Dosker Manor residents sharing problematic issues in survey to Louisville Metro Housing Authority

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The living conditions at a Louisville public housing complex are terrible, so the city is asking residents to participate in a survey to fix the issues.

Louisville Metro Housing Authority is hosting in-person surveys this week from noon to 4 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. for residents at Dosker Manor. The 50 question survey takes residents about 30 minutes to an hour to complete.

The public housing complex has had many problems for years, and WDRB reporting this year shed a light on deplorable conditions for residents, including a bed bug infestation and violent crime. Louisville Metro Council once called LMHA the city's worst slum lord. Numerous issues like unsafe and unsanitary living conditions and a lack of maintenance have plagued many of the city's housing complexes like Dosker Manor for years.

The one-on-one surveys are confidential. LMHA is paying residents to complete the survey and the results will help build a roadmap for the future of the property.

Sharon Wamer participated in the survey on Monday. She has lived at the public housing on East Muhammad Ali Boulevard for the past 10 years after moving with her family from Elizabethtown.

"They're trying to do better for the people who live here," Wamer said. "I didn't have a place to live, so this is my home."

When the new LMHA director, Elizabeth Strojan, was appointed to her position in November, she toured the buildings to see the issues up close and asked for patience so they could make improvements.

On Monday, there was a pungent smell reeking from the apartments.

"The older a building gets without serious capital repairs, the harder it is to manage," Strojan said. "Smell wise is a very, very old plumbing system and stairwells that are very dirty. Despite our best efforts to keep them clean, they get dirty very quickly."

Strojan said it is emergency repair after emergency repair.

"That is extremely expensive and difficult to staff, so what we're working on now is serious long-term planning," Strojan said.

Wamer previously lived in Building A. She saw bed bugs, mice, maintenance issues and other problems. But since moving to Building C, she hasn't dealt with as many issues.

Wamer would still like to see changes to Dosker Manor.

"Improvement, more better improvement, everything," Wamer said.

The survey asks residents a variety of questions like if they feel safe in the building, if their medical needs are met, if they have experienced crime and what repairs should be made.

"A lot of people at Dosker Manor want to move out, they don't want to be here, we also have a lot of people that this is their community, this is their home," Strojan said. "We have to figure out very quickly we don't have much time to waste, we can't keep people living in these conditions. We have to figure out how we are going to make things better in the long term."

The housing authority said it wants to get feedback from residents so it can improve their living experience.

All survey respondents will get a $30 gift card. To register, call 502-569-1188 or 502-569-3753. Walks-ins will also be accepted at the LMHA office at 420 S. 8th St.

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