Dozens of elderly and disabled residents at Merrill Park Apartments on North 33rd Street in Milwaukee say they have gone days without running tap water or working toilets. The outage, which residents report started Sunday morning, has left people who rely on oxygen and other in-home medical devices scrambling just to meet basic needs.
Milwaukee Water Works and the city's Department of Public Works were on site Monday and determined there is a leak under the building. Crews, however, had not given residents any timetable for repairs. Tenants told reporters they got little advance notice, and that the short-term help so far has amounted to a single bottle of water and permission to use the bathroom in one vacant apartment, as reported by TMJ4.
Corey Love, who lives at Merrill Park, told TMJ4, "We don't treat animals or prisoners like this," adding that many of his neighbors cannot leave the building without assistance. Another tenant, Michael Mays, said he has been "eating ice" after bottled water ran out, while residents throughout the high-rise described being unable to wash or flush their toilets. Together, those accounts make the outage a clear and immediate health concern for some of the city's most vulnerable renters.
HACM Oversight and Building Profile
Merrill Park is owned and operated by the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee. In its facility listing, HACM notes that the high-rise is designated for elderly and disabled residents and that utilities are included in the rent, per HACM.
Maintenance Backlog and Who Fixes What
HACM's Rental Assistance Demonstration materials report that its backlog of non-emergency property maintenance needs has been assessed at more than $198 million, a figure that highlights long-running pressure on the agency's repair budget. Work on underground leaks is handled by Milwaukee Water Works and the city's Department of Public Works, which urges residents to report water issues through the city's 286-CITY phone line or the Click4Action online portal, according to HACM's RAD materials and reporting guidance from CBS58.
Tenants and advocates say the Merrill Park outage lays bare ongoing maintenance problems in local public housing and are pressing HACM and city crews for faster repairs and clearer communication. This story will be updated if HACM or city officials release a repair timeline or additional details.
