HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — The Darby House Apartments in Henrico look a lot different these days, with a massive blue tarp draped over the roof and a temporary electronic gate limiting access to the property.
Almost a month since the fire that led to its current condition, several residents say they still haven't made their lives whole.
Terrie Scherer, who holds power of attorney for former resident Edwin Brightwell, says accessing their property has been a nightmare.
"They're really not responsive, they're not answering phone calls," Scherer said.
She says since the fire she hasn't been able to retrieve belongings for her friend.
"My 93-year-old friend was told, 'Go get your truck, we have everything already extracted and it's in a holding area.' He went and got a truck, came back and they said, 'Oh no, bad news, you're not on the list, you can't get your things.' Well, how do we get on the list? 'Go call management.' Well management is not responding," Scherer said.
For Scherer, the emotional weight of the situation is clear.
"Their life was sometimes their possessions. Their life their functions revolved around their possessions. They took joy in that," Scherer said.
Former residents who have since relocated to the Market Square Senior Living community in Chesterfield say their problems go beyond lack of access.
"They kept telling me that it's not salvageable and they could go in there and pick up a few items that's important to me, but everything in there is important," a former Darby House resident said.
Another former resident says they believe money was taken from their belongings.
"I'm angry because I got money taken. They wrote a check on me. They went into my stuff got a check and put it in the bank and got money from me," a former Darby House resident said.
Former resident Venus Price says she has no idea where her belongings are.
"I would like to know where my stuff is. My stuff is in drums now. I don't know what's in there, and I don't know what has disappeared," Price said.
Henrico Police confirmed that since July 24 there have been two reports of larcenies.
BMS CAT, the company contracted by Darby House's parent company Homes for America to secure the property and retrieve belongings for residents, declined to speak and referred all questions to Homes for America.
After being contacted about these concerns, Homes for America responded with the following statement:
"Homes for America understands residents’ concerns regarding their belongings and is committed to supporting them throughout the recovery process.
"The remediation team has packed out more than 30 units, with belongings placed in storage for residents to retrieve by scheduled appointment. Management is contacting residents as additional units are cleared. Due to limited storage and staffing, and to ensure residents' safety, scheduled pickup times are required, and residents arriving without an appointment may not be permitted on site.
"The pack-out process is expected to take several weeks. The property remains secured with fencing and 24/7 on-site staffing through the remediation or security teams. Our priority is to protect and return residents’ belongings wherever possible, safely."
However, the statement made no mention of the claims of missing items or the larcenies reported to police.
Scherer says the current process is unacceptable for former residents.
"People who have the trucks have the capability of bringing extra hands to help them unload, need to be able to spend however, they need to go into their unit to box up, bag up, do what they need to," Scherer said.
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