After we published this story, Jackson Mayor John Horhn confirmed that he would once again ask U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate to allow tenants at the Blossom Apartments more time to find new housing before vacating the complex that the Mississippi Home Corporation says is unsuitable for residents.
Wingate is overseeing Jackson, Mississippi’s federally-mandated water and sewer system repairs led by a federally-appointed manager Ted Henifin of JXN Water. The Blossom Apartments is one of a slew of multi-family complexes where the water utility company says property owners have amassed hundreds of thousands of dollars in delinquent water bills.
Here is the original story:
JACKSON, Miss.—For over a decade, Chante Vaxter has called Blossom Apartments home. This week, amid concerns over deteriorating living conditions and an order from the Mississippi Home Corporation to vacate the complex, she is one of dozens of residents forced to look for a new place to live.
Vaxter was in attendance on Saturday, Aug. 9, as Mayor John Horhn spoke with tenants who are being forced to relocate amid a dispute between the property owner and the water utility company over unpaid bills. The mayor arrived a day after a federal judge ordered JXN Water to temporarily restore water access at Blossom Apartments.
“I feel like I’m homeless,” Vaxter, who uses a motorized chair to get around, told the mayor. “You just can’t move overnight. This is not an overnight thing. I’m in a chair.”
Many tenants like Vaxter initially remained at the property amid the water shutoff in late July, awaiting guidance on next steps. The Mississippi Home Corporation eventually determined that the owner, Tony Little, had fallen out of compliance with the standard of living conditions required for a tax-credit-qualifying property.
On Friday, Aug. 8, the MHC issued a 72-hour eviction notice for Little to move the tenants, the mayor said during a press conference at the complex on Saturday, Aug. 9.
“Having heard that, what I personally did is reach out to the federal judge, Henry Wingate, to say to him that this property is basically going to be condemned because it’s not in compliance right now,” Horhn explained.
Horhn said he asked the judge to order the water temporarily turned back on to allow residents time to “get their affairs in order, get their belongings in order so they can be relocated.”
The City of Jackson’s investigation into the water issues at Blossom Apartments revealed other longstanding concerns. “They’ve had issues of mold, mildew. There’s been flooding that hasn’t been addressed,” the mayor said.
‘Moving Is Not Easy’
JXN Water said earlier this year that residents of at least 10 complexes were at risk of losing water access because property owners were delinquent on paying water bills. In the case of Blossom Apartments, the agency says property owner Tony Little owes over $400,000 in unpaid water bills.
Little disputes that claim, saying, in part, that he does not owe what JXN Water says he owes. He asserts that the bills he received from the water utility company are “mathematically impossible.”
“I’ve been receiving mathematically impossible bills ever since JXN Water took over,” he told reporters at Jackson City Hall on July 29.
While the owner and utility company sort out the issue of delinquent bills, tenants at the complex—many of whom have lived at the building for over a decade—are left dealing with the consequences of having to uproot their lives.
Although Mayor John Horhn suggested the possibility of working with the Mississippi Home Corporation to get the 72-hour vacate order deadline extended, as of Tuesday afternoon, tenants must relocate by Wednesday evening.
Chante Vaxter told the mayor that the sudden eviction orders have left residents scrambling. Not only are residents concerned about securing rent for a new apartment, Vaxter said, but tenants also need help with storing and moving furniture that they have amassed over the years.
“We have to stop what we’re doing, pack up and go. That’s not easy. Moving is not easy,” Vaxter continued. Vaxter and Stacey Patrick, a 17-year resident of the complex, said they are frustrated and believe the property owner could have resolved issues before they resulted in an eviction order.
“When it comes to the landlord, there was no resolving issues,” Vaxter told reporters following the mayor’s press conference. “You don’t leave your residents out like that, in the rain without an umbrella, without covering them. So we weren’t covered, but God did cover us. So, we’re thankful for that.”
Patrick is the latest addition to the mayor’s new housing task force, a group promising more oversight over the city’s landlords. She said that although many tenants were hesitant to speak up about the issues, she could no longer remain silent.
Stewpot Offering Relocation Assistance
One organization that is helping tenants relocate is Stewpot Community Services, Mayor John Horhn said on Aug. 9. A grant from the Mississippi Home Corporation for people who are “in imminent danger of becoming homeless” will fund the relocation efforts, Stewpot Community Services Executive Director Jill Buckley told the Mississippi Free Press on Aug. 11.
The agency is “utilizing multiple funding sources, both public and private, to provide assistance with application fees, deposits and first month’s rent,” for the displaced tenants, Buckley said.
Stewpot, along with the Jackson Housing Authority and Mississippi Housing Corp, was set to host a meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 12, from 5 to 7 p.m. for residents to learn about relocation options, apply for expedited relocation assistance from the Jackson Housing Authority and meet landlords with available units at other properties across the city.
The Mississippi Home Corporation could not be reached for comment on this story.
