Owners of Russel Erskine housing responds to no air conditioning issues

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) – Tenants in the Russel Erskine housing unit tell News 19 that there is hardly a difference in the stifling temperature outside and temps inside the building.

“When you walk into a big building, you should get blasted with AC – but not in our building,” said John Stanners.

Stanners is one of the mostly retired-aged tenants who have health issues and who have pleaded with managers of Redwood Housing of Texas to do something to address the air conditioning issues in the building.

With the temperature outside steadily rising, a News 19 report highlighted the AC and garbage maintenance issue two weeks ago.

The former hotel on Clinton Avenue in Huntsville is now subsidized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

After viewing our story, the City of Huntsville Housing and Urban Management met with the Redwood housing managers and with HUD to make them aware of the issues.

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As a result of our report and after nearly two years, Redwood, who maintains offices in Massachusetts and Washington D.C, responded to cries for help with a statement to News 19:

The air conditioning has been working, though some necessary maintenance has been underway to ensure consistent performance.  When a unit malfunctions, we’ve provided at least one temporary, portable unit to provide cooling.  For tenants who require it, we’ve also offered hotel stays while the work is completed.  We continue to work closely with the City of Huntsville and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to address these concerns.

Our team also has cleared up issues with garbage collection. Regularly scheduled pickups should be back on schedule at this time. As always, the safety and security of our residents is of the utmost importance, and we always encourage residents to contact the on-site management team if issues arise.

Thank you,

Redwood

News 19 will continue to monitor the progress of repairing the housing unit.

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