CINCINNATI — Dozens of Avondale residents are spending the Thanksgiving holiday away from home after they were displaced from their apartment building earlier this month.
It’s been almost three weeks since 91 residents were told to vacate the building, which is located at 3700 Reading Road, after a burst pipe knocked out power.
Residents were hoping to return last week, but the return has now been delayed until at least mid-January. The building lost power on Nov. 4.
“I don’t like it, but there’s nothing I can do about it,” said resident Cathy Walker.
Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) has placed residents in hotels in Sharonville, about 11 miles away from the property.
“That is a huge inconvenience for people who live over in that area,” said Stephanie Kinley, another resident. “There are doctor's appointments, there are important things that they need to get over in that area.”
A representative for CMHA said the delay is due to a required inspection that must be conducted by an out-of-state company. The company has set the date for the inspection during the week of Jan. 15, 2024.
Residents will not be able to move back home until after that inspection is complete, according to the representative.
“If I was at home I was going to fix me a little Thanksgiving dinner, you know, fix me some Cornish ham,” Walker said. “But I’m not there to fix that.”
“They have some sort of dinner planned, but never can replace being in your own home,” Kinley said.
Residents told WCPO 9 they want to be “made whole” after this experience. CMHA has provided the hotel rooms, meals and some money, but residents told WCPO 9 it hasn’t been enough.
“All of us are either elderly or disabled, and we just expect a lot better treatment,” Kinley said.
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