MILWAUKEE — At least 40 people are out of their homes after the City of Milwaukee's Department of Neighborhood Services (DNS) declared an apartment building at 23rd and Michigan unsafe to live in.
DNS said an inspector found several "life safety issues" at the property, including fire doors and fire alarm systems that were not working properly. Inspectors also said the electrical system was tampered with.
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DNS issued a placard for the building — a temporary order that prevents residents from staying in the building until it is brought into compliance with safety standards.
Multiple pets were also removed from the building and picked up by MADACC.
TMJ4’s Meryl Hubbard spoke with multiple residents outside the building who said they had no place to go.
“Most items I got was baby clothes — having a newborn soon. I have a daughter now that turned one years old. Some of my partner — her items. Just try to get most of the things I can, because you don't know who may be able to enter the building, retrieve our own items,” one resident said. “When we'll be able to even get back in — they said a couple of days, but you never know.”
DNS spokesperson Jeremy McGovern said the agency did not take the decision lightly.
"We do not enjoy doing placards. It's a horrible situation for everyone involved," McGovern said. "But the choice between displacement or potentially people dying in a fire — that's an easy choice for us to make, as distasteful as it is for us to displace residents."
Residents and DNS said the properties are managed by Smart Asset Management Realty. DNS had advocates on scene to help residents find a place to stay.
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