[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.91″ custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” next_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row custom_padding=”2px|0px|8px|0px” _builder_version=”3.19.7″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.19.7″ src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/GOODWINPWfeature_MRSN.jpg” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.92″ custom_padding=”2px|0px|37.9062px|0px” prev_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row custom_padding=”0px|0px|18.9531px|0px” custom_margin=”10px|||” _builder_version=”3.0.92″][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”News Story” _builder_version=”3.19.7″ custom_margin=”0px||0px|”]<\/p>\n
By Shayla Nidever and Mary Ramsey<\/strong><\/p>\n This story is one in a continuing series covering the crisis in public housing in Columbia. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Lavice Goodwin is still adjusting to a new normal after she and more than 400 of her neighbors at Allen Benedict Court\u00a0<\/span>were pulled\u00a0from their apartments\u00a0following\u00a0a fatal gas leak last month.<\/span><\/p>\n Goodwin, <\/strong>who had lived at the aged Columbia public housing complex for eight years, was evacuated in the middle of the night on Jan. 18, about 18 hours\u00a0after emergency officials discovered two men dead in separate apartments from carbon monoxide poisoning.\u00a0Emergency officials swept through the 26 brick buildings at the complex off Read and Harden streets and found 65 apartments in the 244-unit complex with high levels of fatal gases, prompting permanent shutdown of the entire complex.<\/span><\/p>\n “It was hell,” she said.<\/p>\n Calling it an issue of “significant public importance,”\u00a0Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin, along with Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins, Police Chief Skip Holbrook, and Columbia Housing Authority executive director Gilbert Walker held a news conference a day later that emphasized the scope of the disaster.<\/span><\/p>\n “Based on their work, we’ve determined that this gas leak is not only significant but consistent throughout this property and it is \u00a0their best judgment and our best judgment, supporting their decision 100 percent, that this property should be closed,” Benjamin said. “We will be closing this property immediately working with the housing authority on relocating the citizens here to safe and suitable housing, some that might eventually be permanent, but certainly temporary housing that these families can live safe and secure.”<\/span><\/p>\n When Goodwin evacuated her apartment at 2 a.m., she was told a carbon monoxide detector was reading a level of 3,000 parts per million in her home. That’s enough to kill a person in an hour, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Health effects begin at 10 PPM. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe whole time, my dog was trying to tell me that something is wrong. Because I asked the veterinarian, why are his eyes staying watery? I know some dogs do that,\u201d she explained. \u201cAnd he said the whole time, your dog was trying to tell you that you\u2019ve got a gas leak or something \u2026 And he said he was trying to tell you you were getting sick. And I stayed sick with upper respiratory infections. I stayed sick.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Besides the leaks, Goodwin said she had to deal with a variety of issues while living at the pre-World War II complex,\u00a0including lax maintenance that at times left her without heat or hot water. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI liked it, and then again I didn\u2019t like it because when we have problems they don\u2019t come and solve the problems. That\u2019s the only thing that I didn\u2019t like about it,\u201d said Goodwin.<\/span><\/p>\n After the evacuation, Goodwin was shuffled among three different hotels and didn\u2019t know where her next meal would come from. She missed two weeks of work, and two weeks worth of pay. She had to give away her dog when the veterinarian told her the chihuahua couldn\u2019t survive the stress of moving every few days. <\/span><\/p>\n After two weeks of uncertainty, Goodwin was given a HUD voucher to find a new home. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development oversees the housing choice voucher program, which provides rent assistance to low-income residents, elderly and the disabled. Local housing authorities administer the program, matching residents to suitable landlords willing to take the HUD vouchers. Participants must pay 30 percent of their monthly adjusted gross income toward the rent. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Goodwin is now living in an apartment in the North Main area with the help of the voucher, paying less than the $616 a month she was paying when she lived at Allen Benedict. The voucher lets Goodwin live in an apartment not owned by the Columbia Housing Authority while still getting assistance for her rent.<\/span><\/p>\n But things still aren\u2019t back to normal.<\/span><\/p>\n Goodwin used to live in the same complex as her elderly mother, and she now lives blocks away. Her adult daughter also lived at Allen Benedict before the leaks. Even though Goodwin works as a parking attendant at USC, she\u2019s taking handouts just to get by. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIn a predicament like this it makes me feel ashamed, people coming to me and asking me, \u2018what you need?\u2019 And that\u2019s embarrassing,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n Goodwin said she\u2019s grateful for coworkers and supervisors that have been understanding of her situation, but she\u2019s still feeling the effects of missing work.