Bitter cold is coming. Veterans and disabled tenants at this public housing complex using ovens, space heaters to keep warm.
Mike De Sisti/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Mike De Sisti/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Bitter cold is coming. Veterans and disabled tenants at this public housing complex using ovens, space heaters to keep warm.
Housing authority officials knew of a 'systemic problem' with the HVAC for years, but they believe it's been resolved.
Genevieve Redsten, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
January 12, 2024
With sub-zero temperatures looming this weekend, residents of Victory Manor are using space heaters and ovens to stay warm.
Tenants living at the affordable apartment building — which is home to veterans, seniors and people with disabilities — say the heat and air conditioning have been unreliable since the building opened in 2019.
Victory Manor resident Nathaniel Banks, 70 said he's resorted to heating his apartment with his oven. Overnight, after he shuts the oven off, the apartment gets so cold that "you have to get covered and dress like you're outside," he said.
Banks said he wakes up at around 5 a.m. to turn on the oven back on.
Housing authority knew about 'systemic' HVAC problem for years
Victory Manor, a 60-unit apartment building off 68th Street and Silver Spring Drive, is managed by the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM).
The housing authority also oversaw Victory Manor's construction, through its real estate development arm Travaux. The HVAC system was installed by a contractor.
Housing authority officials have known about problems with Victory Manor's HVAC system for years, according to a discussion Thursday at Travaux's monthly board meeting.
"When we installed the [HVAC] system — back in 2017, 2018 — we realized very shortly [after] that there was a problem. There was a systemic problem," Warren Jones, vice president of construction for Travaux, told the board.
Jones added, however, that he believes those systemic issues were finally resolved last year. He blamed recent problems on residents cranking up the heat — or running ovens and space heaters — and overwhelming the central HVAC system.
It's unclear whether the housing authority knew about the HVAC problems before residents moved in. The Journal Sentinel asked a HACM spokesperson but did not hear back before publication.
Long-standing complaints from tenants
Tenants have been complaining about the heating and air conditioning since the building opened. Since 2019, the housing authority has logged hundreds of HVAC-related work orders from Victory Manor.
The heat in Banks's apartment has been broken since he first moved in 3.5 years ago, he said. Banks said maintenance staff told him the problem in his apartment couldn't be fixed because it's a building-wide defect.
im Green, 58, said maintenance staff told her the building's HVAC system was improperly installed, after she reported problems with her apartment's air conditioning unit, which she said has been broken since she moved in about four years ago.
City officials now investigating after complaints ramped up
Victory Manor is now on the radar of city officials, after tenants went public with their concerns this week in interviews with WTMJ-TV (Channel 4). City building inspectors visited the building Thursday morning to investigate.
Building inspectors measured the temperature of several units inside Victory Manor Thursday. None measured below 68 degrees, though the temperature may have been affected by space heaters and ovens.
"We think that an HVAC engineer needs to come and inspect the system in order to get to the root of the problem," said Jennifer O'Hear, executive director of Common Ground, a local nonprofit that has been campaigning for more oversight of HACM.
Common Ground launched its campaign in March, after hearing complaints from housing authority tenants about building conditions and management. The group says hazardous conditions are rampant inside HACM properties.
Housing authority supplying tenants with space heaters
In a statement Wednesday, a HACM spokesperson said technicians responded to recent reports of broken heat.
"In the rare event that the temperature in a resident’s apartment falls below the minimum HUD-required level of 68 degrees, the resident is provided with an electric heater until the issue is fixed," the statement added.
Some residents said they've been managing the problem on their own for years.
Green said she was scolded by Victory Manor property managers for using an unauthorized space heater in her apartment. Now, she uses her oven to heat up her apartment. Mindful of the risk that poses, she shuts her oven off as soon as her apartment is warm enough, she said.
"That's dangerous," Green said, adding, "But, my God, you've got to stay warm somehow."
Victory Manor is part of Westlawn Gardens, an award-winning, affordable housing development on the northwest side, which has undergone a years-long transformation, supported by tens of millions in federal funds.
When Green moved into Victory Manor about four years ago, she had high expectations for the brand new building. Quickly, though, she noticed problems, she said: broken heat, a leaking toilet and a broken patio door lock.
It's been difficult to get those problems fixed, Green said. Two cabinet doors in her kitchen have been broken for over a year, she said.
"Just because we're on government assistance doesn't mean they should treat us this way," she said. "It's not fair."
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