Tenant caught in bureaucratic limbo as HUD relocation assistance revoked

ATLANTA - Relocation efforts for at least one tenant at the Fairburn-Gordon apartment complex have hit a snag. Nicole Holt's housing voucher and relocation assistance have been pulled. 

Following numerous housing code violations found at the southwest Atlanta apartment, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development removed federal funding for the complex and cleared the way for tenants to be relocated if they continued to live on the property. 

A seven-year tenant, Holt, says she watched conditions deteriorate and temporarily moved her family of four children from the apartment in the fall. 

"My kids were playing in the room, how kids do, and my son fell out the window," recalled Holt. 

She says the shoddy windows, something she had complained about, were to blame. 

"How was I supposed to live there with my kids?" said Holt. "No water, the stove stopped working." 

She stayed with friends, waited for repairs, paid her rent and claimed she never abandoned the apartment. 

"Because I still have the key," stated Holt. "Even though I wasn't living there. It was still my unit and still wanted to check on it." 

When HUD announced the tenant relocation program, the agency moved her family to a College Park hotel. Two weeks ago, HUD did an about-face and claimed she vacated her apartment.  

Vacating the apartment disqualifies tenants from receiving a HUD voucher and relocation assistance. 

"What rules didn't I follow? I paid my rent," exclaimed Holt. 

Partnership for Southern Equity has been working with tenants since the city of Atlanta sued the landlords, A & B Apartments, LLC. in an attempt to force repairs at the complex. It sent a letter to HUD two weeks ago in an effort to reverse the decision. 

"It's a travesty to be truthfully honest," said Sterling Johnson, director of Just Opportunity at the Partnership for Southern Equity. "To come back and penalize her when you, yourself, have already determined that this is not reflective of what we (HUD) want to be affiliated with is just a travesty." 

Holt maintains she must do what's best for her family. 

"I'm fighting for my kids," implored Holt.