By Robert J. Hansen

Marcheri Smith has lived in public housing at Alder Grove for seven years. For the last three the single mom has endured mold in her bathroom because the maintenance crew for her complex refused to fix it.

Three years ago, Smith’s then-7-year-old son became ill and had to repeatedly be taken to the hospital.

“I first noticed the mold because [he] couldn’t breathe in here,” Smith told Solving Sacramento in an interview at her home.

Her son, now 10, has lived with his father for the last two years because of his physical problems living with mold.

Smith, 38, still lives with her two younger sons and is concerned for her and her sons’ health.

She said she put in a work order and the person who came to look at the bathroom said it was dirt and not mold along the bathtub.

Other residents spoke to The OBSERVER about mold in their homes but wished to remain anonymous.

The Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency, which manages Alder Grove and adjacent Marina Vista, told The OBSERVER it would look into people living with mold in their units.

SHRA did not clarify if repairs were being made, nor did it make clear if there are plans to renovate the 83-year-old housing complex, which also could be demolished and rebuilt according to the city’s West Broadway Specific Plan.

Smith doesn’t know what she would do if the city decided to demolish her home, but for now she thinks the neighborhood needs to be renovated.

“I just want it fixed,” Smith said.

This story is part of the Solving Sacramento journalism collaborative. Solving Sacramento is supported by funding from the James Irvine Foundation and the James B. McClatchy Foundation. Our partners include California Groundbreakers, Capital Public Radio, Outword, Russian America Media, Sacramento Business Journal, Sacramento News & Review, Sacramento Observer and Univision 19. Sign up for our monthly newsletter.