UPDATE MAY 26: A spokesperson for The Community Within the Corridor said property managers have been able to extend an agreement with one of the current hotels where residents have been staying, meaning those residents will not have to move. Alternate accommodations, the spokesperson said, have also been secured for the remaining residents at other hotels in the area.
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People displaced from The Community Within the Corridor (CWC) apartments are bracing for another sudden move as the housing development remains unsafe for their return.
"How this has compromised my life, I can't even verbalize it. It's so bad," said Bridgett Wilder.
Wilder said the CWC notified her on Wednesday that she and other residents at two temporary housing locations must leave by Monday morning. She said they have not yet been told where they'll go.
"What do they expect us to do? Just take that laying down? We don't have a place for you to dwell?" said Wilder.
After TMJ4 News again asked for an interview with CWC developers, a spokesperson responded with a statement. It said residents at two temporary-stay locations are being relocated and new locations are being identified. They also said they're still paying for all accommodations as well as meal, parking and transportation stipends (see full statement below).
Wilder has been living in two hotels with her children since Milwaukee Public Health ordered the evacuation of around 150 people from the CWC East Block on March 25th. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) had alerted the health department to elevated levels of trichloroethylene (TCE), an industrial solvent and known carcinogen, in the building.
The DNR has said CWC disregarded their guidelines for a series of tests on a system to mitigate toxic vapor before allowing occupants. CWC said it moved people in late last year, and its vapor mitigation system was working properly.
According to state public records, TCE levels throughout the building are dropping. But as of last week, levels deemed unsafe for humans by the EPA have still been detected in many areas, including garages, hallways, apartment units, and stairwells.
Wilder said she and others who had to leave live in a state of limbo.
"Not knowing what to do. Whether to get a lawyer. Not knowing how to get the proper vindication for what's occurred," she said.
Wilder said she's also seeking accountability, and not just from CWC.
"I demand answers. I will not be shut up. And at some point, somebody will sit down at the table," she said. "I would like to talk to the mayor. I would like to talk to city officials. I would like to talk to CWC. And I want answers. I want immediate actions because my well-being is at stake."
Community Within the Corridor Statement, May 25, 2023:
"As remediation efforts continue at Community Within the Corridor (CWC) residents are being relocated from two temporary-stay locations. New locations are being identified and all residents will continue to be supported by CWC, including paying for all accommodations, providing stipends for alternative accommodations that residents may find on their own, weekly meal stipends, and parking and transportation stipends.
The CWC team greatly appreciates the support and cooperation provided by all of the hotels that have served the residents up to this point and remains committed to supporting the residents as work continues to safely return them to their homes.
While we're encouraged by recent test results within the East Block building at Community Within the Corridor, additional work is needed and those efforts are continuing in close coordination with the Wisconsin DNR and City of Milwaukee."
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