CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- For the first time, people living at the problem-plagued Lake Arbor Apartments are getting some help to relocate.
- It's part of a plan from management to have all residents out by the end of the year so they can make repairs
- Management sent letters to 177 households saying all units should be vacated by January 1, 2020
- RELATED: Lake Arbor Apartment Residents Forced to Vacate
It's part of a plan from management to have all residents out by the end of the year so they can make repairs.
Jasmine Johnson, her mom and 1-year-old son, King, are homeless. She says she was forced out of her apartment unit July 15 when it was padlocked shut. At the time, her air condition unit kept breaking down.
“I'm not even going to say we're victims. We are survivors. We're still standing we're still here and it's always a better tomorrow,” she said. “I witnessed code enforcement come in and out of the apartment [and] it's kind of embarrassing and it's upsetting too, because you've got all these families out here.”
Management sent letters to 177 households saying all units should be vacated by January 1, 2020. Charlotte city leaders sued the complex management company for failure to comply with housing codes.
Because the City of Charlotte does not own Lake Arbor Apartments, they say their hands are legally tied. Officials say they can only enforce minimum housing code, which stipulates that properties need to be free of roach infestations, rat infestations, and have working heating.
Half a dozen housing providers are handing out information on tenant rights and telling residents about alternative housing.