Alexandria residents protest Housing Authority, cite unsafe conditions and rent issues
Alexandria residents protest Housing Authority
ARHA, which receives federal funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), serves a large number of low-income residents. Many tenants told FOX 5 the agency?s emergency maintenance line is ineffective or ?nonexistent.? Just last month, one neighbor?s ceiling partially collapsed.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Dozens of Alexandria residents are speaking out, claiming the city’s housing authority is failing to provide safe and livable conditions.
From mold to rent overcharges, tenants say they’ve had enough.
What we know:
On Wednesday, a small protest was held outside the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority (ARHA) headquarters on Wythe Street.
Demonstrators accused the agency of ignoring maintenance needs, leaving them to live in unsanitary and unsafe conditions.
FOX 5’s Shirin Rajaee visited several ARHA units to see the conditions firsthand.
Leticia Iraheta, a longtime resident near South 28th Street, says her family has suffered for years due to mold and rodent infestations.
"You can see the mold, the hole there where mice come through," one resident showed FOX 5, pointing to damage inside her home.
"I’ve been through a lot. I have a disabled son who gets seizures, and I’m sure the surrounding air, the mold, is bad, making him have more seizures, and my daughter is always sick," she continued.
She says her repeated calls and complaints to ARHA have gone unanswered.
"They act like they just don’t care what’s going on over here," Iraheta added.
Dig deeper:
ARHA, which receives federal funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), serves many low-income residents.
Multiple tenants told FOX 5 the agency’s emergency maintenance line is ineffective or "nonexistent." Just last month, one neighbor’s ceiling partially collapsed.
"In the middle of her living room, she said she made work orders about the leak upstairs, the leak was from the bathroom," said Annette Santiago.
Santiago is a community leader in the neighborhood, helping to empower tenants about their rights. She says the situation is unacceptable.
"They need to realize we’re stakeholders, we’re not animals, we’re humans, we pay rent," said Santiago, a resident and community leader at ARHA’s Hopkins-Tancil community.
What they're saying:
Housing advocate Loren Depina, who helped organize Wednesday’s protest, said the problems go beyond maintenance issues.
"There’s mold, why are we not doing tests in units, code enforcement should be involved," Depina said.
She also accused the housing authority of mismanaging rental ledgers, which she says has led to lost payments and even evictions.
"We approached this man in good faith, and tried to meet at the table multiple times," she said of ARHA CEO Erik Johnson.
Johnson, who has been in his role for less than a year, has previously defended his progress, saying he inherited many of these issues. FOX 5 requested an interview with Johnson, but he was not made available. His office said a statement will be released on Thursday.