Mold Complaint Has Belton Woman and Son Living in Their Car

Just look at this Belton apartment over at Belle Oaks! Ugh!

We can all probably think or an apartment of two that we regret living in. Maybe the apartment itself was a mess, maybe the neighborhood had gone south, perhaps the maintenance was a joke. It's a terrible feeling.

This is the case for a Belton woman and her six-year-old son who are now living in their car after multiple complaints about a mold-filled apartment with light fixtures that drip water from the roof. Chelsea Edwards with News 10 says Tracee Gooden put a $400 deposit down on a different apartment at Belle Oaks but was told that unit did not meet the standards for federal rental assistance. It's been one problem after another.

The unit in question is at 1100 Shady Lane in Belton. According to News 10, mold grows along the walls, water leaks down from the light fixtures because there is a big hole in the roof, and according to Gooden light sockets are even prone to shock and electrical fire as a result of the extra moisture.

Insulation that has turned black is hanging out from behind the walls above, and there is water that is pooling on the floor. Edwards with News 10 reports the Temple Fire Department and the Red Cross have both been to the apartment to take a look and to offer assistance, even offering Gooden funds to find a new place as they believed conditions at the apartment are unlivable.

Thanks to the involvement of the Fire Department and the Red Cross, the Eureka Multifamily Group who manages the apartment has now agreed to move Gooden and her son into a new apartment even if the rent isn't paid until repairs can be made to her unit so that it passes federal inspection.