HOUSTON – Residents at Cullen Park Apartments gathered for a tense meeting with management Thursday, demanding answers about conditions they say have gone unaddressed for years.
Video we received from inside the meeting shows tenants sitting across from management, describing mold, pests, and long-delayed repairs.
Many appeared frustrated as they detailed the conditions inside their homes.
Councilmember Carolyn Evans-Shabazz was briefly stopped at the door and told she could not enter until she confirmed she was expected. KPRC 2 was also not allowed inside at first. After identifying ourselves, we continued reporting from the complex and speaking to residents.
‘More than 30 work orders’
One resident, who has lived at the complex for five years, says she has filed more than 30 maintenance requests with little to no results. She invited KPRC 2 inside her apartment to show the damage.
“I’ve asked them to fix countless things like my dishwasher, for example, that’s full of mold,” she said. “They have not fixed anything…I was told three years ago it needed to be replaced. Ever since then, it was not replaced.”
As she walked through her home, she pointed to a hole in her front door caused during a past maintenance visit. She says a worker once referred to it as a “doggie door.”
“It’s not a doggie door,” she said. “It’s a hole in my door… and nobody’s ever fixed it. Two, three years.”
Ceiling damage, pests, and fear for her children
She also showed us a hole in her ceiling that she says has been there for about a year and a half, as well as water damage and a bathroom fan that makes a screeching noise when turned on.
“I’m pretty sure they have a bunch of files of me reporting… it hurts me because I have kids and I don’t want them to get infested by all this,” she said. “I have a little seven-month-old baby.”
While she says she has not seen rats in her unit, she worries they could make their way upstairs.
“I am kind of afraid about that as well… for now I’m safe, but anything like mold and all that, yes, I am dealing with.”
Taking a toll
The mother says the stress has affected her mental health.
“It really does hurt to the point I don’t know what… I’d rather stay in the shelter than to be here," she said.
When asked what she wants after today’s meeting, she answered, “I want things to be fixed when the time is needed… I want it livable, happy, understanding. We do need a little help.”
Management response
After the meeting, KPRC 2 spoke off camera with an attorney representing the property. He declined to comment on specifics but said the team is working to “get things settled” with tenants.
KPRC 2 will continue following this story and will update if management provides an official statement.
