Both elevators at a 10-story senior apartment building on Detroit’s Southfield Service Drive have been broken or malfunctioning for eight months, forcing elderly residents to climb stairs just to reach their own apartments, while bedbugs spread through the complex at the same time. Residents of Greenhouse Apartments say the dual crisis has made daily life at the 200-unit subsidized senior housing complex increasingly untenable.
The breakdown was detailed in reporting by WWJ Newsradio 950, which found that both elevators serving the building have been out of service or unreliable for eight months, compounding an ongoing bedbug problem inside the complex. Residents told FOX 2 Detroit they have been forced to use the stairs because the building’s elevator is not working, a hardship for a population of elderly tenants who often depend on mobility aids or regular medical appointments.
A Building Meant to Be Rehabilitated
The maintenance failures come despite a substantial public investment aimed at improving the property. In October 2023, the Michigan State Housing Development Authority Board approved an $18.5 million loan for Greenhouse Apartments to finance rehabilitation across its 209 senior units and 11 accessible units, according to the State of Michigan. Three years later, residents are still contending with broken elevators and pest infestations, raising questions about how that rehabilitation funding has translated into day-to-day habitability.
Public employment listings updated this month identify KMG Prestige, Inc. as the property management firm responsible for on-site operations at Greenhouse Apartments, per a KMG Prestige job posting. The complex operates under HUD Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, with tenant rent contributions capped at 30% of household income for qualifying low-income seniors, according to housing records from Affordable Housing Online.
Residents Were Housed in Livonia
Greenhouse residents were housed in Livonia, BridgeDetroit reported…