DC residents forced out of apartments by city after building condemned

WASHINGTON - Residents living in a Northwest D.C. apartment building were forced to move out of their units after it was condemned by the city due to poor conditions.

Many of these residents are now staying in hotels and looking for a permanent place to call home.

When you walk into this building near 9th and Kennedy Streets, the stench is overwhelming.

"There was human feces, dog feces throughout the entire property," said Johanna Shreve, D.C.'s Chief Tenant Advocate. "Windows and doors were knocked off. It was just a very bad situation."

Shaneika Robinson told us her sister and children lived in an apartment with no hot water and heat. Their bathroom could not be used because the plumbing did not work.

"She reached out to several people several times and no one did anything," said Robinson.

We are told the former landlord of the building died last year. The estate was passed on to 14 people who attorney Gerald Belton represents.

"Tenants have a responsibility to pay their rent, to pay their utilities, to keep their individual areas clean," said Belton. "I think the family has more than done its part."

Some residents said they did pay their rent. For those who were legally living here, District housing advocates will move them into hotels for at least the next two weeks. We are told that will be extended if permanent housing is not found by then.