The owners of the Snug Harbor Court complex in Charlotte are under investigation for not keeping townhouses up to code –and may face a lawsuit from the City of Rochester.

Late last month, the Rochester Housing Authority informed the complex’s owners and residents that it would no longer provide Section 8 vouchers at Snug Harbor due to the unsafe and unsanitary conditions.

Residents who qualified for Section 8 housing at the complex are being forced out as of the beginning of July if they can’t pay the full rent of $820 a month. With the Section 8 vouchers, those residents, many of whom are elderly or disabled, used to pay around $594 a month.

The city has pulled Section 8 funding for the residents because the landlords, Frank and Carolyn Frazier of Pittsford, haven’t properly maintained the property. Residents have complained of standing water in the basement, black mold growing on the walls, and vermin infestations.

In addition to the mold, the exteriors of many of the buildings in the complex are in disrepair, such as in the laundry rooms and roofs; some of the air conditioners are visibly damaged.

Tenants in any rental property have the right to repairs that could cause a safety or sanitation issue. Even simple issues like broken residential windows and doors could leave residents susceptible to a burglary; one such home invasion occurs every 13 seconds in the United States.

By the beginning of July, 25 of the residents were supposed to move out of the complex due to the discontinuation of Section 8 funding. However, they told local news stations that they have nowhere to go.

Ada Sheirod, a Snug Harbor resident, said that the city has given residents no support or help with moving expenses if they do leave.

“We’re not getting help, no support or moving expenses,” she said, “and then when you find something decent, Section 8 says the price is too high. We’re stuck between a rock and a hard place.”

There may be relief for residents sometime in the future, though, thanks to the City of Rochester’s pending lawsuit against the owners.

The city has ordered the Fraziers to make improvements to bring the complex up to code. According to the Rochester Housing Authority, they face more than 1,300 code violations.