COLUMBIA, S.C. — Mold and infestations are reportedly plaquing residents in two Columbia Housing Authority complexes, according to legal representatives.
Emily Blackshire Giel, an attorney with the South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center, says her team is fielding concerns from residents across two of Columbia Housing Authority's developments.
"Pretty severe mold infestations, that's been our main concern health and safety wise," Giel said. "Also we've heard reports of roach infestations, some flooding that's gone unaddressed that's lead to further mold."
She spoke up during a public comment section in Thursday's board of commissioners meeting, citing those concerns and asking for action.
"I think what we would like to see first and foremost is tenants in unsafe living conditions moved to other units, that are safe, while they're remedying the situation." Giel said. "The other thing that we're asking for is a halt on all evictions from these two properties, we've seen a trend in folks reporting these maintenance issues and then their units being inspected and inspections coming back with reports that are just simply not plausible for the tenants to repair themselves."
Giel said that her clients have made Columbia Housing aware of their concerns, but received little to no help in the process.
"We're talking about very vulnerable people that historically have not been represented by council who often, who don't feel empowered to participate in the legal system in the same way they might if they were represented by council or if they understood their rights and landlord-tenant law."
During the meeting, no one from the board offered comment on the claims, and we were denied an interview after the meeting. However, the housing authority offered a statement that read:
"In response to concerns voiced by Appleseed Legal Justice Center regarding living conditions at The Reserves and other Columbia Housing properties ---We cannot express strongly enough that the Board of Commissioners at Columbia Housing takes matters of this nature very seriously. As indicated in our Vision 2030 Plan, Columbia Housing has launched an aggressive $500M strategy to reposition, renovate, and redevelop our entire housing portfolio to address the $250M backlog in maintenance needs in Columbia Housing’s properties. Over the past several weeks, Columbia Housing has worked to assess air quality and another health and safety concerns at the Reserves Public Housing community. Where problems are found, they are addressed. We can’t fully implement our Vision 2030 plan fast enough or without the continued support of key community partners."