PETERSBURG, Va. -- A Virginia congresswoman is adding her voice to those concerned about conditions and ongoing issues at the Carriage House Apartments in Petersburg.
"We thought that these issues were going to be addressed. They still haven't been addressed. So, we're looking at additional oversight activities," said Rep. Jennifer McClellan (VA-04).
CBS 6's Wayne Covil has been reporting on problems at the complex for months and McClellan said her office began to get complaints from residents in June.
"We opened a case file, we've been in touch with HUD, and we got some response from them," she said.
Along with Virginia Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, McClellan said she has reached out to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which has oversight of the property.
"We want to make sure that HUD is using all of its authority and resources to address the problem and make sure that the property owner is meeting its requirements and duties under federal law. And to the extent they're not, that there's an enforcement action," she added.
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Last week, the complex was issued multiple citations for mechanical, plumbing, and elevator problems. Residents were moved out of the complex in April when both of its elevators were not working. When they were moved back in on June 11, only one had been fixed.
The other one was supposed to be fixed by July 31, but a spokesperson for the City of Petersburg said it remains broken as of Monday.
"It's not good enough. It's just not," one resident, who asked not to be identified, told CBS 6 on Monday. She said she has not been given an indication as to when it will be fixed. "Been a couple of times where the first elevator was touch-and-go. Where it wouldn't be working for a moment and then a little bit later it would be working again."
She added there have been other recent issues at the complex, including flooding. The resident said that flooding led to a pause in mail delivery from the United States Postal Service (USPS) and residents had to go to the nearby post office to pick up their mail. But, she said many residents do not have a dedicated mode of transportation in order to do so.
"Imagine having handicapped people and elderly people in the building and people that are able-bodied don't even want to come in."
A spokesperson for USPS confirmed the delivery pause in a statement and said delivery resumed Monday.
"The safety of our employees is a top priority. Carriers will attempt every delivery where it is reasonably safe to do so. Carriers could not make deliveries at the Carriage House Apartments for a few days because the mailboxes were in an area that was flooded and accessing the mailboxes could have potentially caused an injury to the carrier. Customers were permitted to pick up their mail at the local Post Office. Due to receding water, delivery was able to resume today. We thank customers for their understanding and continued support," USPS spokesperson Philip Bogenberger said.
Meanwhile, the resident said she is asking for help from lawmakers to provide vouchers to allow her and other residents to move out.
"I've already looked around for places I can go to, but they're not a HUD property," she said. "It's sad that government properties are not looked into the way they should be. Especially for people who depend on them. I didn't get sick because I wanted to. I didn't put myself in this position because I woke up one day and said, 'I'm sick of working.' That's not what happened. If I could do better, I would."
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McClellan says she believes HUD is doing what it can and this is more an issue with the property owner. She added she and other Virginia lawmakers are looking at what other actions they can take.
"We're making sure that the Carriage House is living up to the expectations that provide seniors -- who are our most vulnerable residents -- that they're in living conditions that we would want our family members to be in," she said.
In a statement to CBS 6 last week, HUD said the health, safety, and security of residents is a top priority and is aware of the issues at Carriage House and in contact with the owners and property management. It added it is working with the city on code enforcement regarding conditions there and will "continue to take enforcement actions within our authority until issues are resolved.”
CBS 6 has reached out to the owners of the apartment complex but has not heard back.
McClellan encouraged any resident who has experienced issues with the complex to reach out to her constituent services office and those of Senators Warner and Kaine. She said not only would they be able to see if they could help, but it would also give them more leverage to use their oversight authority.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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