Residents of condemned Lowry Apartments forced out of emergency housing
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Dozens are spending their New Year's Eve looking for a new place to live.
Lowry Apartments was condemned in December. Now, residents are getting forced out of emergency housing.
This summer, WCCO captured images of inside St. Paul's Lowry Apartments. The problems were allegedly supposed to get fixed, but now residents are being told they can't come back.
"Right now, we don't have anywhere to go," said Lowry resident Nelson Hill.
Needles, roaches and human feces, are just a few of the things people have lived through at Lowry Apartments. After years of problems, residents were forced out in December and into emergency temporary hotels.
"It's very stressful, I'm emotionally stressed. I haven't been able to rest good. I'm very sick. I have diabetes and high blood pressure," said Hill.
On Friday, Hill was told he would have to leave his temporary home at Emerald Inn, roughly a week earlier than expected. The tenancy termination notice he received Friday also told him and all other Lowry residents that they had to be out of their hotels in just three days, and that they would not be returning to Lowry Apartments.
Hill said he was originally told residents could return to the Lowry once poor conditions were fixed.
"No warning, no explanation or anything," said Hill.
Now, on New Years Eve, Hill said he has nowhere to go. The termination notice came from a community manager with the current apartment operators, Halverson and Blasier Group. The community manager from the company told WCCO she could not answer any questions.
A city of St. Paul's spokesperson said that ". . . all tenants have received shelter, either through the Saint Paul Opportunity Center or alternative housing of their choice." The city also said the county has people ready to help people find housing if they reach out.
"They did say they were going to help us out, but that's not true," said Hill, in regard to help from the city.
Hill said he is still looking for help, as he hopes for compensation from the city for pain, suffering and discomfort.
"I'm just hoping for someone . . . steps in, and says 'hey, this shouldn't be happening,'" said Hill.
