Atrocious.
That’s the first word that came to my mind as I walked into an older lady’s residence at Timber Ridge Apartments Tuesday. Earlier that day, the fire and health departments were on hand to make sure that all tenants of the Eastside apartment complex had vacated the premises. The reason: the complex didn’t meet numerous health codes and was considered condemned and inadequate to live in.
As I entered the main entrance of the woman’s building, I was taken aback by the profound smell. If there were words to describe the scent, I’d have no problem sharing them with you, but words can’t describe the smell. Once I entered her actual apartment, the smell muted a bit, but the walls and ceilings were covered with stains from apparent water damage. In addition, there were floorboards that weren’t securely fastened. As a matter of fact, the 63-year-old woman who had an obvious limp as she walked said she’d stumbled on the elevated board one evening and fell. That was three months ago, and although she complained repeatedly, the floor was never fixed.
As you’ll read on page A1, most of the apartments were uninhabitable…they reeked of ghastly smells, were filled with mold, and were riddled with drug use and prostitution. The conditions that tenants were subjected to were dehumanizing to say the least. As I looked in the apartment building and drove throughout the complex, my mind went to the images I saw of many New Orleans neighborhoods after Hurricane Katrina. The primary difference however, was that the Louisiana neighborhoods looked like that after a major natural disaster. Timber Ridge Apartments bore the same striking look because of neglect.
I struggle to understand why an individual or company would be OK with treating people so disrespectfully.
No one should have to live like Timber Ridge residents did, particularly not senior citizens who have poor health and limited income.
An especially disappointing element to the inadequate housing that some Indiana residents are subjected to is that some elected officials seem to be completely oblivious to the reality of the situation. Take City-County Council member Christine Scales, who represents the area where Timber Ridge Apartments (as well as the Phoenix Apartments that were recently condemned) are located. When Scales spoke with a Recorder writer she alluded that some of the residents were satisfied with the living conditions. What Scales fails to understand is that no one would be satisfied with living that way, it’s just that they probably don’t have any other alternatives, so rather than be on the streets, they’d live in squalor in a dilapidated complex that provided a semblance of shelter.
Mayor Greg Ballard is another person who should be ashamed of his response, or lack thereof to this horrific and complex issue. Perhaps instead of focusing on doing away with city parks, he should hone-in on slum landlords that own property in Indianapolis, but are based outside of the state. This city expects more from our mayor and other elected officials…it’s now time for them to stand up and not only be held accountable, but also offer some tangible solutions to addressing this problem.
Any human being with an ounce of a conscience should be outraged by the way these people lived. It was absolutely deplorable.
In addition, individual tenants need to assume a level of responsibility too. There’s no reason the entryway of an apartment complex should reek of urine and feces. People need to take pride in themselves as well as the areas in which they reside. While one may be renting a house or apartment, they should still treat it as if it’s something they own. Again, there’s no excuse for the owners and property managers of Timber Ridge Apartments to not have fixed exposed ceilings, water damage, mold, and unleveled floors; but some residents are responsible for the demise of the complex by littering and being involved in activities such as drug sales and prostitution.
