RICHMOND, Va. -- For Gequitria Lassiter and her 13-year-old son, home-life at their apartment at The Residences at Brookside complex has been unconventional for the past few months. The Richmond mother said for months, the air conditioning in her apartment has not worked and there's been a growing mold issue in the only full bathroom in her home.
"He’s out of school so I just try and keep him at a family member's house until I can get this situated," the mother said, describing the conditions in her apartment. "I cant let him take a shower in that bathroom too much unless he has the door open."
Lassiter said she reached out to CBS 6 Problem Solvers after she felt like both unsolved issues that she put multiple work orders in for were having an impact on her son’s health.
"I noticed my son is coming to me," she said. "Constant headaches, he’s coughing real bad. [It] sounds like he’s barking, like he has bronchitis or somethings… he’s throwing up."
She said when the small spot she reported kept growing she had the mold tested. The test showed there were high levels of Cladosporium mold in the upstairs bathroom. That is a type of mold that can worsen asthma, according to Medical News Today.
"His asthma is the main concern. He went to go see a lung specialist last week on Thursday and she said he’s not on the bad side, he’s more so in between," she described.
Lassiter said she reported the mold issue earlier in the year but feels the apartments previous solution did not fix the problem as the mold has come back and grown even more.
"I kept saying something about the mold. I was calling them. I was trying to give them the benefit of the doubt. But when they came and painted over top of it, that wasn’t good," she said.
As we head into warmer months, Lassiter said she is pleading both the A.C. and mold issues be completely resolved soon, as it’s hindering both her and her son from living comfortably in their own home.
"When I want to have get-togethers, I cant. I cant have family members come over," she said. "I feel frustrated. I feel angry. I’ve been around here for 3 years and for the past 2 years I’ve been having issues around here and y’all don't want to take care of it."
Joi Fultz spoke with Brookside management shortly after her interview with Lassiter. They will be scheduling dates with Lassiter in the upcoming days to fix both the mold and AC issue.
