Families Displaced By Mold Search For Homes

October 10, 2002

More Than 150 People Ordered To Move

POSTED: 5:01 p.m. EDT October 9, 2002

UPDATED: 5:18 p.m. EDT October 9, 2002

ELSMERE, Del. -- The rent had already been paid for October, but more than

150 people have already be ordered to move out of the Fenwick Park

Apartments in Elsmere because of mold, sewer and other serious problems

plaguing the 39 building complex.

" Rough. It's rough, " tenant Steve said.

" I'm hurting. I'm hurting bad, " said another tenant, .

Tuesday NBC 10 talked with Steve and and their two children.

Their belongings were stuffed in plastic bags and boxes in the apartment

they were forced to leave. They spent Tuesday night in a temporary shelter

at the Corpus Christi Hall.

According to the shelter manager, Morrow, they took care of two

families Tuesday night for 10 people total. Morrow said that they expected

even more Wednesday night.

Severe floods ravaged the Fenwick Park Apartments in 1989. But instead of

repairing the basements, the apartment management just sealed them up.

Health officials said that toxic mold was allowed to spread throughout the

buildings over the years like wallpaper, forcing the Health Department to

order the residents to leave.

" They told us we had 48 hours to leave, " said tenant Edwin Cabrera.

Cabrera moved his family into a shelter Tuesday night and he returned to

work at Capritti's in Wilmington, Del., Wednesday morning to earn money for

a new apartment.

" (I) paid (my rent) on the third (and then) find out on the 8th I've got no

place to go, " Cabrera said.

The family is homeless too and they worry about daughter Jasmine, and

son :

" He's too young, is. But Jasmine realizes, she's 4-and-a-half (years

old). But she's smart enough to know we don't have a home, " said tenant

. " The shelter here is nice people. But I want a permanent home

for me and my family so I can start a new life. "

Previous Stories:

October 8, 2002: Fenwick Apartment Residents Forced Out By Mold

July 5, 2002: Do-It-Yourself Mold Testing

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