NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Nashville woman is pleading for help from the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency. She's in need of a bigger space.
The grandmother of three said her Cayce Homes apartment, near Shelby Avenue, is not big enough to care for her disabled grandson.
"They added the ramp, but if he’s not able to move into the chair and stuff, the ramp isn’t really helping except when the ambulance comes to pick him up and take him to the doctor," she said.
This grandmother wanted to stay anonymous, but life has been difficult for her since her grandson was shot and is now paralyzed from the neck down.
They live in Cayce Homes. MDHA moved her family to a first-floor unit in April and put in a ramp. She said it's tight quarters.
“I can’t give him a bath because we can’t get his chair for bathing into the bathroom. We just don’t have enough room period," she said.
She said there’s not enough space for her grandson’s equipment, and since the bedrooms are occupied with her grandkids, she sleeps on the couch.
"I’ve asked for a larger apartment, but they just seem like they can’t find one. I feel like I should’ve gotten a four-bedroom unit," she said.
"If you're waiting for one of those larger bedroom units, it may take some time in order for us to find one that is available," MDHA director of communications Jamie Berry said.
Berry said MDHA finished more than 500 new units at Cayce. She said over half of them have gone to Cayce Residents.
By 2023, MDHA plans to have 400 apartment units under construction for the new Cayce Homes revitalization plan.
Berry doesn’t know the specifics of this grandmother’s situation but said they follow the rules of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
“HUD will tell you how many people can be in a specific bedroom," Berry explained.
Also, if your old building is next in line to be torn down, that’s how MDHA decides who moves into a new unit, she said.
"Right now, we’re at the process where we are having to move people from an old unit here at Cayce and then they will get to move into the next new development," Berry said.
This grandmother is going to keep the faith that her new forever home will be here soon.
"It's been hard, but the Lord is making me do it so as long as I got strength, I’ll do it," the grandmother explained.
Berry said 98 to 100% of their units stay occupied, so it’s hard to get residents into the home they want.
In addition to the new units at Cayce, MDHA is still planning for a new community park. They also want to build a grocery store for residents because there aren’t many options within walking distance for residents.
