Dickinson apartment residents struggle to find housing after order to vacate

DICKINSON, Texas (KTRK) -- This holiday season has become a stressful time for hundreds of people living at the Creekside Apartments in Dickinson, Texas due to unsafe conditions.

"I have a baby boy myself, so I have to find somewhere every night to go and take him somewhere or heat him some water, and we still pay rent, all caught up on that. They don't make any effort to help us over here," Devon Martinez, a Creekside resident, explained.

Martinez said he's had no hot water for several months at his Dickinson apartment. Now, because the city issued an order to vacate due to unsafe conditions, he has two more weeks to find a new place to live.

"That's at least a couple thousand dollars, and none of this was our fault," Martinez said.

Inspections done by the city throughout the spring and summer revealed several issues at the apartments, including a lack of smoke detectors, sewage problems, and structural concerns. The order to vacate came in late November after ongoing issues with the boiler that is supposed to provide hot water.

RELATED: Dickinson City Council approves fund to help relocate tenants forced out of apartments deemed unsafe

"It's robbing Christmas for a lot of children here at Creekside. Already, we don't have the funds for Christmas. It's hard already, but then putting this extra burden on top of us with having to move and coming up with application fees, administration fees, deposits," Cassandra Ochoa, another resident, said.

Ochoa and her family have found another place to live, but that, too, will come with challenges.

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"My 7-year-old asked me, 'Mommy, do I have to move schools? I know I keep bugging you about it. I'm sorry.'" It's unfortunate because eventually, he is going to have to move schools," Ochoa explained.

Last week, ABC13 sat down with David Wallace, a consultant for Excel Property Management, the owners of the Creekside Apartments. He claimed the city was holding up the fix for the hot water.

Since then, the tune has changed.

"By next Wednesday, again working with the city, having another temporary boiler that is out there to be able to have that turned on and some of the other low-hanging items such as fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, and so forth from a public safety perspective," Wallace said over the phone on Friday.

They are bare minimums the residents should have had all along.

"The majority of us are low income, and it's the reason why we're here, but at the same time, they have taken advantage of that," Ochoa said.

On December 21, the city's Building Standards Commission will meet to discuss the next steps regarding the property.

However, the city wants people to understand regardless of the outcome of the meeting; they still need to move out.

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"I spoke to the building official right before I sat down with you. He confirmed to me they have not filed any permits to do any improvements and that would be necessary to make improvements. Nothing has changed, so people still need to plan to move out," Sean Skipworth, Dickinson's mayor, said.

According to the district, about 80 Dickinson ISD students have been calling Creekside home. Tammy Dowdy, director of communications at Dickinson ISD, says there is information about resources on the Gator Wellness webpage, and the district has two social workers who are helping Creekside families.

The city is helping with relocation. On Tuesday, Dickinson City Council approved $1,000 of assistance per household.

Residents can apply through Monday, Dec 19. Angelica Hanley, the executive director of the M.I. Lewis Social Service Center, is urging residents to start the application process before the deadline, even if they still need to fill it out. Supplemental documents for the application will be accepted through January 6.

If you would like to help these residents, M.I. Lewis is looking for volunteers to help them move. You can learn more about how to help here.

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