DETROIT – Former tenants of the condemned Leland House high-rise in downtown Detroit began returning on Tuesday, for the first time in nearly six months, to collect belongings they were forced to leave behind after a December power failure led the city to deem the building unsafe.
The limited access marks a major step for 38 households who evacuated in December and have been waiting to retrieve personal items from their apartments.
But many residents said the conditions inside the building were frustrating and heartbreaking.
“I know it’s going to be emotional for me to walk in here,” former tenant Dianne Lamb said. “I stayed on the 16th floor. And I just want to see what my unit looks like, you know.”
Outside the building, residents packed their cars as they prepared to move out what they could.
Video captured inside by documentary photographer Karen Lippowiths showed what tenants said was a grim reality: dark hallways, a strong stench, water damage, and refrigerators holding months of rotting food.
“A lot of things got damaged,” former tenant Kenneth Ogburn said. “Fish tank exploded. All the fish are dead. Turtles. All of my animals that were still in there are dead.”
The city of Detroit provided some lighting inside the building and repaired an elevator to allow residents to reach their apartments, tenants said.
The city has also been assisting displaced residents with housing and is now providing movers to help pack and deliver items tenants want removed.
“I’m ready to just move on from this whole process,” former tenant Keon Faulconer said. “They owe us something from this. For all of my stuff to be in there that long. Our stuff has been sitting in there all this time. It’s all messed up now.”
Detroit Corporation Counsel Conrad Mallett Jr. said the building’s owner has outstanding blight tickets.
He also said that bankruptcy proceedings revealed a pending $3 million offer to purchase the Leland House.
“With the new landlord, what we want very much is for the new landlord to comply with our vacant building ordinance, secure the building up tightly, (and) redevelop it at your leisure,” Mallett said.
Residents said advocates with the Detroit Tenants Union helped them push for access and support.
Lamb said the displacement has taken a significant toll.
Asked how much of a mental, emotional, and physical toll the last several months have taken, she responded, “Oh, horrible. I mean, I’m surprised I’m sane right now. But you’ve got to stay strong for situations like this. And like I said, we fought for our rights to get what we want.”
City staff and Detroit Tenants Union advocates said a schedule has been set for residents to retrieve belongings, and the move-out process is expected to continue through the end of the month.