In a substantial shift, the Memphis Housing Authority is slated to take over the management of Serenity Towers starting on Monday, a development that comes on the heels of a series of troubling issues at the property. Action News 5 reports that the shift in oversight followed a Shelby County Environmental Court ruling, which categorized Serenity Towers as a chronic nuisance, largely due to failing infrastructure like broken elevators — issues Millennia Housing Management claimed they lacked the resources to remedy.
The taking over of management duties by MHA is to be a temporary measure. According to FOX13, city attorneys are set to file liens on the property to recover taxpayer funds previously used to fix the broken elevators, a responsibility Millennia shirked alongside accumulating thousands in fines over code violations. These developments aim to promptly transition the current tenants, a community left to regularly endure faulty elevators, with some having been trapped for days.
Professionals involved have described the situation at Serenity Towers as desperate, with the city's legal teams working to relocate the building's 140 tenants. "Our heart goes out to them," attorney Will Gibbons told FOX13, expressing a determination to place the affected residents in better living conditions. Further complicating the situation, technicians have been reluctant to service the property, as past payments for their work have been neglected.
Carlissa Shaw, special counsel for the City of Memphis, outlined a more aggressive plan to transition residents, significantly aiming to shorten it below the one-year standard for such processes. "With the pressing issues at Serenity Towers, it is our belief that a year is not an appropriate timeline," Shaw articulated to the court, as noted by Local Memphis. Shaw indicated that the city would to actively seek to vacate the property within four months, using a receivership lien to cover costs, thus avoiding further strain on taxpayers.
Shaw assured the over 100 remaining residents at Serenity Towers that they will receive notices about upcoming changes and relocation options. Two-thirds will get HUD benefits to help them move, while Special Master Marcus Ward and the Memphis Division of Housing and Community Development will assist the rest with rehousing. Shaw emphasized the city's commitment to holding property owners accountable, especially when their mismanagement affects vulnerable people. The plan aims to address Millennia's mistakes and improve living conditions for residents.
