‘Fear and frustration:' South Bend Housing Authority properties are among the worst in Indiana

The Westcott Apartments were supposed to be a second chance. But after just one month in his new home, run by the Housing Authority of South Bend, James was already looking to move.

In early May, his toilet was backing up, his door wouldn’t open or close properly and he saw mice scurrying through the building. Many of the mailboxes didn’t have working locks, he said, making him worry that his mail wasn’t secure.

James was one of 112 people forced out of the authority’s Rabbi Shulman Apartments, on Western Avenue, because of gas leaks in the six-story building in February.

For the seven months that James lived in Rabbi Shulman, he couldn’t turn on his gas stove because of the leaks.

But if he had the choice to leave his new unit in Westcott, on Alonzo Watson Drive, and return to Rabbi Shulman, he said he’d gladly go back.