MILWAUKEE — It has been nearly four months since 150 people were evacuated from a low-income apartment building on Milwaukee’s North Side.
Community Within the Corridor’s (CWC) East Block building had elevated levels of trichloroethylene (TCE), a known carcinogen.
Residents said were given roughly 30 minutes to collect their things and vacate on March 25.
“I remember receiving a call from the health department that I had less than 30 minutes to grab essential items and evacuate the building,” said Tiffany B., a former resident. “I was clueless to what was going on and was told to pack for two to three days, not realizing it was going to be this long.”
The CWC team refunded past rent paid for each displaced leaseholder. Since March 25, CWC has also provided temporary housing, $420 weekly food stipends per person and transportation reimbursements.
“We moved from hotel to hotel, four different hotels and sometimes, we were placed at a very far distance from the hospital and schools,” Tiffany said, which she said was particularly concerning for her since she has a 16-year-old son.
That financial assistance ended on July 14.
Tiffany said she received the keys to her new apartment one day later.
“Time wasn’t on my side, so I was just trying to find something that was a roof over my and my son’s heads,” she said. “I didn’t have time to find comfort and the amenities that I look for.”
For privacy reasons, Tiffany has stopped publicizing her last name. She is, however, the lead plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit against Community Within the Corridor Limited Partnership. The lawsuit was filed on June 14 and represents people who occupied 20 of the 50 contaminated units, according to Michael Cerjak, the attorney leading the lawsuit. He is an attorney with Barton Cerjak S.C.
The listed individuals in the lawsuit chose not to sign a lease termination agreement. In that agreement, CWC would have provided $5,000 per leaseholder, but taken away their rights to pursue legal action.
“I didn’t think that was a fair agreement,” Tiffany said. “I didn’t think that was a fair amount with all that we had been through.”
“We’ve been trying to make accommodations for them to make sure that they have a place to stay and are stabilized going forward,” said Cerjak.
Cerjak said the lawsuit is still in its early stages.
“There wouldn’t be a trial in this case for a year, maybe two years,” he said. “If the parties are able to reach some type of resolution, it could happen faster,” he said, adding that he is prepared to litigate.
Tiffany said she still has belongings in her old apartment, like many of the other affected residents. They have until Sept. 1 to retrieve them. Tiffany said CWC is giving them three hours on Thursdays and Saturdays to do so, which has been difficult for her to accommodate.
“My son was trying to get a job and his birth certificate and social security card are in there, so I had to go get new stuff,” Tiffany said. “It’s just hard, but I’m doing what I have to do to try and put our lives back together.”
Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources released a statement on its website, addressing the TCE issue. It said the East Block is an approximately four-acre property which was contaminated from over 50 years of manufacturing operations.
“The DNR was not notified that the East Block was occupied until March 22, 2023, despite requests to the developer for information on the timeline for occupancy,” the statement read. “The DNR received indoor air test data from the developer on the evening of March 23, 2023 and immediately notified DHS.”
Community Within the Corridor issued the following update on the property’s East Block building to Spectrum News:
“The Community Within the Corridor (CWC) does not comment on pending litigation. While this situation has been frustrating for all of the impacted residents, CWC has made every effort to accommodate and support resident needs in addition to covering temporary housing, food, and transportation costs. These efforts include securing access to free phones and tablets, family memberships to the Mary Ryan Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee, and access to mental health services.
“Additionally, residents will continue to have access to the services of Community Advocates and TEAM Property Management, who are available to assist residents with their next housing arrangements. The CWC team has been actively working to identify additional programs and services that can help with individuals’ long-term housing needs. Residents will be able to move belongings out of their apartments in the CWC East Block until Sept. 1.
“CWC is continuing to work in collaboration with the state DNR, City of Milwaukee, and environmental engineers to complete remediation efforts. We are encouraged by recent test results showing almost all units are below the DNR’s TCE vapor action levels.
“As we’ve stated before, the CWC ownership group has intentionally invested in this community because we believe in the potential of this neighborhood and the viability of this property in meeting the housing, recreation, and business needs of this under-served population. Moving forward, we will continue to work to safely re-open the East Block of CWC and meet our goal of having CWC play a significant role in enhancing the surrounding community.”
View the lawsuit below:
Community Within the Corridor’s (CWC) by Aly Prouty on Scribd