County housing office moves to end voucher contracts at troubled Manor Independent Living

Tarrant County's Housing Assistance Office plans to cancel its rent-assistance contracts at Manor Independent Living, a senior living building in Fort Worth, after concluding the owners have not made enough progress on repairs, the Fort Worth Report reported Friday.

Office director Wayne Pollard told the Report on Wednesday that the agency is terminating the contracts it holds on behalf of three military veterans who live there with housing vouchers. The federally funded vouchers help eligible tenants pay rent.

A 24-hour deadline

After inspecting the outside of the building, its shared spaces and the veterans' three apartments, the office notified ownership on Sept. 29 that it had 24 hours to fix 14 deficiencies classed as severe or life-threatening, according to the Report.

Among the problems listed: smoke detectors that were missing, wiring left exposed, damaged fire doors and exit signs on each floor, an elevator out of service, a front entrance that did not work properly, and an opening in a third-floor electrical room's ceiling that let in daylight.

The office also flagged more than 40 missing or damaged ceiling tiles and upward of 25 wall holes as nonemergency repairs.

Pollard said "life-threatening" is a term drawn from federal housing guidelines and can describe problems such as broken emergency doors or protruding nails, and that it does not necessarily mean a building is about to collapse.

Owner's response

The Report said the property owner, Endeavor Group Real Estate, did not reply to a request for comment. In a Sept. 25 email to the housing office, the company's property management said it was working through compliance items raised by Fort Worth Code Compliance and preparing an action plan.

Pollard told the Report terminations are uncommon; he recalled five or six other buildings in his two decades with the office. He said the agency tries to avoid them because tenants with vouchers can struggle to find new housing when deposits, credit or eviction history stand in the way.

The office's inspection email also noted that many Manor residents are disabled and could have trouble relocating. One of the three tenants, who served in the Army, told the Report he expects to move out by the end of the month.

The Report has covered conditions at the building since August, including unpaid utility bills that threatened residents' power and water service.

Sources

fortworthreport.org