GRIFFIN, Ga. — At least 40 Spalding County families have now been forced out of their apartments because of poor housing conditions.
The City of Griffin staff inspected all 80 units of the Ava Park Apartments last Thursday. As a result of their findings, inspectors revoked the complex's certificate of occupancy for every building on the property.
The property owners, Millennia Housing Management, and HUD placed residents in temporary housing at a nearby hotel.
Clifford Hamilton started the petition, which got the ball rolling. He said it started with a leak, which he said the office was ignoring. In the end, a spokesperson for the City of Griffin said he got at least 30 signatures.
"I start talking to my neighbors. Come to find out, they had even worse problems than I had," Hamilton said.
He said it's especially difficult for older residents. Seeing their deplorable conditions brought him to tears.
"I broke down because we shouldn't have to live like this," Hamilton said.
Though Hamilton said he knew this was coming, he wasn't expecting the move-out to happen that same day as the inspection.
"They didn't give us time to do anything," Hamilton said.
Hamilton said staff cut off their utilities the same day, too. Many tenants were forced to move out with no air conditioning in 90-degree weather. Now, his neighbors are wondering what's next for them.
"Look at the families. They don't have nowhere to go," Hamilton said.
A representative for the City of Griffin said the city sent a letter to Millennia to clean up their act on July 12, calling the property a public nuisance. The city demanded a written notice with the owner's intent to make repairs. The property owners are required to submit plans to fix code violations. City staff showed up with the Griffin Housing Authority, Millenea, code enforcement, animal control, police, fire personnel, a drone pilot, contractors and mold experts.
"They brought a crime scene van out here, pulled stuff out of the office," Hamilton said. "That's when I knew this was [really] serious."
When you drive by Ava Park, many of the units are boarded up.
Cernadiya Richmond said she's lived at the complex for nearly 10 years. She said she's frustrated that the city has been sweeping this under the rug.
"Y'all are just now coming July 25 and telling us, 'Oh, this is not livable,' but we've been making complaints to y'all for years? So, they're basically just hiding their hands in all of this, too," Richmond said.
Richmond said she had to uproot her children while living in uncertainty. The hotel has a stay limit. She wants to know what happens when that's over.
"It ain't even about being comfortable. I guess, right now, it's about us having a roof over our heads for now, but it's not a long-term thing we can do," Richmond said.
Richmond said she's looking for updates on permanent housing. The city's spokesperson said that HUD and its owners are bound by federal law. They will be responsible for long-term housing plans.
In a statement, the spokesperson said: "The City will be filing a petition to abate the nuisance that these structures were deemed last week when the certificates of occupancy were revoked. It is up to the judge to decide whether the owner will be allowed to repair it or if it must be torn down."
11Alive contacted Millennia Housing Management for comment but has not received a response. Richmond said that families are going to come together with a class action lawsuit against the company.
"We're not letting up," Richmond said.