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Jun 15, 2023

Louisville Metro Council members demand change at Dosker Manor

Mold keeps returning to Donald Neafus's apartment in Dosker Manor, he says, no matter how many times maintenance workers address it. He's swatted flying roaches from his ceiling and smelled urine in

Mold keeps returning to Donald Neafus's apartment in Dosker Manor, he says, no matter how many times maintenance workers address it.

He's swatted flying roaches from his ceiling and smelled urine in the public housing complex's hallways.

He's seen trash pile up next to elevators, and when he complains to managers of the property − reserved for seniors and people with disabilities − he says he feels like the issues are ignored.

Now, however, Neafus and other residents at the long-distressed apartments in the Phoenix Hill neighborhood have found new support from a group of Metro Council members who are calling on Mayor Craig Greenberg and the Louisville Metro Housing Authority to do something about Dosker Manor's "unacceptable" conditions.

At a press conference Wednesday, six council members said they demand the housing authority take action to remove mold, rodents and other ailments at the property. They asked that the authority be more proactive in asking residents how their units are, instead of requiring them to fill out a maintenance request. And some called for the removal of the authority's executive director, Lisa Osanka.

"I plead with the mayor's administration to make a change that would improve the living conditions for these tenants by removing Lisa Osanka and any other individuals complicit in what we are witnessing today," Councilwoman Donna Purvis said in a statement.

Osanka was appointed to the director position by former Mayor Greg Fischer in 2018 and has faced public pressure regarding poor living conditions at LMHA properties before, including a push to change management companies at Liberty Green and Sheppard Square in 2022.

In an email following the press conference, Osanka disputed claims that LMHA does not respond to residents' concerns, saying employees quickly inspected seven apartments at the 685-unit Dosker Manor after receiving complaints Friday of possible mold and bugs.

Previous coverage:Dead roaches, mold, holes in ceilings: Will these Louisville renters finally get relief?

LMHA property maintenance staff have arranged for environmental testing at three of the units and did not find indicators of mold at three others, Osanka wrote. The seventh unit had previously been tested for mold, and the tenant there will be temporarily relocated while the mold is remediated.

In two units that complained of bugs, "minor indications of bugs were identified, and proper treatment was provided," Osanka said, adding that LMHA schedules quarterly inspections of units by exterminators in an effort to prevent pests.

Osanka also shared LMHA's current annual plan, which includes spending about $15.5 million on capital improvements at Dosker Manor this fiscal year.

Those improvements include electrical repairs, roof repairs and resealing bathrooms in one of the property's three high-rise buildings.

Councilwoman Paula McCraney, who represents District 7 in eastern Jefferson County, still demands LMHA and the city "do better."

Dosker Manor has a history of failing annual inspections required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, she said. And LMHA "should be considered a slumlord" for not doing more to maintain its properties.

"These are our constituents who must live under these conditions," McCraney said. "It is up to us as city leaders to demand better."

Councilman Jecorey Arthur, who represents the district where Dosker Manor is located, encouraged LMHA residents to attend the authority's next public board meeting, taking place at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 19 at 600 S. Seventh St.

"Don't meet us there, beat us there," he said.

Dosker Manor residents can report property maintenance concerns by calling 502-569-4818.

Reach reporter Bailey Loosemore at [email protected], 502-582-4646 or on Twitter @bloosemore.