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTomorrow is payday, and I ain\u2019t getting no money because I wasn\u2019t here,\u201d she said. \u201cSo now I\u2019m gonna have to go back to the housing authority for them to give me some food or something. You know? Because I wasn\u2019t here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n She said she lost money when trying to find a house of her own through the Columbia Housing Authority, which is facing lawsuits over the deaths and hard questions about how it operated the apartment buildings. Officials told her the money she\u2019d already paid would go towards rent, but Goodwin said that never happened.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey wasn\u2019t treating us fair, they were really just beating us out of a whole lot of money,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n Maintenance issues were a near-constant struggle, Goodwin said. She spent much of the holiday season without heat, and requests for everything from a clothesline to tree trimming were never met.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey really wasn\u2019t doing nothing for us,\u201d she said. \u201cI just made it my home because I didn\u2019t have anywhere else to go.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n She added that she would often just do projects, such as repairs to her water heater, on her own. Spending her own time and money on home improvement proved more fruitful than spending day after day asking management to keep their promises.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey throw us in anything. And when I say anything – anything. Long as it\u2019s a roof over your head, you\u2019ve got to make it your home,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd it ain\u2019t right. It ain\u2019t right, because when I was paying $616, I should\u2019ve been in a house. Paying that kind of money.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Now that Goodwin is out of Allen Benedict, she\u2019s learning a new normal. She\u2019s back at work and helping her mother get into an apartment in her new complex or close by using a voucher.<\/span><\/p>\n One of the most important parts of getting back on her feet has been reminding herself that others in positions of authority bear responsibility for upending the lives of Allen Benedict residents.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not our fault. We\u2019re all thinking that we did it, but it\u2019s not our fault. It\u2019s all on housing. It was very stressful to me because it made me feel like I was literally kicked out of my home for not paying rent, but it was a gas leak and it wasn’t my fault,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt still made me feel bad because I\u2019ve never been in a predicament like this having to go from pillar to post, once I get comfortable here I gotta pack up and move.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 1″ show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” _builder_version=”3.19.7″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px” src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/GOODWINPW2_MRSN.jpg”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 1″ _builder_version=”3.19.7″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” text_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”8px|||2px” custom_padding=”|||”]<\/p>\n The Columbia Housing Authority is across the street from public housing complex Allen Benedict Court.\u00a0<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 2″ show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” _builder_version=”3.19.7″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” force_fullwidth=”off” src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/GOODWINPW3_MRSN.jpg”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 2″ _builder_version=”3.19.7″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” text_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”8px|||2px” custom_padding=”|||” background_layout=”light”]<\/p>\n Allen Benedict Court sits empty after residents were evacuated due to gas leaks last month. The buildings will not reopen.\u00a0<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 3″ show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” _builder_version=”3.19.7″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” force_fullwidth=”off” src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/GOODWINPW4_MRSN.jpg”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 3″ _builder_version=”3.19.7″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” text_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”8px|||2px” custom_padding=”|||” background_layout=”light”]<\/p>\n Goodwin recalls that maintenance at Allen Benedict Court took six months to reported to her request for a new window for her apartment.\u00a0<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 4″ show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” _builder_version=”3.19.7″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px” src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/GOODWINGFX_MRSN-1.jpg”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 4″ _builder_version=”3.19.7″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” text_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”8px|||2px” custom_padding=”|||”]<\/p>\n The story that began when two bodies were found at Allen Benedict Court is ongoing.\u00a0<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A displaced Allen Benedict Court resident recounts how the complex’s shutdown continues to affect her life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":173,"featured_media":17575,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[67,62,39,849,97],"tags":[560,563,562,561],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17500"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/173"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17500"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17500\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17754,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17500\/revisions\/17754"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}