Updated: Nov 26, 2008 03:25 PM
Residents in the now condemned Casa Rosa apartment complex in North Las Vegas say the timing couldn’t have been worse.
More than 20 families have until the end of Wednesday, Thanksgiving eve, to be out of their apartments. The units have been declared unlivable due to deplorable conditions.
Resident Retisha Black says she’s not going to let it spoil Thanksgiving with her three-year old daughter, Asia. They’re among the 21 families forced to move when building inspectors deemed portions of this North Las Vegas public housing complex unfit for living due to deplorable conditions and safety hazards.
At HUD’s request, the Las Vegas City Housing Authority took over managing the property from North Las Vegas and overseeing the emergency relocation of all 21 families to other public housing units at no cost to the residents.
As ill-timed as it is, the move finally represents the end of a long battle between the North Las Vegas Housing Authority and other Casa Rosa residents, like Linnett Clark, who say they have been living in these unacceptable conditions for too long.
“We shouldn’t have to live like this. No one has to live like this no matter who you are or what race or color you are, it’s unfair, said Clark.
While the rush to move will put a damper on Thanksgiving plans for many of these families, Black says the $1,100 in moving expenses she’s already received plus the six months of free rent in her new place makes it feel as though Christmas has come early.
