FAIRVIEW, Tenn. (WTVF) — Rats are getting in through uncovered crawl space vents. A hole in the floor drops straight down to the crawl space below. Mold is being painted over instead of treated. And a federally required housing inspection has already failed.
These are the conditions residents at Parc Fairview say they are living in — conditions they say have gone unresolved despite state and federal tax dollars helping to cover their rent.
"We're seeing more and more in here," said Jamia Dickerson, describing the rodent problem.
Dickerson says earlier this year, patched vinyl flooring split open. Now a hole in the floor opens straight down to the crawl space.
"We call it walking the plank — you've got to go straight through," she said.
She lives at Parc Fairview with her children, and with a grandchild on the way, she says the conditions feel even more urgent.
"I need help. That's what I need. Because I feel helpless," Dickerson said.
Along the foundation of her building, we found nearly every opening to the crawl space uncovered. Some of the vents were just lying on the ground.
Cassandra Alderson, who lives a few buildings over, says constant staff turnover makes it nearly impossible to get repairs done.
"Every time I turn around, they're changing. I never know who's who," Alderson said.
State and federal tax dollars help cover rent for Alderson and her three kids through Section 8. But inspection records she shared show her apartment recently failed a federally required housing inspection — meaning tax dollars are flowing into properties where residents say serious problems remain unresolved.
"They came out and took some white spray and spray-painted the bathtub and around the bottom of the wall where the mold was," Alderson said.
Her housing voucher and the landlord's guaranteed payments are now at risk as a result of the failed inspection.
Nearby complex was flagged three years ago — but problems returned
Three years ago, I reported on equally shocking conditions at Roundtree Manor Apartments, located directly next door to Parc Fairview. My investigation caught the state's attention and prompted sweeping electrical and structural upgrades at the complex.
But my follow-up visit this week turned up appalling conditions.
Lacy Sullivan said her upstairs neighbor has had a leaky faucet for more than a month, causing her ceiling to cave in on Wednesday. Now, she says she's forced to bleach her floors to keep mold from spreading.
"It was like a band-aid. They did their part while they were in the public eye, and then they disappeared again," Sullivan said about what has and hasn't happened since my reporting in 2023.
There was no one in the leasing office at Roundtree Manor during the visit. Staff at Parc Fairview said they did not have the authority to answer questions.
Both landlords accept government rental assistance backed by taxpayers. NewsChannel 5 has reached out to both corporate offices and Fairview Codes to find out why safe housing conditions are not being maintained.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
