Wilmington seniors claim squalid conditions at high-rise apartments

Why Should Delaware Care?
Affordable housing has been a persistent theme within the city of Wilmington with debates over subsidies for developers and rent stabilization. Now a different fight is also emerging at some of the few affordable apartments available for the city’s seniors, with some saying their publicly supported homes are falling short of basic living standards. 

For the past week, residents of a Wilmington apartment for seniors have publicly called on their building’s management to fix what they say are horrible living conditions that have persisted for the past year.

At a protest last Friday and during subsequent news interviews, the older residents have said their homes within the Windsor Apartments — a 14-story high-rise that offers low-income units — have lacked consistent hot water for about a month. 

They also said that the Walnut Street building has been infested with bed bugs, cockroaches, and mice for several months.

“We’re tired of paying our rent and living like this. They don’t want to do anything,” resident Jane Morrow said. 

The residents say they will take their grievances to the Wilmington City Council, which has scheduled a discussion of “ongoing issues impacting seniors in high-rises” for its council meeting on Wednesday. 

Wilmington City Council President Ernest “Trippi” Congo told Spotlight Delaware that the elected body had been planning the meeting for the past three weeks after hearing years of similar concerns about other publicly supported apartments in the city, separate from Windsor. 

He said the council had hosted meetings before to discuss such problems, but Wednesday’s will be the first that will include the Wilmington Police Department, the city’s Department of Licenses and Inspections, and the Wilmington Housing Authority. 

Windsor Apartments is owned and operated by Arbor Management LLC, which is an affiliate of Leon N. Weiner & Associates (LNWA), a Delaware-based affordable housing developer. 

The 169-unit apartment complex offers efficiency and one-bedroom apartments to seniors. According to the company’s website, the building operates under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Section-8 and Low Income Housing Tax Credit programs. 

Neither officials from Arbor nor LNWA responded to requests to comment for this story. 

Claims of poor repairs  

Beyond complaints about hot water and pests, Windsor Apartments residents also pointed to what they described as poor and incomplete repairs. 

Michelle Webster, who’s lived in the complex for the past three years, said mold has built up in her bathtub lining, and water damage has spread across her ceiling from flooding that came from the floor above. She asked for the issues to be fixed months ago, but they have gone untreated, she said.

Spotlight Delaware also visited Webster’s apartment and saw mold in the bathroom, damage to the ceiling, and rotten wood on the cabinets. 

The water from her faucet was hot during the visit. 

Webster and other residents say the hot water in the building has been periodically turning off, then back on. 

In response, Webster and two other residents said they intend to withhold their rent, and instead place it into Wilmington’s newly established rent escrow account. 

Passed last December after its introduction by Councilwoman Yolanda McCoy, the rent escrow gives renters a city-managed account to hold their withheld rent when a landlord fails to provide basic amenities, such as hot water, heat, or electricity.

Under Delaware Law, tenants can withhold two-thirds of their daily rent if their landlord does not provide such vital items. 

Caroline Klinger, spokeswoman for Mayor John Carney, told Spotlight that the city is aware of residents’ concerns after receiving complaints in recent months about a lack of hot water, ceiling leaks and bugs. 

City inspectors cited the property and worked with management and contractors to address the issues, she said. 

She also said officials continue to evaluate the situation, and the Department of Licenses and Inspections will conduct a full inspection of the Windsor Apartments building later this month.

‘Shut ’em down’

Morrow and Webster were among more than a dozen residents who staged a protest on Friday in front of the Windsor Apartments to express their frustration with the conditions.

Wilmington police blocked off Walnut Street from traffic as residents and supporters took to the streets, chanting “Shut ’em down!” and “We matter!” drawing attention to the conditions inside.

Also attending the protest was Wilmington City Councilwoman Michelle Harlee, who represents the area. There, she encouraged residents to express their concerns at Wednesday’s city council meeting. She made the suggestion before Congo officially announced that the council would discuss the issues. 

The demonstration was organized by Michelle Booker, a political candidate running to represent the 2nd District in the state legislature, and her husband, Mahkieb Booker, a community advocate.

Michelle Booker said she decided to organize the protest after knocking on residents’ doors as part of her campaigning and hearing resident concerns.

“I wouldn’t want nobody to treat my family like that. We got people in here on oxygen and all kinds of stuff,” Michelle Booker said.

Booker’s primary election opponent, state Rep. Stephanie Bolden (D-Wilmington), said she regularly hosts events at Wilmington’s senior housing facilities, including the Windsor Apartments. She said residents have not raised concerns with her. 

She also said the issue is primarily a matter for local government rather than the state legislature, asserting that there are state-level issues lawmakers need to focus on. 

She also suggested that Booker was highlighting the issue for political gain. 

“Everybody has the right to run [for office], but all I can say is run, get your information, and run for the right reasons, and don’t use people’s tragedies or their concerns,” Bolden said.