Displaced Glorieta Gardens residents in Opa-locka treated to holiday feast, awaiting repairs
MIAMI - Thanksgiving came two days early for Rudolph Colebrook and a handful of other displaced residents of the troubled Glorieta Gardens apartment community in Opa-locka.
The management company invited them to a Thanksgiving feast complete with all the trimmings.
"It's a chance for everyone to get together," said Colebrook.
Still, he said he's having g a difficult time adjusting to his temporary housing.
"We are further from my daughter's school. And we are cramped."
Colebrook and over 50 other families were forced to move out of one of the apartment buildings that's now under repair.
"There was water coming in," he says of his unit.
Trina Grady, who is regional manager for the company overseeing Glorieta Gardens, says the event wasn't an apology.
"It's a get-together for people who are off property."
Grady says they are getting permits to work on the problems and while there is no timeline for finishing the work, a spokesman said the latest residents would be back to their units is May 2024.
Problems of mold, sewage, plumbing, flooding, rats and snakes have longed plagued Glorieta Gardens.
It is federally funded through the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
When contacted Tuesday, a spokesperson released the following statements:
"The priority for HUD is to ensure displaced Glorieta Gardens residents return to homes that are safe and sanitary. We continue working with the property owner as they address needed repairs, and we are coordinating with officials from the City of Opa-Locka on approval of City permits as work advances in stages."
"While HUD cannot provide an actual date of when relocated residents will be back in their homes, renovations are underway, including better maintenance of plumbing and pest control issues for tenants onsite. We continue closely monitoring the situation; plumbing work orders are being addressed promptly, and weekly pest control services are provided by a licensed pest control company. This work has continued alongside the response to recent flooding in the area."