Wednesday, July 21, 2004

No rain, please

Collapsed ceiling is latest woe, Socorro Village resident says

Lisa J. Tabet El Defensor Chieftain Reporter

A large gaping hole in the ceiling, with insulation hanging out and rotting moldy wood beneath, is the sight Jerome Milord has woken up to every day for the past three weeks.

Milord lives in Socorro Village, a housing division subsidized by the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development.

On June 29, the damaged ceiling gave way in Milord's apartment, causing water to gush into the bedroom. In the past three weeks, Milord has moved all his belongings from the bedroom to the corner of the room, and covered them in plastic. He has been sleeping in the front room. Socorro Village has not yet fixed the mess, although Resident Manager Velva Mangum said, "They are working on bids. It should be fixed soon."

She also added "It wouldn't look as bad as it does if he would move his stuff back in, but he refuses to."

Milord is afraid of more water damage, since the hole in his roof will allow the rainwater to come in.

Milord has written two letters of complaint to the management of Socorro Village over the past year over the state of his roof, but each complaint was treated with "hit and miss" help from the maintenance crew. The roof of Milord's house has sprayed foam, which, if not properly maintained, will corrode. The roof is also a flat roof, and is not set up to allow the rain to drain off and causes the rain water to stand, he said.

Recently, the maintenance crew removed the carpet from Milord's bedroom to prevent mildew. The maintenance people at Socorro Village said they passed on the maintenance problems to the Connerey Group, the management agents for Socorro Village.

Milord isn't the only Socorro Village resident with complaints. Danny Venezuela says his apartment has had a steady leak in the ceiling since he moved in around April of 2003. He said he has reported the leak, but the management has informed him the repairs are " still up in the air." He said that the crack in his ceiling leaked on his new furniture and ruined a couch.

"Since I don't have furniture insurance, they won't reimburse me." He said.

He worries the ceiling will cave in, like it did at Milord's.

Patricia Campbell, from HUD's Regional Public Affairs in Houston, Texas, said tenants at a HUD-subsidized housing location with complaints should first contact the manager before contacting HUD.

"Ultimately, the owners are responsible for repairs." she said.

Blaine Connerley of the Connerley Group manages Socorro Village. He said that Socorro Village is owned by a board of directors. Connerley said that problems at Socorro Village are "in the process of being taken care of." He expects the problem with Milord's roof to be resolved within the next two weeks.

In the meantime, Jerome Milord and Danny Venezuela are hoping it won't rain.

According to Section F of the HUD housing quality standards, "Ceilings, walls, and floors shall not have any serious defects such as severe bulging or leaning, large holes, missing parts or other serious damage."

The criteria also indicate that the roof should be weather-tight.

Campbell said that HUD has not received any complaints from the office that handles Socorro Village, even though Milord claims he sent a letter of complaint to HUD in April.

Jerome Milord plans on moving to a new location within the next 30 days, he said Tuesday.

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