also notes that the rent structure, while perhaps imperfect, serves working families and that maintaining a safe, clean environment was possible when residents kept to themselves and followed the rules.

Amid these sequences of praise and fault lines, there are explicit complaints about maintenance delays and safety concerns. Several reviewers describe long-standing repairs that never materialized: kitchens described as rotted, tubs not replaced for years, and a laundry area where machines and prices have changed in ways that feel transactional rather than responsive to residents' needs. One dramatic post recounts being unable to lock their exterior deadbolt for seven months after locks were changed, and describes other residents living with visible signs of disrepair - such as a cracked bathroom sink and a stagnant unit awaiting repairs that never arrive. The sense of neglect is intensified by the perception that the property's on-site team prioritizes cost considerations over resident safety and comfort, as suggested by notes about rising laundry prices and a lack of timely repairs in the face of persistent requests.

Against the chorus of complaints, there are also voices of gratitude and continuity. A shorter but telling line simply states, "I live in Summit Gardens I love it," signaling that for some residents the community remains a secure, affordable home that supports daily life and well-being. Another vivid account describes feeling treated with respect despite disability, with staff supporting her dignity and engagement with the housing program. A reviewer who identifies as Catherine shares that, after two years, she had "no problems" and found staff to be very hard-working and kind; she describes a rent she perceives as affordable and the overall atmosphere as positive when approached with honesty and effort. This thread underscores that personal interactions with staff can dramatically color a resident's experience, sometimes converting a complex property into a valued home.

The reviews do not shy away from policy and accountability concerns. One reviewer expresses strong dissatisfaction with what they allege is harassment from staff and accuses the property of illegal entry into apartments - an accusation that they say they have raised with HUD. Others highlight barriers related to criminal history and background checks, noting that certain offenses can preclude tenancy and that the timeframes for clearing a record can be treated as a gatekeeper for eligibility. There is also mention of ongoing pest problems, including bed bugs, and repeated neighbor harassment, with a sense that management has not provided sufficient protection or resolution. These elements paint a landscape where residents feel they must constantly advocate for basic safety, respect, and a peaceful living environment.

In sum, the body of reviews about Summit Gardens presents a dual portrait: a place where dedicated staff and transformative housing programs can enable significant life changes, education, and a path toward homeownership; and a place where systemic maintenance failures, safety concerns, and perceived inequities in the application process can erode trust and stability. The recurring themes - perceived prioritization of certain applicants, inconsistent communication about status and availability, delayed or ignored repairs, and concerns about safety and pests - suggest areas where the management could focus to improve resident satisfaction. The experiences also remind us how critically individual interactions with staff - whether perceived as respectful and supportive or dismissive and punitive - shape how residents experience a community that sits between shelter and home.

Physicians

• Commonwealth Health Physicians Network (0.3 miles)
• Delta Medix PC (0.3 miles)
• Northeastern Eye Institute (0.3 miles)
• HearUSA (0.5 miles)
• Valley Oral Maxillofacial Surg (0.6 miles)
• Haley Family Practice (0.6 miles)
• Valley Oral Maxillofacial Surgery (1.3 miles)

Restaurants

• McDonald's (0.3 miles)
• Steve & Irene's Hoagies (2 miles)
• Alexanders Family Restaurant (2.5 miles)
• M & J Bar & Restaurant (5.2 miles)
• Happy Day Chinese Restaurant (5.6 miles)
• KFC (5.9 miles)
• China Wok (6.1 miles)

Pharmacies

• CVS Pharmacy (0.3 miles)
• Figliomeni Drug Store (0.6 miles)
• Rite Aid (0.7 miles)
• Family Pharmacy of Carbondale (0.8 miles)
• The Medicine Shoppe (0.9 miles)
• Rite Aid (5.5 miles)
• Brundages Waymart Pharmacy (5.5 miles)

Hospitals

• Moses Taylor Regional Dialysis System (0.6 miles)
• Maxis Health System (0.9 miles)
• Memorial Veterans Hospital (9.6 miles)

Transportation

• Ryder Truck Rental and Leasing (0.8 miles)

Places of Worship

• St John's Russian Orthodox Church Rectory (2.5 miles)
• Camp Ladore (6.2 miles)
• Parker Hill Community Church (10.5 miles)

Parks

• Alyesworth Park (3.5 miles)
• Condella (8 miles)
• Crystal Park (8.8 miles)
• South Abington Park (10.8 miles)

Cafes

• Soriano's Cafe (7.1 miles)
• Panera Bread (9.8 miles)
• Starbucks (11 miles)

Theaters

• Regal Dickson City & Imax (9.3 miles)