Colony Pointe

We’ve been living in this apartment for nearly two years now, and for almost a full year, our central air conditioning has been broken. Despite countless maintenance requests and follow-ups, we’ve been met with nothing but excuses. Most recently, we were told it “had to be exactly 75 degrees outside” for it to be fixed — which is both illogical and irresponsible. That threshold has come and gone many times, and still, nothing has been done.

We live in Jackson, Mississippi, where extreme heat… and humidity in the summer are dangerous, especially for children. In place of fixing the AC, the complex gave us a single window unit — we already had to purchase our own for our bedroom — so now we have two total units in an apartment with only two windows, one per bedroom. This means we’ve had to keep both windows open 24/7 just to get by, including at night. We also have to leave the back door open for airflow, which is extremely unsafe in such a high-crime area. It’s not just uncomfortable — it’s dangerous.

Temperatures in our apartment have ranged from the low 30s in the morning to over 85 degrees during the day, with no ventilation in our living space. We’ve had to buy space heaters for the winter nights and run the AC units all day in the summer. This has caused insanely high electric bills, on top of late fees we struggle to pay, all while still paying rent for a unit that’s supposed to come with functioning air conditioning.

As a parent, it’s terrifying. One night, our 10-year-old, freezing in his room, turned on the heater and forgot to turn it off. I woke up to find their room dangerously overheated — it could have ended horribly. We are constantly balancing extreme temperatures with no safe or humane solution.

It’s unacceptable that a family has to live this way — with children — simply because the complex won’t do their job. We are paying for safe, functional housing and getting neither. We deserve better, and the fact that this has been allowed to go on this long is not only negligent — it’s inhumane. Read More