SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Lenora Monkemeyer has lived without running water for nearly six years in the house she owns in Syracuse. The city shut her off for nonpayment in December 2008.

Monkemeyer, 72, said the lack of running water doesn't trouble her much. There's a water fountain in the park nearby where she can fill a jug. She uses vinegar to disinfect her toilets.

The darkness and cold are worse, she said. National Grid shut off her power more than two years ago. Her two-story house, in a student neighborhood near Syracuse University, has no heat or lights.

Monkemeyer and her disabled 47-year-old niece, who lives with her, use flashlights at night. They are approaching their third winter without the furnace on.

During the coldest months, Lenora said, she wears a large down coat over a smaller one, and as many as five skirts at a time. The Monkemeyers keep layers of blankets on the beds, and layers of clear plastic over the windows.

"I'm not a person who complains about something,'' she said. "I just try to deal with it the best I can.''

City code inspectors declared Monkemeyer's house at 717-19 Livingston Ave. unfit for human habitation in January 2012, based on the lack of water and other utilities.

But Syracuse officials have no plans to force Monkemeyer out of the house she has occupied for more than 40 years -- unless the structure deteriorates so much that it becomes a hazard and requires demolition. Instead, they are trying to get her to resolve the house's code violations.

"If she chooses to stay in an unfit house that she owns, it's her prerogative,'' said Paul Driscoll, commissioner of neighborhood and business development.

Lots of people have tried to help Monkemeyer, a former ballet teacher whose house is the only one on her block that has not been converted into student apartments.

Charmed by her soft-spoken resilience and bright-eyed eccentricity, neighbors in the area known as Westcott Nation have put tarps on her roof, provided rides to the store and allowed her to take home the leftovers from countless pot-luck dinners.

Monkemeyer said friends take her in on the most frigid winter nights. "We leave when it gets too cold,'' she said.

Two years ago, Maisha Baddoo, a recent SU graduate who met Monkemeyer as a student, launched a crowd-funding campaign on the Indiegogo website that netted nearly $5,000 to pay off some of Monkemeyer's back taxes and other expenses.

But the contributions fell far short of what it would cost to make Monkemeyer's house livable. Her meager income of $746 a month from Social Security -- the product of a career spent teaching ballet part-time, giving piano lessons and playing organ at church services -- is not enough to pay for repairs.

Her roof, which city code inspectors described as "caving in,'' leaks badly in spots. One roofing contractor estimated the repair cost at $22,000, Monkemeyer said.

200 Syracuse homeowners lack water

Baddoo, who graduated in 2009 and now lives in Canada, last visited Monkemeyer four months ago. Baddoo said she fears it may not be safe for the Monkemeyers to spend another winter in the house unless the roof gets repaired.

"What if that caves in?'' Baddoo said. "I fear that they're going to get hurt.''

Substandard housing is often thought of as an issue affecting rental properties. But Driscoll, the city commissioner, said Syracuse's recent crackdown on tax-delinquent properties has brought to light many Syracuse homeowners who can't afford to maintain their homes and live in squalor.

Consider: There are more than 200 owner-occupied houses in Syracuse without running water, according to city records.

Municipal employees have encountered many of those residents during the past two years as they go door-to-door to warn tax-delinquent homeowners about the city's new policy of seizing properties with unpaid back taxes. "It's been a real eye-opener,'' Driscoll said.

Unlike many struggling homeowners, Monkemeyer keeps her property taxes current. She paid off some tax liens with help from the Indiegogo money, and she faithfully pays $90 a month on a remaining tax lien to keep her house safe from foreclosure.

Monkemeyer also paid off the water bill that led city officials to terminate her service in 2008. Ken Towsley, director of code enforcement, said he spoke to Monkemeyer Thursday and told her she could resume water service if she paid a $140 connection fee and allowed a code inspector inside to verify that the house is safe.

Monkemeyer declined. She has not allowed city inspectors inside, Towsley said.

"If there's nothing inside there that's going to cause us alarm, then we'd recommend to get the water turned on,'' Towsley said. "Speaking to her, she seemed content without the utilities.''

Looking for a free lawyer

Monkemeyer pins her hopes for saving her Syracuse home on selling a property in New York City that has been in her family for decades. She said she inherited from her father the three-story house in Queens where she grew up, but has been unable to sell it because of legal complications over filing the deed.

The Queens house has been occupied for years by squatters and carries property tax liens of more than $117,000. Monkemeyer said she is trying to find a lawyer who will work pro bono to sort out the mess.

Poverty came to Monkemeyer late in life. Her father, Herbert, was the valedictorian at Syracuse University in 1933 and went on to graduate with honors from Harvard Law School. He was a corporate lawyer for AT&T, according to his 1996 obituary.

Herbert Monkemeyer, who resided in Ithaca in later life, bought the house on Livingston Avenue in 1968. Lenora lived there while attending SU, then stayed on after graduating with a music degree in 1973.

For many years, the Monkemeyers rented out half of the duplex to SU students while Lenora lived in the other half. Now the extra unit is closed up because of water damage from the leaking roof, she said.

Lenora acquired the house for $1 in 1999 from the Herbert Monkemeyer Trust, according to property records. She has cared for her middle-aged niece since the woman's father died in 2012. Lenora said she is uncertain about the nature of her niece's disability, which limits her ability to communicate.

Monkemeyer said she had her house evaluated earlier this year by a builder, who said the foundation remains sturdy. She said she hopes to find volunteers to build a new roof, or at least to put up more tarps before the snow arrives. She would gladly help.

"I would love if somebody could come by and just put some material over (the roof),'' she said. "And I'm willing to work on the roof.''

Monkemeyer has ignored overtures from landlords who would like to convert her duplex into student apartments. She rejected an offer several months ago from a landlord who was willing to rehabilitate the house and let her live there rent-free in return for deeding the property over to him.

Baddoo and others urged Monkemeyer to take the deal. But Monkemeyer didn't trust the landlord, Baddoo said. Monkemeyer said she insists on owning her home.



"The situation is very overwhelming,'' Baddoo said. "And because Lenora is so used to the situation, she doesn't see it as a problem.''

Contact Tim Knauss anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3023