Sharon Elliott is still unsure about moving out of Houston’s Greater Fifth Ward through a $5 million voluntary relocation plan offered by the city.
For decades, the 64-year-old has lived just a block from Union Pacific Railroad’s old wood-preservation site, which leached chemicals throughout her neighborhood. Still, the idea of starting somewhere new is daunting, especially since she doesn’t know all the details of the city’s plan to move residents from the 42 properties located over the contaminated groundwater plume.
It’s a sentiment felt by many of Elliott’s neighbors in Greater Fifth Ward, which is why when Houston’s new administration decided to put a 30-day pause on the relocation effort to give time for residents to understand the move, she said it was needed.
“No one’s knocked on my door to explain anything to me,” Elliott said. “I don’t just want to move anywhere – what if it’s a worse neighborhood? That’s a lot to ask of us.”
