LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Louisville man says he was bullied out of his home at Dosker Manor and left to live on the streets, and if it weren't for a local nonprofit advocating for him, he's not sure where he'd be.
"They take all the weak people's rooms and take over," said Mr. Smith, who asked for his identity to be concealed due to fear of retaliation.
2024 has been a turbulent year for Mr. Smith, describing conditions inside the Dosker Manor Apartments as "bad" and "not liking it one bit" since he moved in in January.
Things worsened when he found himself homeless less than two months later, after what open records obtained by WHAS11 cite as a "termination of his lease."
But Smith's representative payee told WHAS11 the move out of his unit was anything but voluntary.
"If they tore up the apartment, he was going to still be a victim," Juanita Henderson said. "They had taken his apartment -- just took it. I don't know how you do that, [how you] say, 'You get out, I'm going to live here now.'"
Henderson is a representative payee account manager for Kept, Inc., which helps vulnerable people manage their finances.
In March, Henderson sent a letter to the Louisville Metro Housing Authority, writing "before [Smith] could get settled in his apartment, it was taken over by an individual that goes by the name of Red."
"Someone had bullied him out of his apartment," Henderson told WHAS11.
Henderson went on to write, "He actually feared for his life. The result is that he is literally living on the streets of Louisville."
Court records show police arrested the suspect, convicted felon Keiandris Whaley, who allegedly hijacked the unit. Authorities found a loaded gun and illegal drugs inside during the arrest. According to the citation, detectives said there was evidence indicative of trafficking narcotics.
LMHA Executive Director Elizabeth Strojan, who started in her role in January, said she's "certainly aware of this specific situation, and I've heard anecdotal stories about this happening."
Strojan described a perfect storm resulting from aging facilities that are hard to secure and a vulnerable population.
"I think this situation is a perfect example of how difficult it is to manage Dosker Manor," Strojan said.
LMHA emails, obtained through an open records request, show officials were considering having Smith reapply for new housing and requiring another interview. It's something Henderson thought was backwards.
"Now you're going to make him a victim again -- it didn't make sense. Make that make sense," Henderson said.
Through Kept's efforts, Smith ended up at a unit at Saint Catherine Court, which the Housing Authority held for him.
"I love every bit of it," Mr. Smith said. "It's cleaner and the people are nice."
But still looming over these complexes on Muhammad Ali Boulevard is the question of how to avoid anything like Mr. Smith's situation from happening again.
"At the end of the day, we can't let bad people take over units," Strojan said. "We can't let a situation happen where we have someone dangerous in the building, that we're aware of, who's not supposed to be here. We can't let them stay."
The challenges facing residents living at the largest public housing complex in Louisville have extended for years, with many tenants citing apartment units littered with mold and pests.
LMHA said it's implemented 24/7 surveillance at Dosker Manor, with either officers and/or guards on site at all times. The housing authority said it's also partnering with social service groups to give tenants more support.
LMHA wants to hear from Dosker Manor residents, offering a new survey designed to gather feedback in order to improve the living experience and future housing developments. For more info, click here.
Kept, Inc. is taking part in a Kentucky Gives Day barbeque, party & raffle, encouraging the community to donate to their efforts. It's happening on May 7 from 11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. at Joe Creason Park.
If you have any questions, you can call 502-465-5378 or visit Kept's website.
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