WASHINGTON — A mother living in section 8 housing feels duped after she was told the Southeast, D.C. apartment she was being given was "move-in ready." Instead, the moment she stepped inside, she was met with gross and potentially dangerous conditions.
Now, after months of receiving no help from the city, Phyllis Jones reached out to WUSA9.
Jones is part of the city’s Rapid Rehousing program, a short-term subsidy program that helps people find affordable housing. She said she was asked to sign a move-in-ready lease in October. When she moved in, she was shocked.
Jones told WUSA9, her fridge was covered in mold and spiders. The floor in her home was sinking and, back in October, she said her bed caved in.
Jones and her three children are getting sick from the mold and repairs have yet to be made, despite continuous efforts.
“This is weighing very heavily on me," she said. "I’ve reached out to numerous agencies, my councilmember, everyone. I’m not getting any help."
She’s hoping her landlord will terminate her lease, which she says has been an issue as well.
“I’ve sent a contract release termination and have been denied twice," Jones said. "I went to court to see what my options are and I filed in small claims, for personal injury.”
WUSA9 reached out to the Department of Housing. A spokesperson provided the following statement on the matter:
"The Department of Human Services prioritizes the health, wellness, and safety of all the residents we serve. While I am unable to share the specific details surrounding individual cases to protect their privacy, I can say that DHS supports residents to identify new housing when there are serious concerns about the residence. The process begins with the family requesting a complaint inspection from their case manager. The service provider partner assigned to the household then completes the in-home complaint inspections for all households participating in Rapid Re-Housing. Depending on the severity of the damage/concern found by the service provider partner, the landlord will have 28 days to mitigate routine concerns, and 48 hours to mitigate emergency concerns that compromise the family’s safety in the unit such as a gas leak, lack of heat, no water, etc. If the unit fails two complaint inspections regular or emergency, the family is approved for a unit relocation."
WUSA9 also reached out to the management company, US Realty, for a response, but at the time of publication had not heard back. WUSA9 did, however, speak to the realtor that listed Jones’ building. The realtor told WUSA9 he has several complaints from residents who have issues with the same building and several others that the same company owns.
Do you have a news tip on this story or any other story? We want to hear from you. Tell us about it by emailing newstips@wusa9.com.
MORE WAYS TO GET WUSA9
DOWNLOAD THE WUSA9 APP
Apple App Store: WUSA9 News on Apple
Google Play Store: WUSA9 News on Android
HOW TO ADD THE FREE WUSA9+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for WUSA9.
For both Apple TV and Fire TV, search for "WUSA9" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
SIGN UP TO RECEIVE WUSA9 NEWSLETTER
Subscribe to our daily WUSA9 Newsletter for top stories from WUSA9 curated daily just for you. Get content and information right now for can’t-miss stories, Commanders content, weather, and more delivered right to your inbox.