HARTFORD – Residents in a Hartford low-income housing project are finally being heard after years of organizing and speaking out against their poor living conditions.
According to tenants residing at the Infill Apartments, building proprietor Eli Fish has allegedly ignored maintenance requests for years, leaving them to deal with faulty plumbing, mold and mildew buildup, broken windows and an abundance of pests including rats and roaches.
After an outpouring of frustrations, residents at Infill awoke Friday morning to letters received from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. In a decidedly rare move by federal officials, they notified them they'd be terminating their contract with the landlord, as well as offering the residents housing vouchers for a new HUD property, free of charge.
Just recently, residents from the Clay Arsenal Renaissance Apartments, another federally subsidized property in Hartford, found similar success after advocates pushed for officials to void ex-landlord Emmanuel Ku's contract, rescinding his million-dollar tax abatement.
Although residents are undoubtedly relieved to be moving away from Infill, it won't be an overnight process. A meeting to discuss relocation efforts has yet to be arranged, although HUD has ordered one to be arranged within 60 to 90 days of the initial letter.
Rep. John Larsen, Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Sen. Chris Murphy also sent a letter to HUD Secretary Ben Carson containing detailed questions on Infill residents' futures and how HUD will be dealing with the poor living conditions of section eight housing in the future.