PASADENA, Texas – If broken mailboxes at the Pointe Apartments complex in Pasadena weren’t bad enough, residents came to KPRC 2′s Deven Clarke complaining about problems beyond the mailboxes.
This time, about unlivable conditions including pest infestations, no hot water, and huge piles of trash, just to name a few.
“We barely don’t got… hot water… we literally have to go to the sink and get like a real bowl… we have to boil it,” one resident said.
Residents say the list goes on, and on.
“It’s gotten very worse, like two and a half years,” said Aileen Arellano. “Like a year and a half no hot water,” she said.
After 20 years of living there, Arellano says she has had enough and is moving out tomorrow.
Low water pressure and rodents are said to be some of the other problems.
“There’s a very bad rat infestation in these apartments,” Arellano said.
Residents say there is also black mold. The problem is so bad, that Jennifer Bastida already moved out.
“I’d say there’s like mold growing on the top wall of my mom’s room actually,” Bastida said.
Plus, huge piles of trash outside and vacant yet unsecured apartments. Clarke marched straight to the leasing office demanding answers but was told to return the next day.
When asked to speak to the manager who seemed to be in her office, someone in that office closed the blinds. Clarke was told no manager was present and couldn’t get a name when we asked. Then, the leasing agent kicked him out.
After no help there, Clarke took it one step further and went to Pasadena City Hall to sit down with District G Councilman Ornaldo Ybarra who is promising changes.
“Working with other city departments that’s going to really… one, we’re going to make them try to come into compliance and address the issues. If not, we’re going to move forward with the process to shut that complex down,” Ybarra said.
Ybarra says he has a meeting with the city’s health department on Friday where he plans to bring these issues up. He’s urging residents with similar problems to contact the Pasadena Health Department themselves at 713-475-5529.
Pasadena tenants with such issues can also contact the city’s Action Line at 713-475-5555.
As far as the Pointe Apartments are concerned, Ybarra says we can expect to see some major changes within the next month or so.