Loreal Lindsey says her apartment at Viewpointe Village has turned into a long-running nightmare, with roaches and mold crawling along the bathroom walls and piling up under the sink. Over five years, she says she has filed dozens of maintenance requests that went nowhere. Lindsey, who uses a Housing Choice Voucher, told reporters that recurring colds and breathing problems have followed the repeated issues in her unit. After an annual inspection by the Detroit Housing Commission, her apartment was cited for problems with the sink, toilet, and shower, and she says the commission has now assigned a liaison to push for long-overdue repairs.
As reported by ClickOnDetroit, Lindsey shared a copy of the inspection report showing that the sink, toilet, and shower failed to meet required standards. “It’s unacceptable, very unacceptable for tenants to live like this,” she told the station. Lindsey said she has called the health department and repeatedly dialed the complex’s emergency maintenance line, but despite all that, she has not received meaningful repairs.
How inspections and repairs are supposed to work
The Detroit Housing Commission administers the local Housing Choice Voucher program and carries out annual inspections of units that receive voucher assistance, according to its website. Those inspections are designed to confirm that apartments meet basic habitability standards, and to flag whether any problems are caused by the owner or by the tenant so that repairs can be scheduled and tracked.
Health risks and program remedies
Public health research has long linked indoor mold and cockroach allergens to breathing troubles and worsened asthma, particularly for children and people with allergies, according to the CDC and peer-reviewed studies. Federal guidance under HUD’s NSPIRE inspection standards lays out strict timelines for fixing problems, with life-threatening deficiencies required to be addressed within 24 hours. HUD’s PIH Notice 2023-06 reminds public housing agencies that they can withhold or abate housing assistance payments when owners do not fix verified HQS violations, tools that are meant to pressure owners to deal with hazards when they otherwise drag their feet.
Lindsey told Local 4 she hopes the liaison assigned by the commission will finally get repairs moving so she does not have to file a lawsuit. The station reported that its own calls to the complex’s emergency maintenance line went unanswered after multiple attempts. The Detroit Housing Commission told the station it had assigned a liaison to help ensure the cited items are repaired, according to ClickOnDetroit.
The commission’s online materials explain how the voucher program works and what tenants can expect from the inspection process. Renters with similar problems can contact the Detroit Housing Commission or their local health department to report hazards and ask about inspection results and possible next steps. For now, Lindsey says she is waiting to see whether the liaison can secure the repairs she has been seeking for years before she decides on her next move.
