Cancer Patient Speaks Out Against Sickening Living Conditions at Apartment Complex
By: Homa Bash
Updated: February 19, 2013
Several residents at an Eastland apartment complex are speaking out about the poor conditions of their units -- with complaints ranging from leaky roofs and lack of water to mold-filled walls.
"There's no wood at all attached in there [door frame], we were the ones that put that piece there to keep safe, like I said, we have children here," said Pamela Sparks.
That's where Sparks calls home, sweet home.
"We use this back room now for storage, we can't stay in here.You can clearly see the mold everywhere, it's just not safe," she said.
A chemotherapy patient recovering from liver cancer, Sparks has been living at the Sadosa Ridge Apartments for about a year and says many of the problems plaguing her unit have been around since then -- without being fixed.
"You can see the rust there [in the light fixture], water pours through it when it rains. We can't use any of the electrical outlets in the kitchen, and that's even what they told us," she said.
And Sparks is not alone -- several residents KTAB spoke with on Tuesday said they have similar issues they are still waiting to get fixed.
"We went 23 days without hot water, 17 without any water at all. We have a leak in our bedroom in our apartment," said Ann Boone, a resident.
"I lived here almost a year without A/C," added Jacob Oden, another resident. "I'd rather live in a cardboard box than these apartments anymore."
So the most pressing question might be why these people are still living in these hazardous conditions.
But for many of them, packing up and moving is easier said than done.
"I'm sick, I'm on fixed income, just coming up with the money to move -- for deposit, first months' rent, starting up electricity," Sparks explained.
So we went to speak with the manager of Sadosa Ridge, Ginger Brown, who has only been in charge since mid-December.
At first, she couldn't comment.
"The corporate office would be happy to prepare a statement for you, but I'm not allowed to speak on camera," she said while on the phone with the Austin-based company.
But then, someone from corporate called back and gave the OK to answer a few of KTAB's questions -- with this statement only.
"The safety of our residents is of our utmost concern and we are working with the proper authorities to get everything repaired," Brown said.
Well, with a front door that hardly seems secure, Pamela Sparks doesn't feel very safe at all.
"There's no wood at all attached in there [door frame], we were the ones that put that piece there to keep safe, like I said, we have children here," said Pamela Sparks.
That's where Sparks calls home, sweet home.
"We use this back room now for storage, we can't stay in here.You can clearly see the mold everywhere, it's just not safe," she said.
A chemotherapy patient recovering from liver cancer, Sparks has been living at the Sadosa Ridge Apartments for about a year and says many of the problems plaguing her unit have been around since then -- without being fixed.
"You can see the rust there [in the light fixture], water pours through it when it rains. We can't use any of the electrical outlets in the kitchen, and that's even what they told us," she said.
And Sparks is not alone -- several residents KTAB spoke with on Tuesday said they have similar issues they are still waiting to get fixed.
"We went 23 days without hot water, 17 without any water at all. We have a leak in our bedroom in our apartment," said Ann Boone, a resident.
"I lived here almost a year without A/C," added Jacob Oden, another resident. "I'd rather live in a cardboard box than these apartments anymore."
So the most pressing question might be why these people are still living in these hazardous conditions.
But for many of them, packing up and moving is easier said than done.
"I'm sick, I'm on fixed income, just coming up with the money to move -- for deposit, first months' rent, starting up electricity," Sparks explained.
So we went to speak with the manager of Sadosa Ridge, Ginger Brown, who has only been in charge since mid-December.
At first, she couldn't comment.
"The corporate office would be happy to prepare a statement for you, but I'm not allowed to speak on camera," she said while on the phone with the Austin-based company.
But then, someone from corporate called back and gave the OK to answer a few of KTAB's questions -- with this statement only.
"The safety of our residents is of our utmost concern and we are working with the proper authorities to get everything repaired," Brown said.
Well, with a front door that hardly seems secure, Pamela Sparks doesn't feel very safe at all.
Comments
I lived there 3 years I had so many problems I could go on forever but the worst was No ac for the 3 hottest months of the year, I had sewage coming out of my bathtub sink and toilet for Well over two months. I failed 3 houseing inspections because of the repairs not being made before I finally lost my housing because of it, when I moved out you couldn't even lock the door because it was messed up and never repaired, when I lost my housing being at that time a single parent of a disabled child,my electrcity was cut off by the manager and i was given 3 days to get out, not to mention we were sick 95% of the time i believe because of mold and sewage, please help these people, i couldnt afford a lawyer i just wanted out, bring the careless greedy owners down, lets see them live there! Jennifer H.
Jennifer H.
February 20, 2013 at 7:40 pm
I lived there for almost 2 years. In fact, I just moved out last month. Over the course of 19th months, there was an issue that was never corrected. It was documented at least twice. Living conditions at Sadosa Ridge need to be brought up to code!
Jeana J.
February 20, 2013 at 10:58 am
