“The conditions are numerous. It varies in degree between the buildings, but it is consistently deplorable,” Hill said.
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Thursday’s emergency repair order cited damaged, defective and deteriorating foundations, ceilings, floors and doors. The owner, PF Western Manor LLC, was also cited for accumulated trash, broken glass, dirty appliances, inoperable locks, plumbing problems and rodent infestation.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development terminated its Section 8 agreement with PF Western Manor LLC in December and has temporarily placed half of the occupants, or 25 families, in extended stay hotels, according to a HUD a statement.
Dayton police and firefighters responded June 9 to the complex on North James H. McGee Boulevard on a welfare check after neighbors said they hadn’t seen an occupant in a while and reported a bad smell coming from an apartment.
Wanisha Smith, 33, the Dayton woman suspected of leaving her 1-year-old son Darius Hall Jr. to die in the apartment, is charged in Dayton Municipal Court with involuntary manslaughter and child endangering.
Smith, who pleaded not guilty, is held in the Montgomery County on a $1 million bond. She is due back in court Friday.
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It’s unclear how many residents are still living at the apartments as not all receive federal housing assistance, according to HUD. Relocation of residents by HUD in cases like this — normally a 120-day process — was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, according to the department.
“The safety of the residents and their access to decent, safe and sanitary housing remains HUD’s top concern,” the HUD statement read.
Hill said the New Jersey-based owner of the complex has been unresponsive and doesn’t have on-site staff. There is so much work to be done that people can’t live there safely, she said.
The city has no complaints on file about the buildings. Because the complex was about 90% Section 8-certified, complaints would generally go through HUD channels, Hill said.
Once residents’ belongings are moved out the city will begin boarding up the structures, Hill said.
“There are major main doors and windows and things are broken out; they can’t lock it and it can’t be secured so we’ll secure it,” she said. “At that point the property owner will still be responsible for repairs … But nobody will be living there and they won’t be able to rent it until all the issues are taken care of.”
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