KSHB 41 reporter Megan Abundis covers Kansas City, Missouri, including neighborhoods in the southern part of the city. Share your story idea with Megan.
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Kansas City's Cloverleaf Apartments — plagued by crime, fires and severe disrepair — are facing closure after the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) halted payments and announced plans to shut down the complex by June 18.
RELATED | HUD halts payments, shuts down Cloverleaf Apartments over unsafe living conditions
Citing "unsafe and hazardous living conditions," HUD's decision comes after the New Jersey-based owner, NB Affordable, failed to address numerous issues.
The complex, home to many low-income families, is reportedly riddled with problems including overflowing trash, potholes, broken windows and a months-long water main break. Residents describe living with mold, collapsed ceilings and infestations of bed bugs and rodents.
While NB Affordable was expected to renovate the property with HUD support, these promises went unfulfilled.
The owner of NB Affordable, who owns other low-income housing nationwide, has a history of legal trouble, including a guilty plea for mortgage fraud conspiracy in New York and recent theft charges out of Pennsylvania related to misappropriated HUD renovation funds.
HUD is now working to relocate the remaining residents, offering up to $2,100 for relocation expenses.
Residents of the troubled Cloverleaf Apartments complex are facing increasing uncertainty after a crucial meeting with HUD and their relocation group was abruptly canceled, leaving many low-income families in limbo.
The complex, already slated for closure due to unsafe living conditions, has left residents scrambling for answers and worrying about their future.
"We were notified that the meeting was canceled from the library staff, not from Cloverleaf at all," said Amya Brown, a resident of the complex.
The cancellation compounded the stress of residents who had gathered at the Red Bridge Library hoping to receive assistance and information from HUD regarding their relocation.
"[We were here] looking for reassurance," Brown said of the desperation felt by those facing displacement.
With the June closure date looming, residents are still unsure where they will go.
"It feels horrible, you feel let down, kind of nowhere to go, cornered," Brown said.
The abrupt cancellation left residents feeling abandoned and struggling to navigate their next steps.
"Me and a lot of other residents are depending on the complex that would give us what they would," Brown stated, underscoring the reliance on the system.
As part of the low-income housing program, tenants like Brown pay a portion of the rent with HUD covering the remainder.
"I pay $795 a month for a two-bedroom apartment," Brown explained, highlighting the affordability that is now threatened.
However, due to the building's deteriorating conditions, HUD stopped payments on Feb. 1.
“It’s not livable at all,” Brown said.
In a notice on residents' doors, HUD stated the blame for the unsafe conditions falls on the out-of-state owners.
The issues reported include infestations of roaches, mice and black widow spiders, with residents finding nests of egg sacs in the hallways. Brown was bitten and had to seek emergency medical care.
"It’s horrible, it’s actually sad," Brown said. "I’m really saddened from it. I’m trying to hold back tears watching everyone around me suffer like this; it’s bad."
Brown said she reported these issues repeatedly to the complex but has seen no action.
“Nothing,” Brown said, describing the response from management. “I don’t even know what to say to my children at this point. I came in here with the false reassurance from the management that things would be good, over time it would get better, they would fix things up, but there's been nothing.”
Now, tenants are stuck in a paradox of needing to leave but being unable to do so without the necessary help and funds.
Former and current tenants have been reaching out, seeking assistance in contacting HUD, Cloverleaf management and their relocation group.
Despite daily calls and emails, KSHB 41 News has yet to receive a response.
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