CHA appeals to area Landlords for help relocating Allen Benedict residents

Officials investigate reports of gas near Allen Benedict Court apartments/Matt Perron

Columbia, SC (WOLO) — It’s been two months since a gas leak displaced some 239 residents of Allen Benedict Court apartments, after a carbon monoxide leak was to blame for the death of two other residents. According to Cynthia Hardy, spokesperson for the Columbia Housing Authority, the most pressing issue for many of those residents is still where they will go next and adjusting to life in a new neighborhood.

Gilbert Walker, the Executive Director for CHA released a statement saying quote, “We are here to help our residents with relocation any way we can,…We are so sorry for the events that unfolded January 17th. We appreciate all the
community support to assist our residents to return them to a state of normalcy as soon as
possible,“.

Since the permanent shut down on the low income housing unit, residents were temporarily placed in area hotels and given between $1500 and $1900 dollars per family to help pay for their moving expenses, and according to the facility in some cases offered residents addition funds to help with unexpected expenses.

Since then, the latest numbers released by CHA show out of the 239 families displaced, 156 of them have found possible housing to move to while 110 others have already moved in and signed leases. 44 families are still waiting for inspections on possible units to pass inspections. 83 other former residents have been unable to find new homes that meet their needs.

With some families still in limbo, CHA is asking area landlords for their assistance to widen the pool of units available to help relocate the remaining residents. If you are a landlord that would like to see if your property meets the requirements to join the effort you can contact Howard Thomas at (803)254-3886 ext. 253 during regular business hours.