The Minneapolis NAACP and other Minneapolis leaders are putting pressure on the city’s public housing authority over deteriorating conditions at a housing development.
City officials say 200 units of housing at Heritage Park in north Minneapolis are vacant and plagued by roof leaks, mold and exposed wiring.
Heritage Park resident Eddie Robinson, 75, said he’s had to deal with rodents, a leaky hot water heater, mold and other maintenance problems.
“The doors don't seal properly, the front or back door, because you can see light coming in and out,” he said.
NAACP vice president Thomas Berry said the head of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority Abdi Warsame should either resign or be fired.
“We further asked for a full and immediate inspection of all public housing units in Minneapolis, a comprehensive review of maintenance records, an independent investigation into how this level of neglect was able to happen, including any other failures of oversight across the entire Minneapolis public housing system, all properties must be brought up to a true Minneapolis standard, and nothing less,” he said.
Heritage Park is a mixed-income development that was built more than 20 years ago to replace a public housing complex that was torn down. The NAACP was part of the 1992 housing segregation lawsuit, which led to the consent decree responsible for the creation of Heritage Park.
In a statement, an MPHA spokesperson said the agency does not “own, control or operate” units at Heritage Park. It does own the land. Last year, the court appointed a third-party receiver to take over for the original owner of the property, St. Louis-based developer McCormack Baron Salazar.
On Thursday, the Minneapolis City Council requested the City Auditor undertake an independent audit of the MPHA’s use of city funds. Council member Pearll Warren, who represents the neighborhood where Heritage Park is located, called for the audit.
“This request is not about assigning blame, it's about accountability and transparency, and ensuring that residents receive the safe and dignified housing that they were promised,” said Warren. “So, when public dollars are invested in a community, the community deserves to know what happened, what worked, what didn't work, and what must be done differently moving forward.”
MPHA officials say they are committed to taking care of the people who live at Heritage Park. And they say they will work with local stakeholders and the receiver to invest “millions in repairs.” That includes working with council member Warren.
“We look forward to continuing to work with the council member and her colleagues at the city to identify a long-term solution at Heritage Park.”
MPR reporter Cari Spencer contributed to this story.
