PETERSBURG, Va. — It has now been two weeks since the 114 people who called the Carriage House Apartments home were forced to move out.
As CBS 6 first reported, the Petersburg building was red-tagged by the city as unsafe, making it illegal to live in under city code.
Tri-Cities
Petersburg deems Carriage House 'uninhabitable,' residents told to leave
The city cited failures in the water-heating system and boiler, roof and pipe leaks, and unsanitary conditions as reasons for the red tag.
On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Jennifer McClellan and Delegate Kimberly Pope Adams met with Petersburg city leaders to discuss the ongoing problems at the government-assisted living facility.
The two legislators said they have now been given the latest information from the city on the current state of the Carriage House — but say they are hearing very little from the building's out-of-state owners.
"This building has had issues for quite some time. The residents have been complaining for quite some time, and it's now time for us to use everything we have at the state and federal level," Adams said.
McClellan said federal resources may now come into play.
"We are now going to use everything at our disposal at the state level, particularly with HUD, to see what we can do to force the manager to finally take care of these issues," McClellan said.
McClellan also addressed the possibility that the building could lose its federal housing contract.
"If this ultimately means that the Carriage House loses its contract with HUD, if these residents get vouchers to allow them to live somewhere that meets the standards at a minimum, hopefully more. They deserve a lot better," McClellan said.
A timeline for when residents may return home remains unknown.
A letter to the city from the property's owners is keeping city leaders from publicly discussing the matter.
"I understand the community's need and desire to have information completely, but once we get a notice from someone's attorney, that could be pending litigation, we don't really discuss that publicly now we may end up in a lawsuit," City Manager March Altman said at a May 19 City Council meeting.
The city continues to provide assistance for displaced residents, including bus service to and from hotels and help from Social Services.
Residents will not be allowed to move back into the Carriage House Apartments until the building passes inspection by Petersburg Code Enforcement.
Some city leaders say they would like to see the Department of Housing and Urban Development be part of that inspection, since HUD helps pay for residents to live there.
CBS 6 has reached out to the owners of the Carriage House Apartments asking for a timeline for when repairs could be completed and residents could move back home. We have not received a response.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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