Weeks of Cold Showers At HUD Housing Complex, Problem Said To Be Fixed
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (CBS4) - Residents demanded answers after weeks of cold showers at their subsidized housing community in Commerce City and now officials say that the problem has been fixed.
The Holly Park Apartments, a property of the nonprofit organization Mercy Housing, are home to low-income families in 168 units.
Residents said that having no hot water was the latest of ongoing problems at the HUD-funded complex.
Families living in multiple apartment buildings said that they had gone more than a month without hot water, including some who were too scared to go on camera for fear of losing their affordable housing.
"I've got two little grandkids, and I'm not going to let them go through this anymore," said one family member.
Some parents had resorted to boiling water in order to bathe their children.
"I let them go to my house a couple times to take showers, but they can't keep doing this," a relative said.
"It's really hard," another resident told CBS4's Melissa Garcia.
The resident said that she pays around $400 rent per month for herself and her disabled brother to live in their unit.
"I pay my rent on time (and) my public service," the resident said. "And (not having hot water is) not right. They need to get something done."
Residents said that they had been unable to get answers from apartment management as to why the water runs cold.
On Friday, a spokesperson for the complex said that the problem had been fixed by 7 p.m.
"As of 7 p.m. tonight, all buildings have heat and hot water. Our maintenance team will continue to monitor the community through the night and moving forward to ensure our residents are taken care of," spokesperson Kate Peterson said in a statement to CBS4.
Peterson said that heating and water temperature and pressure issues had gone on intermittently for two to three weeks. She said the problems had been caused by a variety of HVAC issues in more than one building at the complex.
Melissa Garcia has been reporting for CBS4 News since March 2014. Find her bio here, follow her on Twitter @MelissaGarciaTV, or send your story idea to mkgarcia@cbs.com.
