COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Columbia Housing Authority says more than a hundred displaced families at a public housing complex are still searching for a permanent home.
Calvin Witherspoon and Derrick Roper died at the Allen Benedict Court apartments in January due to carbon monoxide poisoning. All 241 families at the complex were evacuated the next day after multiple gas leaks were discovered on the property.
“It's been very emotional, it's like an emotional rollercoaster for me, it's still rough on me,” said one resident, who wanted to remain anonymous.
The resident said she's been living with her uncle since being evacuated from Allen Benedict last month. She claims her uncle's landlord told them to leave the uncle’s property by Friday.
“Nowhere else I can turn to,” she said.
She has a Section 8 voucher for a 3-bedroom apartment, but said she's not found a place to live.
“Oh, it's been crazy. A majority of the places I called either didn't take a voucher, they wanted you to have a second source of income, or they were all filled up,” she told WLTX.
She and her two kids are one of 123 families looking for a new home.
73 of those families are trying Section 8 vouchers. The other 50 are waiting for Public Housing properties to have openings.
The 50 families waiting for Public Housing are at the top of the waitlist.
Columbia Housing Authority press secretary Cynthia Hardy said they're trying to help all the families.
“What happened at Allen Benedict Court is a tragedy and everybody here at the Housing Authority is so very sorry. So, we can't add insult to injury by making them wonder where they're going to be,” Hardy said in her office.
Hardy said they will continue to place families in hotels till they find permanent housing.
241 families were displaced total.
The Housing Authority said 65 families have moved to new homes and another 53 are waiting for final approval. Meaning, roughly 50 percent of the displaced families have found new permanent housing.
Hardy said the Authority is trying to keep Section 8 monthly costs similar to what families paid at Allen Benedict Court, but they might have to pay more at a new apartment.
“They could, we're going to try our best for that not to be the case, but when you look at all scenarios it's a possibility,” said Hardy.
The Housing Authority said average monthly costs at Allen Benedict were $200, but some residents did not pay rent. So, the move to Section 8 might require some residents to pay more than they’re accustomed to for rent, according to Hardy.
Section 8 properties require a resident to pay 30 percent of their monthly adjusted income. Adjustments are granted based on number of children, disabilities, and other factors.
Hardy explained that the Housing Authority is working to make adjustments and provide funding to keep the payment gap between Public Housing and Section 8 as small as possible.
Anyone with questions about their housing choice, confusion about payments, or other factors should call the Columbia Housing Authority main office at (803) 254-3886.
OUR PROBE:
WLTX's Deep Dive team has done extensive work in exposing what's been happening at Columbia Housing Authority. During our pursuit of the truth, two of our reporters were even arrested, but we were later issued an apology.
WHAT WE'VE FOUND:
In our investigation, we've uncovered previous maintenance problems in the units at Allen Benedict Court, that showed there were concerns about the units well before January 17th. We have a mountain of documents related to the case, as well as interviews with residents, and we continue to present new information each day.
You can see more into our probe below:
RELATED: DEEP DIVE: Work orders highlight potentially life-threatening problems at Allen Benedict Court
RELATED: 'Maybe they care, maybe they don't' Columbia Housing resident speaks out about maintenance issues
RELATED: EMS radio recordings describe moments after man was found in his apartment at Allen Benedict Court
RELATED: Allen Benedict Court work orders show history of maintenance issues at deceased resident's apartment
LAWSUITS:
There have also been multiple lawsuits filed in connection to the case. You can see our coverage of those below.