MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Officials with the Serenity Towers apartment complex were back in Shelby County Environmental Court Tuesday for ongoing issues - this time, broken elevators.
The group managing the problematic University of Memphis area apartment complex are facing yet another fine. A Shelby County judge fined the complex to the tune of $4,000; $1,000 for the air conditioning not fully working and $3,000 for the non-working elevators.
Management must have elevators fixed by the end of Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023, or move their most "at risk" residents to a hotel or a lower floor.
For those living in Serenity Towers, they said they've experienced everything but peace of mind.
“They don’t never keep nothing fixed here; fix it one day and out the next day," one resident told ABC24.
Some frustrated residents, some who requested anonymity for fear of being evicted, said it’s the same old cycle.
“I’ve been here ever since 2011 [and] I’ve always spoke my voice, but nothing never been done," another resident told ABC24. “First we didn’t have hot water, air conditioning, or elevators. I was having to walk up and down so many flights. I’m going to say eight flights of stairs."
Serenity Towers, a subsidized home for seniors on Highland, is managed by Ohio-based Millennia Housing Management. It was fined $5,000 after code enforcement released findings that many units had mold, bed bugs, and lacked a/c, among other infractions.
For those living here and their advocates alike, the common denominator is the management company and the system they said isn’t holding the landlords accountable.
“They haven’t had their tax breaks taken away from them and we’re going to continue to advocate for that," Alex Uhlmann an organizer with the Memphis Tenants Union said.
There will be a status report Wednesday on the elevators. If they aren't working, they have to come back in person, and if they are working, they have to let the judge know.
State Rep. G.A. Hardaway who launched an investigation into the property back in August, released a statement to ABC24 saying;
"Serenity Towers' sad, miserable, and deadly saga, must be resolved, ASAP in favor of safe, secure, and sanitary housing for the much beleaguered, mostly elderly, residents.
The conditions at the Serenity Towers community are representative of the failed public policies by local, state, and federal elected officials to create and preserve an adequate supply of affordable housing stock in Memphis, Shelby County, and Tennessee.
Assessor Burgess and I are determined to facilitate short-term and long-term favorable outcomes by working through the offices of the Shelby County Assessor of Property, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, HUD, THDA, the civil and criminal justice systems and affordable housing experts in the private sector, among others.
Our primary concern is to establish reliable partnerships and protocols to address emergency management at Serenity Towers.
We recognize that the fastest path to an immediate short-term solution may very well include a court-ordered receivership.
We could support a thoughtful and well-executed action by the courts, that prioritizes the immediate needs of the Serenity Towers community. No more excuses!"