RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A single mother of two children is looking for a place to live after she says she got behind on rent trying to rid her Richmond apartment of roaches.
27-year old Patrice Herron was evicted from her Richmond Fairfield Court home on Thursday and reached out to 8News for help.
“Can’t do nothing, I’m locked out,” she said.
Herron says she complained about the roach problem, but admits that she fell behind in rent while waiting for something to be done.
“I was using the rent money that they wanted, I was using that trying to get rid of those roaches for my kids’ sake,” she said. “Why would I sit here and keep having my kids live here in a house they can’t live in?”
She said the roach problem was unbearable.
“Three roaches fell on my son this morning, and I was sitting beside him getting ready to pick him up and feed him his bottle,” Herron said. “Sometimes I wouldn’t even cook because the fact they were all over my stove waiting.”
\8News reached out the Richmond Redevelopment Housing Authority, and we eventually found some RRHA officials inspecting some of the homes in Fairfield Court.
“The Housing Authority is aware we do have some issues, we just completed in June a 100-percent assessment of all 4,000 of our public housing units looking at the level of infestation,” said Carol Jones-Gilbert, the Acting Chief Operating Officer of the RRHA.
Carol Jones-Gilbert said the RRHA will make the units that have a serious infestation problem a high priority by using roach bait to kill the insects. She also added that residents can help by making sure their units do not have food and water sources, even leaking water pipes because the roaches seek out water.
Jones-Gilbert said she would not discuss Herron’s eviction, although tenants usually get at least three delinquent notices before being evicted.
So where will Herron go?
Well I don’t know,” she said. “I really don’t.”
The housing authority did say they can help Herron get in touch with shelters if she can’t find housing.
