In Other Neighborhoods. . .

When Shefenia Magee moved into her new
apartment at 5913 Rainier Avenue South, she knew she had a problem. “It
smelled like dirty old carpet,” she says. “[There were] mites in the
carpet, roaches, and rats” and mold growing in her 3-year-old son’s
room. “[The manager] came and sprayed. [The roaches have] moved to the
bathroom now. I got a whole bunch of bugs saved in a bag to give the
health department.” Magee is on Section 8 and can’t move because, she
says, they won’t provide emergency housing. Tonya Holloway, who manages
the building for Twentieth Century Development, says, “We’re taking
care of the problem. We should have someone out next week to take care
of it.” However, once the problem is dealt with, residents will have to
move out anyway. Holloway says the complex will be converted to condos.
“[Residents] will be notified,” Holloway says. “We haven’t picked a
date yet.”