WASHINGTON — Homes that are decent, safe and sanitary. That is the mission of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The reality in some homes in D.C. is something different. The federal agency gave the DC Housing Authority six months to fix problems that led to long waiting lists, a record number of vacant units and tenants living in filthy and dangerous conditions.
Now as agency leaders try to clean up their act, HUD is working with another landlord receiving federal money.
WUSA9 stopped by Atlantic Terrace Apartments in Southeast D.C. Wednesday and saw several maintenance crews walking in and out of the buildings. We also observed a pest control company and inspectors. HUD is actively working with managers receiving federal subsidies to ensure they are living up to their commitment to providing safe and sanitary homes for these residents receiving a section 8 voucher.
Debra Burton, 69, is a disabled resident who has been staying in a hotel for a week. She was forced to leave her first-floor apartment on Oct. 5, 2022, after her apartment was deemed dangerous because of mold inside. An orange notice from DC Fire and Emergency Management is posted on the door. Pictures Burton shared with WUSA9 show significant mold on the floor of what appears to be a utility closet and more mold on the ceiling with a portion peeling off. WUSA9 showed a property manager on site the picture which he confirmed and said the mold was caused by a leak that led to a partial collapse of her ceiling.
“I’m tired of crying, tired of living in those conditions. I can’t breathe,” said Burton.
WUSA9 contacted WINN Residential and a spokesperson said when they discovered a leak maintenance crews tried to make repairs, but Burton would not allow them into her apartment. The company is paying for her hotel stay, food, and transportation while they look for an accessible unit. They have offered her another apartment in the meantime, but she said that is not accessible.
Their complete statement is below:
The health and safety of our resident is a top priority, and the management team has acted proactively to provide temporary accommodations and a new apartment for Ms. Burton until repairs are made.
It’s important to note that it was management that first informed Ms. Burton of water leaking into her apartment. She did not report any maintenance concerns prior to that. Management discovered the leak and initiated efforts to move the resident so that it could make the needed repairs.
It’s also important to note that Ms. Burton refused to allow management into the unit to inspect the problem. In fact, it required intervention by the Office of Aging, Mental Health Services, the Fire Department, DCRA and Crisis Response before she eventually agreed to accept a free hotel room so that repairs could be made. We first offered hotel accommodations for Ms. Burton on October 3.
Her hotel accommodations run through October 14, 2022, and her stay can be extended on a weekly basis while we work on a unit transfer. Management has offered Ms. Burton to transfer to an apartment in Building 4321, which is directly next door to her current building, 4319.
Ms. Burton will be placed on the internal waitlist for an accessible unit. Unfortunately, there are currently no accessible units available. When property staff spoke with her today, she refused to look at the unit being offered in Building 4321. It is unclear why she feels the building located directly next to her current building is unsafe. She has not explained her feelings on this to the management staff.
Atlantic Terrace is not public housing, but rather section 8 voucher housing. However, it receives subsidies and is under HUD guidance and oversight like DC Public Housing.
It’s been a week since HUD issued a scathing review of DC Public Housing. The audit of DCHA not only criticized the poor conditions of the public housing units but said members of the board of commissioners were uninformed and not serving the residents who rely on public housing.
The Board of Commissioners met for the first time since the audit. While critics of DCHA including DC Attorney General Karl Racine said mayoral appointees to the board vote resolutions without discussion and represent a conflict of interest, Mayor Muriel Bowser expressed confidence in her appointees and doubt in the others.
“There are board members who have been there longer than anybody and were appointed by advocacy groups and are accountable to no one, so I do have some concerns about that,” the mayor told reporters at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. “I want everyone to have safe and affordable housing to I take it on as a challenge.”
It is a challenge not only for DCHA but HUD as the federal agency continues to HUD landlords accountable.
HUD sent WUSA9 this statement regarding the concerns at Atlantic Terrace Apartments:
We are aware of the concerns expressed by residents of Atlantic Terrace Apartments and have been actively working with the Winn company to address issues at the property. Inspections of properties participating in HUD Multifamily assisted housing programs can and do take place for a variety of reasons. HUD has a variety of remedies for properties when inspections reveal deficiencies including requiring actions to remediate the deficiencies, and when deficiencies are not adequately addressed, pursue enforcement remedies including civil money penalties, abatement or termination of subsidy, and debarment or suspension of the owner from further participation.