RICHMOND, Va. — Residents of the Bacon Retirement Community in Churchill said they have been dealing with inconsistent hot water and heat for months, but a fix is on the way.
This past Friday, CBS 6 shared the voice of Celestine Harvey, whose mother lives in the facility. For the last two weeks, Harvey has been advocating for change after she said her mother and other residents said the hot water and heat have been inconsistent for months. As of this past Thursday, Main Street Realtor, the properties management company told CBS 6 new water heaters were being installed. It's a solution Harvey believes should've happened a while ago.
Watch: Richmond retirement community facing inconsistent heating and hot water: 'Nobody should be living like that'
"I don't think if I wouldn’t have brought this to the forefront, that they would still be dealing with the issues," Harvey said. "Some say that the water is hot or warm, others saying that it’s still cold."
The management company told CBS 6 last week that they received their first complaint for heat related issues in January and that a city inspector was called twice but only found an issue the second time, to which they immediately ordered the new heaters.
CBS 6 asked Richmond city about the violation. The city confirmed in a statement that they inspected the property on Jan. 28 and the structure was found to be unsafe because the hot water was not meeting the 120 degree standard. The city added that inspectors went back out to the property Monday, Feb. 10, and found that contractors have started the work.
CBS 6 asked Main Street Realtor on Monday when the new heaters would be installed. They said they are ahead of their scheduled finish date of Feb. 12 and that everything should be up and running by the end of the day Monday.
Harvey told us she’s glad she spoke out about the issue as all tenants deserve a place where they’re getting their basic needs met and she hopes management will do their part in repairing things completely.
"Because of my mother and then the look on the faces of the seniors and what they have told me personally," she said. "Just because they're seniors or young people, old people, we all need to be treated the way we’re supposed to be treated especially when we’re paying rent to these corporations."
Harvey said advocating for seniors is something she will continue to do, including at Monday night's Richmond City Council meeting. Click here to stream the meeting starting at 6 p.m.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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