Veranda at Whitted residents tell Durham City Council building is unsafe, seek investigation

Residents of the Veranda at Whitted senior housing complex told the Durham City Council on March 20 that long-running safety and maintenance problems are making their building unsafe and asked the city to investigate the property’s managers and contractors.

The complaints came during the council’s public-comment period. More than a half-dozen residents, and advocates working with the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, described broken locks and doors, people living in stairwells and storage rooms, trash buildup, a lack of routine cleaning and a thin maintenance staff.

“People are sleeping in our storages. We have people in the stairwells living,” said one resident, who spoke to the council and described feces and mattresses left in hallways. “Our locked doors have been broken into. We have apartments that people have come into if you haven't locked your door.”

Advocates and resident leaders elaborated on those claims. Jacqueline Wagstaff, co‑chair of the housing committee of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, said the building’s residents have reported the conditions for years. Wagstaff asked the council to “investigate the contractors that are managing this property and some other properties and actually put some talk into action.”

Stella Adams, chair of the committee’s housing committee, said she and others tested recently repaired doors and found them still easy to open: “The alleged fixed doors were easily popped. We popped two of the 11 doors just by pushing from the outside.” Adams also said common areas had urine and feces and that drug use was apparent in hallways.

Pastor Ann Jacob said people are bringing unauthorized guests into residents’ units and that smoke from drug use is spreading through vents, a risk for residents with breathing conditions: “You have people that are on CPAP. We have people that are on oxygen. You have people with asthma, with heart issues…Something has to be to take place.”

Several speakers noted that the development had been part of a larger city‑county effort and asked the city to use its oversight tools to secure better management. One resident said trash removal has “come to almost a stop” and described a single maintenance worker tasked with repairs for 79 apartments plus trash removal.

Deputy City officials on hand did not give a formal response during public comment. Council members thanked residents for coming and said they would follow up with staff. The council did not take a formal vote or action on the Veranda complaints during the March 20 work session.

For residents and advocates, the message was clear: they want immediate inspections, an accounting of which contractors are responsible for maintenance, and a plan to restore secure doors, routine sanitation and trash removal. The council’s follow‑up steps — whether a formal investigation, an inspection or a referral to code enforcement — were not named on the record at the meeting.