Private company quits managing Louisville public housing centers after resident complaints

A private company will no longer manage two of Louisville's largest public housing complexes.

CT Associates has handled maintenance and leases for more than 500 rental units at Liberty Green and Sheppard Square for more than a decade. But the Maryland-based company has increasingly come under fire over the last year as residents at the complexes accused employees of ignoring their complaints, entering their apartments without notice and not addressing issues quickly, including water leaks that led to mold.

A Metro Council committee unanimously passed a resolution on Oct. 19 calling on the Louisville Metro Housing Authority (LMHA), a nonprofit that receives federal funding to provide subsidized housing, to end its relationship with CT Associates at the "earliest lawful opportunity."

And on Tuesday, the company confirmed it had voluntarily terminated its contracts.

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"We are disappointed that years of commitment, dedication and efforts by our management team (are) coming to an end at Sheppard Square and Liberty Green, as we have managed these homes since their redevelopment," the company said in statement. "We are extremely proud of our team's efforts and accomplishments, shared with LMHA and Louisville Metro Council, including physical inspection scores higher than the state and local averages and hundreds of thousands in rental assistance aid secured for our residents during the global pandemic."

A housing authority spokesperson said the agency will issue a request for proposals to replace CT Associates at Sheppard Square.

Community Builders Inc., a national company that developed and owns the buildings in Liberty Green, will conduct its own process for replacing management there, the spokesperson said.

In a statement, Jessica Wethington from Mayor Greg Fischer's office said: "We understand that this will create challenges and are committed to working quickly to find a qualified management company."

Earlier this year, CT Associates relinquished management of 185 scattered units owned by the housing authority following a 90-day notice. LMHA now manages those properties.

Termination follows pressure from tenants union

The sudden contract terminations follow months of consistent pressure from members of the Louisville Tenants Union, which launched a campaign against CT Associates this spring.

Union members have protested outside the company's main office at Sheppard Square, posted complaints from residents on social media and spoken with Metro Council members about conditions at CT-managed sites — leading council member Jecorey Arthur to file the resolution.

In a statement, union members praised council members for passing the resolution, along with tenant leaders who organized the campaign.

"This contract getting canceled puts Louisville landlords and real estate capital on notice that working class tenants are building political power in this city," they said. "When we organize, we win!!!!"

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At a council committee meeting last week, several residents spoke about living at Liberty Green, where they said trash overflows from dumpsters, lights don't work in parking areas and maintenance requests go unresolved.

"The projects were torn down, and now the projects are coming back," tenant Bronwyn Hudson said.

LMHA Executive Director Lisa Osanka said a number of concerns raised in the meeting had already been "responded to" and asked council members for the "opportunity to present another point view of those complaints."

Councilwoman Cassie Chambers Armstrong, in turn, asked Osanka why she had not brought that information to the meeting.

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"The first speaker, the first thing she said was 'I don't feel safe in Louisville Metro Housing,'" Armstrong said. "If someone had said that to me, I would show up with information."

Osanka said LMHA representatives had emailed council members documents outlining resident complaints, predominantly at Liberty Green, along with information on how long it took to resolve them.

In an email after the meeting, she assured council members "we will follow up with the residents who publicly presented yesterday to see if their continued concerns can be addressed more fully. It should go without saying but we will not take retaliatory action against these residents."

Tenants union, CT Associates accuse each other of harassment

Both members of the tenants union and employees with CT Associates have accused the other party of harassment.

In a letter to Metro Council members, CT Associates regional manager Kathy Strom linked the tenants union to vandalism at the company's office in August 2020 and wrote the group had "failed to garner the support of more than 1% of the 1200+ units under" its management citywide.

In a statement, members of the union called the accusations of vandalism "farcical."

"No LTU members were involved in that incident in any way and we do not advocate for acts of vandalism," they said.

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Renters involved in the union have also said employees with CT Associates have attempted to evict them and have accused Strom of acting unprofessionally.

"I have to admit that I am fearful of speaking out," Liberty Green resident Sandra Booker said at a press conference in September. "I am fearful of retaliation. I am fearful of being evicted for speaking up. However, my faith and my anger are greater than any fear that I have. What grows in the dark dies in the light of exposure, and it is time to expose this mess."

Reach reporter Bailey Loosemore at bloosemore@courier-journal.com, 502-582-4646 or on Twitter @bloosemore. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: https://www.courier-journal.com/baileyl.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville public housing to change management following complaints