The signs at the entrance to Grahamwood Place Apartments invite future residents to a promising new life with a playground and a sparkling pool. It was here that Kerrie Washington, 29, believed she’d found a spacious home to raise her twin daughters.
The $680 rent was lower than the median $900 for a 1-bedroom apartment in the Memphis area. The apartment was made possible, at least in part, by a decades-old government program that offers tax breaks to real estate developers who provide affordable housing.
As soon as she used the hot water in her bathroom, the caulking began chipping off, Washington said. After three months, the sealant around the edge of the bathtub had loosened so much that the tub was pulling away from the wall…