City inspectors find extensive violations at the Miller Garden
Apartments off Miller Rd in south central Garland
Photo Source: The Garland News Online

You may have seen reports in the media or parts of Council meetings and have been aware of the rapidly declining apartments on Miller Rd that, from what I've been able to tell, were essentially abandoned by the owners, except collecting rent. The apartments were all-expenses-paid but the owners/property managers had stopped paying for their utilities, which quickly raised red flags for the Garland city staff.

City Inspectors found the apartments to be suffering from inadequate maintenance and the unsafe and unhealthy conditions were documented.

When compliance with city ordinances were not met, the case was forwarded to the Housing Standards Board. After a long meeting, the HSB ordered the apartments vacated.

Below is a quick update Council members received after the vacate order was enforced last weekend. Staff from multiple departments coordinated the relocation of the residents to other, safer facilities. Departments made it as easy as possible for residents to quickly establish accounts for utilities and to settle into their new homes.

My appreciation to staff members for their professionalism and compassion. Reading between the lines, you get a good sense of the personal efforts and sacrifices many city employees gave to assist the residents.

From Richard Briley, Managing Director of Health:

 

I want to give a special thanks to Steve Killen and Jose Alvarado and their staffs for the very successful relocation effort. Customer Service also spent most of the weekend with the Code and Fair Housing staff. Parks was also of great service to us. As always, the City staff came together to pull off a huge undertaking in a short amount of time with a very minimal amount of complaints. Thanks to all who helped!

 

Executive Summary from Steve Killen: Pursuant to the order of the Housing Standards Board, City staff successfully met the vacate order of September 1, 2007. The majority of the Miller Garden occupants are now in newly acquired apartments. Occupants of five units experienced delays due to the need for minor repairs prior to occupying their new homes. Consequently, arrangements were made to provide hotel stays during the interim with the final placements scheduled for tomorrow.

• The relocation effort was lead by Fair Housing and Code Compliance with Customer Service and PARDS serving in supportive roles.
• 93 persons were relocated which occupied a total of 34 units at the condemned facility.
• 32 of the 34 units were relocated via City assistance (only two units vacated without assistance).
• All families with school aged children were provided alternative housing within the immediate vicinity and consequently, no special arrangements were necessary or requested of GISD.
• 90% of the persons displaced found housing in the immediate area, minimizing the impacts on their jobs, families, etc.
• Utility deposits were waived by Customer Service for displaced residents.
• Metroplex movers, a Garland business, was secured for moving assistance and provided service to 25 of the 34 units (74%). Moving expenses: approximately $15,000

This was an enormous task that was accomplished through the teamwork of several departments. Fair Housing was very efficient in providing the residents assistance in locating their new homes. Code Compliance staff coordinated the actual moving process and verified that all persons had housing before leaving the complex at 10 p.m. on September 1. Although we do not have a comprehensive list of all persons involved, certain staff members made personal sacrifices to meet this charge and minimize the negative impacts to the residents of Miller Garden.

 

Several stories on the deteriating conditions and "moving day" are online at The Garland News. It is worth taking a moment to review those stories and the photographs.

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