NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A man living in Norfolk public housing said an odor seemingly coming from waterpipes made his unit uninhabitable.
Rayshawn Tharp and his 2-year-old daughter slept in his car overnight on Tuesday after Tharpe said he ran out of money paying for hotels.
He had property management come to inspect the pipes, which he suspected were leaking sewage into his unit. A plumber said staining on the wall was coming from a leak and was not the genesis of the odor and that the pipes wear not for sewage, but for the heating unit.
10 On Your Side pressed the Norfolk Redevelopment Housing Authority for answers about the issues with the unit.
Executive Director Ron Jackson went to the home Wednesday to evaluate the problem. A maintenance crew was not able to determine the cause of the smell.
The NRHA arranged for Tharpe and his daughter to stay in a hotel on Wednesday, and for the family to move to a different apartment complex immediately.
“I appreciate you WAVY 10 News,” Tharpe said after he was assigned a new apartment.
He got his keys Thursday and is working to get reimbursed for his hotel stays.
