A little more than 3 months ago, Telemundo 20 brought you an exclusive story about Maria Lucila Rangel, who for almost 2 years lived in inhumane conditions in her City Heights apartment.
Finally, after 6 months Maria and her partner were able to find a new apartment to move to, however, it wasn’t what they expected.
"I was so excited. I cried. It was a long time and I didn’t want to stay there [City Heights] anymore. It was so bad over there," she said.
She was desperate to get out of the inhumane conditions in which Maria and her partner lived for more than a year in their apartment in City Heights.
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"A lot of mice were coming out and jumping on the bed and then big spiders came out of the holes and we had a lot of big cockroaches that were flying," Rangel told Telemundo 20 in an interview last September.
They also had problems with the upstairs apartment plumbing as the drainage in that apartment was damaged, causing sewage to flood Maria's apartment. The damage could be seen in pictures the woman shared with Telemundo 20 and NBC 7, in September of last year.
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"We had been waiting for our new apartment for five months, then Telemundo 20’s story about us came out," she said as they applied to the accessible housing program. "About two weeks later they gave us the apartment, and I wouldn't have done that, believe me, I'm sure we were on hold, but I guess that touched them.”
However, among this newfound happiness, they received a new blow.
"We were surprised to find out that the new apartment is infested with cockroaches," she said.
Rangel said they found cockroaches inside the refrigerator, around the kitchen, and in the bathroom. Rangel went from inhumane to poor housing conditions, but according to the manager of the complex, she assured them that they would fumigate the apartment this week, and in the coming weeks they will install a new refrigerator.
"I don't have too many options, but I don’t want to complain because I know these people are good people and work so hard for me, but it’s not what I want," Rangel said.
Rangel's situation shows how difficult it is today to rent affordable housing.
As Rangel posted an ad on Craiglist about two rooms for rent, she became the victim of a scam. Turns out, someone got her information and poised as a tenant and took people's deposits. The people who thought they had a room for rent contacted Rangel asking when they'd be able to move in, but Rangel did not know anything about that.
"People are so desperate because they need a new house and room to stay there and a lot of people cheat these people because they need a house," Rangel said. Rangel is able to rent the extra rooms in her apartment as she got approval from her landlord.
This story was originally reported by NBC 7's sister station, Telemundo 20. To read the article, click here.
