Atlanta tenants plead for help as raw sewage overflows in homes
Summerhill apartment homes flood with raw sewage
Raw sewage backed up into multiple units at a HUD funded Summerhill apartment complex, destroying medical supplies and prompting a response from property managers.
ATLANTA - Residents at an Atlanta apartment complex say they're living in unsafe and unsanitary conditions after repeated sewage backups sent raw waste into their homes, damaging personal belongings and leaving families frustrated.
What we know:
Tenants at Martin Street Plaza Apartments say toilets, sinks and showers have overflowed with raw sewage. The backups bring feces, toilet paper and cigarette butts into their living spaces.
Resident Amber Bell said the backups appear to affect the whole building. Crews go to every unit when plumbing service arrives, according to Bell.
"We just want to be able to live in a nice, clean, sanitized home," resident Amber Bell told FOX 5.
Another tenant, Labery Payton, called the conditions disgusting and unbearable.
Resident Valencia Springer said raw sewage flooded the lower level of her home, destroying furniture, personal items and medical supplies for her son, who is a kidney transplant patient.
"My whole downstairs is flooded. Everything. I lost everything downstairs. My son's medical supplies. He's a medical transplant kid, too. All his supplies are damaged. All of my things downstairs are damaged right now," Springer said.
Springer said she has been dealing with the situation for four years and pleaded for help.
"I've been dealing with this for four years, and I am very irritated. I'm done," Springer said.
Fighting back tears, Springer pleaded for action.
"I wish you guys would do your job. And please help me," she said.
Martin Street Plaza is an Atlanta Housing community managed by Integral Management Group. It receives funding through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
What they're saying:
Atlanta Housing provided FOX 5 with the following statement:
"While Atlanta Housing cannot comment on any specific resident, we are aware of and have been proactively engaged in addressing the plumbing issue at Martin Street Plaza. The plumbing blockage has been resolved, affected areas have been remediated, and we continue working to ensure all residents' needs are addressed. We also remind our residents that discarding body wipes through the toilet creates and exacerbates plumbing issues. We will continue to monitor this situation through remediation and remain committed to providing the highest level of service to all who call Atlanta Housing properties home."
What we don't know:
Officials have not yet confirmed what is causing the building-wide plumbing backups. Management has not publicly stated when permanent repairs will be completed.
It remains unclear if affected families will receive compensation for property and medical supplies destroyed by the sewage.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from statements provided by Martin Street Plaza Apartments residents Amber Bell, Labery Payton and Valencia Springer.