NORFOLK – Six families are back in their homes this weekend, hours after being told they had to pack up everything and get out.
The city of Norfolk had deemed their apartments unlivable and gave the residents just three days to evacuate. The families live at the Washington Commons Apartments on Washington Avenue, which is in the Huntersville area.
The city put the eviction notices on the doors Friday. Officials said most of the apartments have no heat and that was the main reason the residents were being forced out. But by Friday evening, minimal heat was restored to all six units and the families were allowed to return. But they had already scrambled to pack and rush their belongings onto moving trucks.
"Get me a month or 30 days or something. I could have accumulated my money and we would have been straight," said Tasha Moore, a mother of four.
Moore, like several other families, told 13News they don’t have the resources to find a place to live in just three days.
The tenants blame the building’s poor condition on the owners, Woinshet and Nega Muleneh.
City officials say the landlords have to fix the remaining violations in a timely manner or they may face legal action.
