Griffin apartment must be demolished, residents must move out
Dozens of families in Griffin have been told to leave their homes immediately. The city demolished the Ava Park apartment complex on Thursday after an inspection found rats, mold and other critical safety issues.
GRIFFIN, Georgia. – A Griffin city inspector ordered more than three dozen families at the Ava Park Apartment Complex to immediately evacuate their homes.
An inspection on Thursday revealed critical safety issues, including rat infestations, structural problems, mold and other hazards, residents said.
In a letter to city residents obtained by FOX 5, the city said it is investigating complaints about unsafe living conditions.
“The rats are about the size of small puppies,” said Yoshunda Jones, an activist who helps residents. “They gnaw through walls, through cables and chew up carpets.”
Following this inspection, the city placed large red signs on the buildings and asked residents to vacate the premises.
On Friday, moving trucks and trailers lined the last remaining inhabited part of the complex.
Helen Wimbush, an 81-year-old Ava Park resident, said the news that she was being evicted overwhelmed her. “I was so nervous I couldn’t eat anything,” she said.
Wimbush, who has lived in the government-subsidized apartment for 13 years, said she fears she may have to transport all her belongings on her own.
Fortunately, the municipality has planned its help and provided free labor, boxes and food to the residents.
But Wimbush said it was not fair to kick her out so suddenly.
“I have never missed a month of paying my electric bill or my rent or keeping this apartment in order.”
The Ava Park Apartments are owned by Millennia Housing Management, a company previously associated with the infamous Forest Cove Apartments in South Atlanta, which the city demolished in March.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has since banned Millennia from entering into new Section 8 contracts.
However, according to Jones, local authorities in Griffin have ignored the problems at Ava Park for years.
“This did not happen overnight. This was many years of willful and gross negligence,” Jones said.
So far, the city has given residents until mid-Monday to vacate the premises. However, water and electricity will be turned off earlier, residents said.
Millennia Housing has reportedly agreed to temporarily and indefinitely house the displaced residents at a local motel, Jones said.
The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Several attempts to reach the city manager were unsuccessful.
Zena Thorpe, another resident, shared her uncertainty about the future. “I don’t know where I’m going, but wherever God leads me, that’s where I’ll be,” she said.
