JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WTAJ) — Former residents of the Prospect Homes in Johnstown are speaking out, nearly three months after they were suddenly told they had to move. Some of those residents are now having problems at their new place.
More than 200 former Prospect Home residents were required to move within 30 days due to an ongoing structural inspection.
On Wednesday, members of the Prospect Home Association gather at the Johnstown Housing Authority Office to ask questions they said aren’t getting answered, like why some residents keep getting moved around to other buildings that they claim are “unsuitable” or “unsafe” to live in.
Other residents have said there’s not enough heat or A/C, poor maintenance and a number of other issues
“All the dirt, dust. Bad maintenance. It’s just terrible. It’s inhumane,” Jeffery Matula, Chairman of the Prospect Homes Association/Former Prospect Homes Resident, said. “A lot of us are dealing with depression, a lot of us can’t even eat. A lot of us can’t even sleep. It’s affecting us mentally and physically.”
Matula had to relocate to a downtown highrise and said he gave the JHA 48-hour notice for their request for questions on Wednesday.
When he and John DeBartola, an advocate for Prospect Homes, got there, they realized there was no one there to answer their questions, including if they’ll ever be able to go back to the Prospect Homes.
“There was nobody here to address our concerns about what’s going on at Prospect and the Housing Authority. We were told we had to get elected if we wanted to get answers,” DeBartola said.
Another advocate Teronda Walker joined in, stay that people that live other JHA properties are worried about what could happen to their homes.
“We have to know a plan. Johnstown Housing Authority has some type of plan in motion, I’m sure, but we don’t have anything,” Walker began. “If that happened to Prospect, is that going to happen to Coopersdale, Solomon Homes and Oakhurst? The people are scared to stand up and stand out.”
JHA’s front desk clerk said executive director Michael Alberts will be back Thursday. However, Matula and DeBartola said if they don’t get any answers they’ll schedule a protest.
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For more information regarding the Prospect Homes and Johnstown Housing Situation, click here.