Monroe Dispatch - No Struggle, No Progress

A concerned citizen is speaking about what she maintains are deplorable conditions for residents living at the Richwood Cottages Complex in Richwood. The Monroe Dispatch spoke to someone who has a relative living there but is in the process of moving and expressed alarm at some of the things that she saw while she was there. She said the manager is allegedly difficult to work with when it comes to making needy repairs. Not only that, she said, but with the onslaught of almost unbearable heat, many residents have gone/are going without air-conditioning, which has caused health issues for some residents. Many of the units need to be fixed, leaving many of those who can afford to purchase window units to help them cope with the heat. One tenant who has gone without heat had to come by a neighbor and sit with them just to get some temporary relief from the sweltering conditions inside her apartment. It was also alleged that residents have had problems reaching the manager through calls to the office. Phone calls went unanswered and several times the individual said that calls allegedly were blocked.

The heat was so bad, according to the individual, that the carpet inside one apartment became infested with maggots because of the heat. Instead of replacing the carpet, management simply "cleaned" it. Some apartments allegedly have electrical issues where the resident is urged to "check" the breaker box if something goes wrong. Though there are some who are under Section 8, it was alleged that management will look past Section 8 when replacing or fixing items. Instead of buying a new appliance or water heater, it was alleged that management would go to a vacant apartment and get a replacement, which sometimes worsened situations. It was also alleged that another property that operates in the same manner as Richwood Cottages gets new replacement items, but the one in Richwood that is predominately Black does not. She says that the man that does maintenance work at the complex was so overwhelmed with repairing the same things over and over that he left without hardly anyone knowing that he had left. The steps on one of the stairways allegedly needed repair, and one resident allegedly fell through them. Many of the residents have had to bear the heat and other conditions because they are under Section 8 and can't afford the rent to live somewhere else. They allegedly have had to wait more than a month under the heat conditions, and some have tried to leave. The individual said that people shouldn't have to live like they are, and she hopes that the town of Richwood can do for its citizens.