Southwest Georgia United responds

Non-profit comes under fire from former employee & current tenant

CORDELE, GA- Ms. Erika Davis is an occupant and tenant at 170 Clegg Blvd, Cordele, GA., a 3 bedroom 2 bath (1650 sq. ft) house owned and managed by Southwest Georgia United On 5/17/22, she appeared on WSST-TV in a segment entitled “Mold Infestation Causes Nightmare.”

During her interview, she stated “They (rental houses) need improvement that they (Southwest Georgia United) can do and they don’t do it.” 

Though Southwest Georgia United maintains all of its properties to meet or exceed required standards, Southwest Georgia United would like to enthusiastically endorse Ms. Davis conclusion that many of its rental houses would benefit from additional improvement. 

The organization wishes that her conclusion about its resources available to make desirable improvements was also correct. Southwest Georgia United’s goal is to maintain its rental properties in the best condition possible, subject to available funds.  

Like most other private landlords, Southwest Georgia United relies on its tenants to report maintenance issues. The organization requires residents to report maintenance needs as soon as possible so that they can be corrected.  

Southwest Georgia United maintains a logbook of all maintenance calls. Southwest Georgia United’s records show the following contacts regarding Ms. Davis’ rental home prior to the 5/17 television interview: 

Ms. Davis contacted Southwest Georgia United’s Asset Management staff on 5/10/2022 regarding what she described as mold in her rental house. The request from Ms. Davis on 5/10/2022 is the only request regarding “mold” received from her during her five year tenancy. Her report did not mention any issues with her children’s health. Her report did not mention any issues with the floors in her rental house. Southwest Georgia United maintenance staff responded on 5/11/2022.

Southwest Georgia United has no evidence that the unit has any mold. Dark material in moist locations can be mold, mildew, or a compound of dirt due to poor housekeeping. Southwest Georgia United treats any such condition when it is reported. Treatment of any of these conditions includes thorough cleaning and then encapsulation of the affected area. Thorough cleaning includes the use of a dilute bleach solution throughout the affected area. Encapsulation can be achieved by use of special sealants, caulking, or a sealed physical barrier, such as a shower surround.  The tenant is asked not to disturb the area until the repair has set, usually a matter of a few hours. 

Maintenance staff completed the treatment on 5/11/2022.  Ms. Davis had not reported any additional issue or any dissatisfaction with the maintenance issues prior to her television interview that was broadcast on 5/17.

Since the interview, Southwest Georgia United has taken the following actions:

Asset Management staff notified Ms. Davis in writing on 5/19/22 that they would be entering her home on 5/20/22 to assess the issue. On 5/20/22, Maintenance staff entered the home to make assessment of what needed to be done as it related to her recent complaint as expressed through the television news segment.  On 5/23/22, maintenance installed new vent fans in both bathrooms, cleaned what appeared to be mildew, and re-attached the shower surround. There was no evidence of mold. Ms. Davis did not identify any issues regarding the floors, and maintenance staff did not perceive any soft spots. 

Southwest Georgia United manages more than one hundred single family rental houses (including some duplexes) scattered throughout Cordele. The majority of the homes are occupied by low-income families, including fixed income retirees. The houses are priced to be affordable to low-income community residents.  

A typical monthly rental for a 3-bedroom 2-bath house is $625. A few of the residents have Section 8 rental certificates, but none of the houses have any direct rental subsidy. All of the operations costs are paid from rental income.

The rental houses have been 95% to 100% occupied for the past three years. Despite Ms. Davis’ complaint, one reason for the high occupancy is that Southwest Georgia United always seeks to keep its rental houses in good condition. 

As a nonprofit charitable organization, and unlike many private landlords, Southwest Georgia United always attempts to minimize rent increases. Over the past five years, the total rent increase for units similar to Ms. Davis’ house has been $35.00 (total, not $35 per year). The property rental operation typically breaks even each year. 

Over the past three years, the cost of maintenance materials has significantly increased.  As an example, the cost of a two by four framing stud increased by 89% from June 2020 to May 2022.  Southwest Georgia United has been absorbing the costs of these increases rather than passing the costs along to our low income tenants.

The community has these homes available because, in 2009, the Board of Southwest Georgia United chose to purchase, improve, and maintain a group of existing rental houses. Nearly all of the rental houses were more than fifty years old when they were purchased.

Over the years, Southwest Georgia United has installed central heat and air in the units, replaced the major systems when necessary, kept the units painted and maintained, and repaired the units after they had been damaged by straight-line winds, hurricanes, or  other forces of nature. Southwest Georgia United pays city, county, and school system property tax on its houses.

Southwest Georgia United is a 501(c)3 charitable nonprofit corporation. The organization and all of its affiliated organizations are audited annually, and the audits are available through Freedom of Information Act and Open Records Act requests. 

A disgruntled former employee who was requested to resign appears to be targeting the Southwest Georgia United organization and inciting criticism in retaliation. The former employee conducted a demonstration in front of the Southwest Georgia United offices on 5/18. The Board of Directors of Southwest Georgia United is concerned regarding the defamatory comments, inaccuracies, and falsehoods being distributed through social media and local television news segments. The Board of Directors is examining its legal options in consultation with its attorney.