No plans to rehouse seniors as repairs progress at 'extremely hot' Serenity, management company says

Years of documented maintenance issues in Serenity at Highland have come to a head just as the first heat wave of the summer has descended upon Memphis.

Recent inspections conducted by code enforcement put a finer point on the extent of repairs needed at the senior living facility — throughout the week of triple-digit heat indices, dozens of residents had no working air conditioning in their units. Others reported mold and bedbugs in their units. A lack of consistent hot water has been an issue as well.

And with dozens of seniors out of the building and unable to answer code inspectors' questions, the true number of units without cooling or hot water is unclear.

The city's inspection report described the condition of the building as, "very poor."

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"The building is extremely hot and poses a health hazard to the residence," the inspection report noted, adding there was also a mildew-like smell in the building.

Despite the unsanitary state of the building and the potentially deadly combination of high temperatures and elderly residents, no single entity is compelling the management company to provide temporary housing for the residents.

But on Thursday, Cleveland-based Millennia Housing Management Ltd, said there are no plans to relocate residents while repairs are ongoing.

No relocation requirement from HUD

Millennia Housing is a recipient of federal funding through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, more colloquially known as HUD.

In exchange for rental subsidies, Millennia Housing — which purchased Serenity recently through an associated entity — is beholden to a set of maintenance standards.

"HUD requires owners to provide decent, safe, sanitary housing to all residents. In addition, in properties equipped with air conditioning, HUD requires that it is operational, and if not, the owner should exercise urgency to make repairs to restore the air conditioning," said a HUD spokesperson.

If HUD has the power to force Millennia to relocate it's residents in affected units, there is no indication the federal entity is poised to do so.

When Shelby County Environmental Court Judge Patrick Dandridge, who was dissatisfied with the rate of repair progress, proposed the idea in court Tuesday, an attorney representing Millennia pushed back.

There were no other openings in Memphis' HUD-subsidized housing units, Attorney Ben Sissman told the judge.

“They all have a waiting list, they all have rules and we can’t take someone from Serenity Towers and move them if there are any empty units,” said Sissman.

Absent an order from environmental court, Millennia is not required to seek temporary alternatives for their residents through hotel vouchers or other means.

Dandridge levied a $5,000 fine on the company after viewing the most recent code inspection report that identified 90 residents without hot water and 85 residents without air conditioning.

Serenity repairs are ongoing, if sluggish

According to Valerie Jerome, Millennia Housing's marketing and communications director, Millennia has a plan to thoroughly rehabilitate the long-troubled building.

"The Millennia development team anticipates submitting the application for Low Income Housing Tax Credits, and then closing on the preservation transaction in 2023. The timing of this transaction is affected by market conditions, among other factors. Upon closing, construction on the substantial rehabilitation will commence," Jerome said.

The plan to overhaul is at least a year off, and interim repairs to the building have been dogged by supply-chain issues on top of a seasonal need for heating and air-conditioning parts.

But the technicians have made progress, Jerome said.

The "chiller" of the building's air conditioner is operational now, following the repair of a crack, replaced gaskets, and adding 750 pounds of Freon. Issues with faulty thermostats and blowers in individual units are now the bulk of the heat issue.

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"The maintenance team is working diligently to diagnose the issue and replace the necessary equipment in those units. Also, additional staff members have been assigned to the community to expedite the HVAC repairs in the units," Jerome said.

Repair efforts are also underway for the building's boiler.

Jerome described the pace of repairs as efficient, with additional air conditioning units coming online by the air. Millennia has also set up a cooling station in the building and staffers have been conducting wellness checks on residents.

A non-scientific sign of progress is evident in the number of elderly residents sitting outside of the building late at night, in an attempt to escape temperatures inside. On Tuesday, two dozen residents sat on the building's porch, on Thursday the number had whittled down to eight.

Whether the rate of repairs Jerome describes will be considered efficient will be decided by Dandridge Friday, when Millennia is due back in court.

Micaela Watts is the Equity and Access reporter for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at micaela.watts@commercialappeal.com.

Reporting partner WMC Action News 5 contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Serenity Tower seniors will not be relocated, management company says