HOUSTON – Calvin Fields pushed garbage out of his way as he walked under a breezeway to get to his apartment at Crestmont Village. Along the way, he pointed to abandoned buildings while telling war stories of his experience at the complex.
"We had a flood next door," he said while showing off an apartment recently abandoned by squatters. It's the apartment next to his. Flooding from there rushed water into his apartment. Inside, he showed off what appeared to be a rotted kitchen sink.
"They painted over this," Fields said, noting that the paint had worn off. "This down here," referring to the space under the sink, "rotted out," he continued.
Fields is among dozens of residents forced to live in blight after the complex's owner seemingly abandoned ship, according to city leaders. Houston Mayor Annise Parker called the owners "slum lords."
A judge last week appointed Gerald Womack, a Houston-based realtor, as receiver of the site. That means he oversees day-to-day operations after the city took control of the complex.
Womack opened the office door Tuesday. Residents tell KPRC2 that it was the first time that someone has occupied the office since the city took control.
"They are in a very bad condition," Womack said.
"Their conditions are such they were paying their rent including their utilities and they work every day. And they have no funds to be able to move," Womack continued.
Womack said he is in the process of getting vouchers for residents to move. That's tricky because he says not all of the residents who live there do so legally. Some, Womack said, are squatters.
Still, there appeared to be signs that help was on the way Tuesday. Representatives from VA Hospital were at the site compiling a list of residents who are military veterans. They could qualify for new housing.
An inspector from Houston Police Department's Environmental Investigation Unit was also present.
According to a notice filed Tuesday, an inspector cited the building's landlord for water pollution, a felony offense with fines up to $100,000 per day. The inspector told KPRC2 that the complex's owners, Abraham and Denise Vaknin, could be charged in the coming days.
According to the Mayor's Office, the Vaknin's live in Florida.
Residents complain of a botched sewage system, with raw sewage threatening air quality and possibly water.
Womack said he is aware of the task at hand, noting his goal is to get new housing for residents who qualify.
"We are on a fast track. We want to get all those in need to be helped, helped. Those who don't, we are going to working with the constables office to get them moving out," Womack said.
There was cleanup going on at the complex, including garbage pickup along what appeared heavily littered common spaces. Residents acknowledged the clean-up, but said nothing would be enough to repair damages at the blighted complex. They said the building is a lost cause and should be condemned.
Calvin Fields felt the same.
"This place needs to be condemned," he said.
Gerald Womack said that's a likely conclusion he will reach. He told KPRC2 that he plans to submit a recommendation to county officials that Crestmont Village be condemned.