The elderly residents of a senior living facility in Atlanta are begging for a reprieve from squatters, filthy conditions and rampant crime at their doorstep.
Atlanta police have confirmed calls for motor vehicle theft, vandalism and burglary at the Veranda in Collegetown, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
Renita Callier, the daughter of resident Charles Russell, told the outlet that there are "9 or 10 people who are sleeping there without electricity, any power - just squatters."
"There are many junkies that are over there who jumped the fence to climb over into the property that was supposed to be prohibited from entering the property," Callier told the outlet.
Rick White, the senior vice president of owning company Integral, admitted that criminal activity is a problem at the facility.
"The issue of unauthorized occupants or squatters is a significant concern. We coordinated our off-duty, APD Officer with on-duty, APD and successfully arrested the two individuals that were squatting in the building," White told Fox 5 Atlanta.
He also said that two troublesome households were the source of many of the disturbances, and said that those tenants would soon be evicted.
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"External factors, such as the capacity of the eviction court system, sometimes constrains our efforts, but we are doing everything within our power to address residents' concerns promptly and thoroughly," White wrote.
To combat recorded break-ins, White said, the complex has repaired their entrance gate and are "exploring the installation of additional surveillance cameras."
Callier had a laundry list of complaints about the property - she said her father, who had a leg amputation, is living on the top floor of the building in deplorable conditions.
"They have a lot of criminal activity going on in that building that needs to be really investigated," she said.
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Resident, Charlene Allen, begged for help at the property, which has 100 units subsidized by Atlanta Housing, at a Fulton County Commissioner's meeting this week.
"When I've been there at night, I've noticed that people were kicking the door. They looked like gangbangers because they were certainly not other senior citizens. We have people living in our attic. We have vandalism of our cars. Today, I was told nine car windows were broken out," Allen pleaded, per Fox 5 Atlanta.
"We are just begging for someone to please come and see what's going on with our building. The homeless keep tearing up the back door. They keep breaking into people's cars. We just don't know who to ask for help," resident Diane Usher said.
