MACON, Ga. — Macon-Bibb NAACP says they hear a west Macon apartment complex is asking at least 20 people to leave their homes over the next few months.
Many of the tenants at Green Meadows Townhomes believe it's because of a court-appointed receivership that's supposed to help management fix the place up for its residents.
Thursday, the group held a meeting at New Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church for all affected tenants. A handful of them came out to the meeting hoping for answers and a path toward staying in their homes at least a bit longer.
"It's much more deeper than we think it is," Macon NAACP President Gwenette Westbrooks told the group.
Westbrooks says she's dealt with problems at the complex since 2009. At that time, they had issues with the property manager.
"We had to get the inspector general involved because there was money involved, where money was being taken from tenants," she said.
Now, Green Meadows is trying to overcome other problems, like crime. Earlier this year, a judge placed the complex under receivership to help fix the problems. That receiver planned to ask some tenants to leave, but some in the group Thursday said it's gone too far.
"She said I violated my lease for fighting. I was like, 'I've never been in a fight.' I was like, 'Can you show me my write-up?' Even if it's just a warning, it's supposed to be in my folder, you know, me signing it. She said she doesn't even have access to my folder," Ashuntae Meadows said during the meeting.
Westbrooks told the group she wants to help, but warned she couldn't help people who did violate their lease. She plans to help tenants appeal their non-renewals, but Westbrooks says they need to act quickly because some tenants only have until the end of the month.
Wednesday, Michael Lambros, the attorney for the receiver, told 13WMAZ by email there are reasons for all the non-renewals, but he would not explain them. Lambros added there has not been a successful appeal yet.
You can read his whole statement here:
"There has been questions regarding the non-renewals of certain tenant leases. There have been complaints by some tenants to local government about the taking of this action. Under HUD regulations the Landlord is required to give sixty (60) day notice of non-renewal of the lease. Any tenant that has received a non-renewal at Green Meadows under the receivership was done so for cause in an attempt to abate certain issues. I do not believe it is appropriate to disclose the particular reasons as to each tenant in this email.
If the tenant believes the non-renewal is improper then the tenant recourse is to file a complaint with HUD’s third-party administrator which, in this case, is National Housing Compliance (“NHC”). NHC will investigates such complaints. All such complaints received from NHC related to the non-renewals under the receivership have been concluded in favor of the property and against the tenant."