Mount Hope mother says she and her daughter have lived in unhealthy conditions for 2 years

The units in the building were guaranteed to be rehabilitated by nonprofit developers and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, but two years later they say nothing has been fixed.

News 12 Staff

Feb 11, 2023, 1:43 AM

Updated 612 days ago

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A mother in a Mount Hope apartment building says her landlord hasn’t done enough to help her and her daughter with their unhealthy living conditions.  
Tatiana Banks and her daughter say that this problem has been an issue for two years. She says when she and her daughter moved to the apartment, it was to leave a shelter to find a place to call their own. 
But when they arrived, she said the videos that they were sent of the apartment looked nothing like what their home was. They say leaky ceilings, mold, and exposed outlets were just some of the issues in her home, which was a former cluster site homeless shelter that was converted into affordable housing in 2021. 
“They promised us all of these things, management took over… and we believed it,” said Banks.  
The units were guaranteed to be rehabilitated by nonprofit developers and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, but two years later they say nothing has been fixed.  
Banks’ 4-year-old daughter has autism and tested positive for mold exposure last summer. After Banks’ many repair requests have gone unsolved, she thinks the only option left is to move.  
“I still have leaks every day,” said Banks. “At this point, it’s just not livable.” 
A spokesperson from HPD said in part via a statement that they “have completed extensive repair work to identify and address health and safety issues throughout the building and will continue to do so in coordination with the tenants.” 
The property manager and a team of contractors spoke with News 12 at the building, saying they’ll be making temporary repairs to Banks’ apartment like filling the holes in her walls and floors.  
As far as a permanent solution goes, he says that stats with fixing the roof of the building, something that the manager says doesn’t have a timeline to be fixed.