Tenants claiming squalid conditions at an apartment complex in Algiers took their stories to the streets on Sunday afternoon. More than a dozen residents of Oakmont Apartments occupied neutral ground on Gen. De Gaulle Drive. They spent hours recounting battles with cockroaches, mold, leaks, broken appliances, stalled repairs, and growing frustration. “Where to start ?” said Oakmont tenant Geraldine Lepree, who battled cancer last summer. “I had to lie on a chemo table for four, five hours. And I had to walk into a 95 degree house that doesn’t even have air conditioning. And let’s not even talk about a fan. ” no stove,” tenant Telinna Watkins said of her current home. “I have no heating. I suffer from the cold. My daughter, she is sick of being in this mold.” The Tenant Rights Assembly, a New Orleans-based housing advocacy group, organized Sunday’s rally in hopes of bringing notice to Oakmont’s conditions. “I hope the city takes these tenants seriously and honestly,” organizer Daiquiri Jones said. “I hope they relocate these tenants while repairs are made, while a solution for this complex – whatever it is – comes to fruition.” Oakmont tenants are not alone. Residents reported similar disarray at other low-income housing complexes owned by Joshua Bruno. His other properties in New Orleans include Cypress Park Apartments in Algiers, plus three on the East Bank: Forest Park, Liberty Park and Washington Place Apartments. been heard,” Jones said. Bruno has acknowledged an excessive need for repairs, but he maintains that COVID-19 and Hurricane Ida have crippled his finances. The owner filed for bankruptcy on February 3, a decision that will give him time to reorganize the assets. homes, which were destroyed by the horrific hurricane that created horrific losses across all units in our portfolio,” Bruno wrote in a Sunday text message to WDSU. Tenants are also hopeful that Bruno can begin repairs – whatever it costs.” It’s very difficult,” says Watkins, “I’m just a single mom trying to get by.”
Tenants claiming squalid conditions in an apartment complex in Algiers took their stories to the streets on Sunday afternoon.
More than a dozen residents of Oakmont Apartments occupied neutral ground on Gen. De Gaulle Drive. They spent hours recounting battles with cockroaches, mold, leaks, broken appliances, stalled repairs, and growing frustration.
“Where do I start?” said Oakmont tenant Geraldine Lepree, who battled cancer last summer. “I had to lie on a chemo table for four, five hours. And I had to walk into a 95 degree house that doesn’t even have air conditioning. And let’s not even talk about a fan. “
“I don’t have a stove,” tenant Telinna Watkins said of her current home. “I have no heating. I suffer from the cold. My daughter, she is sick of being in this mold.”
The Assembly of Tenants’ Rights, a New Orleans-based housing advocacy group, organized Sunday’s rally in hopes of raising awareness of Oakmont’s conditions.
“I hope the city takes these tenants seriously and honestly,” organizer Daiquiri Jones said. “I hope they relocate these tenants while repairs are made, while a solution for this complex – whatever it is – comes to fruition.”
Oakmont tenants are not alone. Residents reported similar disarray at other low-income housing complexes owned by Joshua Bruno. Its additional properties in New Orleans include Cypress Park apartments in Algiers, as well as three on the East Bank: Forest Park, Liberty Park and Washington Place apartments.
“A lot of these tenants have been speaking out for months, some for years, and not being heard,” Jones said.
Bruno has acknowledged an excessive need for repairs, but he maintains that COVID-19 and Hurricane Ida have crippled his finances. The owner filed for bankruptcy on February 3, a decision that will give him time to reorganize his assets.
“We hope that with new court records, we can begin expedited repairs and restore properties to their pre-storm condition and relocate the homes of these residents, which were destroyed by the horrific hurricane that created horrific losses across all units in our portfolio,” Bruno wrote in a text message to WDSU on Sunday.
The tenants also hope that Bruno can start repairs, whatever the cost.
“It’s very difficult,” Watkins said. “I’m just a single mom trying to get by.”
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