DAYTON — The City of Dayton is ordering residents vacate the same apartment complex where fire fighters discovered the remains of a one-year-old child last week.
Notices sent to News Center 7 by residents and confirmed by the city of Dayton order residents to leave the Western Manor apartments of James H. McGee Boulevard by Monday, June 22.
The city told WHIO, “the property owner is being issued an emergency repair order due to deplorable conditions, broken windows and doors, and other issues.”
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (H.U.D.) added it terminated its Section 8 project-based rental assistance contract with Western Manor’s owner in December 2019 “due to unsafe living conditions,” and has been in the process of relocating tenants; a process that was delayed by COVID-19.
This is the same apartment complex where the remains of a one-year-old child turned up last week after a resident called 911 call reporting a bad smell coming from a unit. Court records show the child had likely been abandoned there several weeks. The boy’s mother, Wanisha Smith, is facing involuntary manslaughter and child endangering charges and has pleaded not guilty.
WHIO asked the City of Dayton if the recent police investigation at Western Manor led to Tuesday’s orders for residents to vacate.
The city deferred to a H.U.D. statement, which said, “Upon learning of the tragedy at the property, we (H.U.D.) reached out to the Dayton Police Department to offer any assistance in the investigation. Additionally, H.U.D. had a conversation with the City of Dayton regarding the habitability of the building.”
Katherine Williams has lived at Western Manor for 20 years. She is well aware of some of the disrepair on the property. “They’ve been putting band aids over this place for years,” she said.
Williams added that she knew H.U.D. was in the process of relocating residents in recent months, but said she was surprised to see a notice ordering such quick vacancy. “They didn’t tell us it was going to go down like this; that these people were going to come out here and tell us you’ve got ‘til Monday and tell you all to leave,” she said.
News Center 7’s Sean Cudahy attempted to call the owners of Western Manor, but the number listed for the property was disconnected.
Brandy Nelloms, who lives at Western Manor, said the owners have not been involved for months. “We (have) no manager, maintenance, nothing,” she said.
H.U.D. said it is working to relocate residents to extended stay hotels, and told WHIO the orders to vacate are in the interest of the residents’ safety.
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