The future of a low-income housing unit in the village of Suring remains uncertain, even after months of efforts to find a remedy to substandard living arrangements.
The Suring Non-Profit Housing Corporation owns Pioneer Villa Apartments at 415 N. Mill St., Suring, where residents have endured a leaky roof, cockroach infestation and overall building deterioration in recent years.
Speaking at the Suring Village Board meeting Dec. 10, Gerald Gehling, president of the housing board, said Astar Capital Management Inc. of Madison is interested in purchasing Pioneer Villa and Manor Drive Apartments, another low income housing unit in Suring.
The properties operate under two different government programs, which is causing difficulties, Gehling said. He won’t know more about the potential sale until after the first of the year, he added.
Emotions ran high after Gehling’s report.
“Where is the rent money going?” asked Sheri Davids. Her disabled son recently moved to an apartment in Pioneer Villa to be closer to his family. He has been bothered by the bugs, and it’s affecting his mental health, she said, adding that a broken window in his living room has not been fixed.
The man’s father, Bill Thurman, asked if it would be possible to “just get rid of the bugs and do some repairs, for now.”
“I care about my son and his neighbors,” he said.
Village President Jay Tousey responded to these concerns by calling for a meeting between Village Board members and the housing board.
The property has been managed by Housing Management Services of Oconto, which is closing Jan. 1 when its manager, Ken DePouw, retires. USDA Rural Development, which oversees programs providing loans and grants for rural housing and community programs, said a new management company needs to be in place by Jan. 1.
DePouw previously told village officials it is a constant struggle to get federal funds to make repairs at the apartment complex, and that budget cuts have affected programs that could help address the problems.
A representative of Astar Capital Management has recommended the village consider a management company based in La Crosse. The company has been contacted but has not agreed to take the job.
Village Clerk Carol Heise admonished the housing board concerning the magnitude of this matter, asking, “Who will collect rent, pay the bills and arrange for snow removal, etc?”
Pioneer Villa Apartments was built in the early 1970s.
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