Apartment Residents Go Weeks Without Gas

Residents at a Dallas apartment complex say they went without gas for weeks, unable to cook or have hot water.

Tenants at the St. James Manor Apartments on Easter Street at Kiest Boulevard in South Oak Cliff saw the gas at the complex shut off for three weeks, a resident told NBC 5 DFW.

“Everybody in the whole place was hungry. We tried to pitch together; had to barbecue, do whatever we could to feed the kids,” said tenant Elexus Crow.

They have been using outdoor grills to cook food.

The apartment complex is in District 4, which is represented by Dallas City Council Member Carolyn King Arnold.

When teachers began to notice children unbathed and hungry at school, they contacted Arnold, a former educator.

Arnold told NBC 5 that the situation at the St. James Manor Apartments could create problems at school.

“It can be embarrassing and sometimes lead to bullying so there’s a domino effect here,” said Arnold.

“It’s unacceptable. And my basic belief is this. If you wouldn’t have your family in that situation, don’t put another family in that situation,” Arnold explained.

Arnold also says she tried to reach out to the property owner.

The Monroe Group, headquartered in Denver, Colorado, manages the property. The company, which specializes in low-income housing, sent an emailed statement claiming the gas company abruptly cut off services after a leak was detected, according to reporting by NBC 5.

According to management, showers at other locations were offered to the tenants as well as hot plates for cooking.

Another tenant at the apartment complex, Ayesha Ramirez, explained to the news outlet how disappointed she was and said the situation caused her concern for her children.

“It bothered me the most not being able to take them a proper bath and give them the proper food,” said Ramirez.

Gas services are supposed to have resumed by Thursday evening.

The Dallas Express contacted the St. James Manor Apartments and the Monroe Group for additional information and comment, but neither entity responded by the time of publication.