NATCHEZ, Miss. -- In this city known for pre-Civil War mansions, a young mother shared a government-funded apartment with her three small children and a legion of cockroaches.
"I'm not asking for the best," she told a reporter weeks before leaving,"but something better than this, especially for these kids." Yet tenants curse heaters that don't heat, emergency exits that don't open, windows that don't close. They complain of rats, rust, holes and mold. Conditions have deteriorated so badly in many subsidized buildings that by the government's own estimate it would take tens of billions of dollars to rehabilitate them.Destiny Johnson lived with her children ages 1, 2, and 5, at Cedarhurst Homes on a dead-end street in Natchez, where Mississippi River trading and wealth built on slave plantations have yielded to inveterate poverty among a largely black population.
Company President Melanie Moe referred questions to Bryan King, an officer at Mississippi-based Triangle Development, LLC. In an emailed statement, King said his development company was acquiring Cedarhurst Homes and planned to pursue federal tax credits for a"large renovation." Nationally, inspection scores at privately owned complexes like Cedarhurst Homes reached a peak of 90 in 2007 during the George W. Bush administration. Scores averaged 86 during Barack Obama's two terms and 81 under President Trump as of June. AP's analysis of historical trends uses data released in January. Since then, HUD has been revising its databases and released one that isn't directly comparable and drops pertinent inspections.
And tenants in some buildings still complain that management hides problems from inspectors, covering cracks with duct tape, mold with a quick coat of paint, or even old junk with temporary partitions. HUD's main programs now rely on the existing, gradually aging housing stock."We lose the affordable housing forever. You never get it back," HUD spokesman Sullivan said.
Many housing advocates want more vouchers and incentives for private landlords to accept them. Others suggest increasing tax credits for construction and repairs, more federal staff and resources for better oversight, and more tenant participation in site improvements.
Those people just need to clean their houses .
Absentee landlords for their habitual negligence should have their properties confiscated by the state with no compensation. Avoiding prison time is their compensation. In a Socialist country this wouldn't exist. If it does, see punishment above. The poor deserve better goddamnit
Because of Demoncrats...