MEMPHIS, Tenn. — We have an update on living conditions at Memphis towers. Some tenants are breathing a sigh of relief after living in the heat and rodent-infested apartments.
Many of them have moved into recently renovated units in another part of the building.
Even though one side of the building has new kitchens and air conditioning now, many tenants do not have relief yet.
We spoke with some who are still frustrated that they have not been able to get the answers they need.
More than a month ago tenant Esther Williams was frustrated about her living conditions, but since then, she has moved into her newly renovated apartment at Memphis Towers and she now feels like she has regained control over her life.
"Baby it's a nightmare on Elm Street. The good way, because I felt like the whole world had ended. Now I'm living again like I have before. I'm comfortable, it's clean. No pests just feels great," Williams said.
She has a new perspective.
"One time, I would say, 'Do not, by all means, move to Memphis Towers,' but if it stays like this…it's comfortable. Come on,'" Williams said.
While these changes are a complete turnaround for Williams, others have found it a challenge to get better living conditions.
Despite the upcoming renovations that are expected to happen so all tenants can live comfortably, tenant Yvonne Collins said she would rather be homeless than stay there due to a lack of security, professionalism, and poor response to her maintenance requests.
"All the brown stuff is coming through that little bit of stuff they slapped on my wall. You still smell the mold and mildew coming out of my wall,” Collins said. “So yes, I put in a notice to vacate as of July 31st. I would rather move I a tent than to keep paying Millenia money."
RELATED: Memphis Towers tenants are fighting for better living conditions
There are three sides of the building. There is the C-side, which is fully renovated, and then sides A and B, which both need to be updated.
Currently, tenants who live on the A-side are the ones moving to the C-side, and once everyone from the A-side is fully moved out, builders will renovate that side so that those who are living in B can move into A, that way all tenants will soon be in renovated apartments.
Organizers with the Memphis Tenants Union organization, which fights for affordable housing, and aims to end evictions, have been helping the tenants fight for justice.
Alex Uhlmann said leaders still need to be held accountable.
"We've been reaching out to everyone from code enforcement to HUD. It's been months that we have been reaching out to these different leaders, these stop gaps that we think we should have for protecting folks, particularly elderly folks, disabled,” Uhlmann said. “Unfortunately we've seen a real lack of response from the government."
We also spoke with a Millenia Housing Management spokesperson who said renovations for the A-side are expected to be finished within the next several months.
And when it comes to security, the spokesperson said they are working on getting a key fob system installed for the main entrance door. We'll continue to follow this story as we receive more details.