By Natalia Martinez
There are two Louisville Metro Councilwomen who are fed up with the living conditions in the city’s affordable housing.
According to Tammy Hawkins and Barbara Shanklin, the city should overhaul who it works with and who the previous mayor appointed.
“I would ask these property management companies and this property owner to look at this situation as if it were your mother, aunt, or father,” Hawkins said. “You’d want them to be protected.”
For fear of backlash, WAVE News Troubleshooters spoke to two women who wanted to remain anonymous.
The women live in different apartments in different parts of town, but they share the same disappointment.
In Riverport Landing’s Senior facility, off Cane Run Road, a woman asked, “How can these people conduct business in such a manner?”.
According to another woman living in the Bristol Bluff apartment in Jeffersontown, her conditions are very stressful and depressing.
We spoke with several people whose homes make them sick, including these women who don’t know each other.
The Riverport resident said, “I’m worried. My doctor is worried. I want to have more life in front of me than behind me.”
Her doctor wrote a letter stating that he believed mold was affecting her health and requested that she be moved out of the unit.
The woman said, “It’s not fair that I have to live like this.”.
The Louisville Metro Housing Authority manages Riverport, which is affordable housing, subsidized, and managed by a company called Winterwood.
As a result of the leak, the resident’s carpet was not changed and her personal items, such as her mattress and furniture, were damaged. Her main concern is that what appeared to be mold was simply painted over.
After following all the rules, we’re here. “Who is helping me?” she asked.
Winterwood also manages Bristol Bluff Apartments, where one resident was mopping up water in her hallway.
“Puddles of water that we live in every day that I have to clean up,” the resident said.
She is also worried about mold because of the puddles and water issues she has been dealing with since last year.
In my daughter’s coat from this year, there is mold all over it,” she said.
WAVE News troubleshooters found black spots on other clothes, shoes, hats, and her couch.
She said her kids are now staying at grandma’s house for their safety.
Asthma recently diagnosed her years after COVID.
“I’ve never had any health problems or breathing problems, but I now have an inhaler,” she said.
The boiling point has been reached for Hawkins and Shanklin.
Winterwood will be cut off from any funding he receives from all these facilities, Hawkins said.
It’s not just them or these two apartment buildings Hawkins mentions.
As well as being upset with the City’s Housing Authority, the councilwomen are also questioning Louisville’s Codes and Regulations department, whose inspectors, they contend, are looking the other way.
“I called the director of code enforcement,” Shanklin said. “I would like to know who inspected, what date they inspected, and if the report said there were no problems, then there is a problem within the city.”
Taking exception to Shanklin’s claims, Winterwood sent him a letter stating that they were unaware of any inspection problems.
LDG Development, the owner of Riverwood and Bristol Bluff, has asked the councilwomen repeatedly for specific information about problem units for at least four weeks without receiving a response, according to Christi Lanier-Robinson, Executive Vice President for Communications and Strategic Initiatives.
There are 4,000 units in Louisville, and these issues are not indicative of the service they provide, Lanier-Robinson said. Maintenance records do not indicate widespread problems.
Hawkins responded with emails indicating Lanier Robinson was at a meeting where several residents raised concerns.
He said, “These are senior citizens who are being disrespected. They don’t care if the place is dirty or what, and poor people can’t move out to the East End or whatever.”
Both women at Riverport and Bristol Bluff say they hope they can be a voice for those who cannot stand up for themselves or are afraid to be kicked out.
“I hope Winterwood sees this interview and fixes all of its properties right away,” said the Bristol Bluff resident.
According to the Riverport resident, “I feel like the system is broken, and no one cares to fix it.”
Hawkins and Shanklin are both taking action. They will hold a public meeting at 1:30 p.m. at the council chambers to discuss concerns.
The councilwomen did not provide the names of the residents to Lanier-Robinson, so they requested that WAVE News provide them with the women’s information with their consent. Both declined.
Lanier-Robinson said they wouldn’t be able to provide that information since they wouldn’t have a memorized history of their hundreds of units.
Lanier-Robinson said they had not received any reports since April despite cameras being at the Bristol Bluff apartment on July 31st.
According to her, Bristol Bluff is doing a “deeper dive” to see if mold notices have been issued by the Health Department.
Caitlin Bowling, Communications Manager for Louisville’s Cabinet for Economic Development, said Robert Kirchdorfer, director of Codes and Regulations, will attend Wednesday’s council meeting to discuss his staff’s efforts.
In addition to inspecting Section 8 properties annually, Codes and Regulations also inspects Louisville Metro Housing Authority properties if a complaint is received.
Winterwood’s CEO did not return a call.
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