Displaced Riverview Terrace residents says she’s still living in limbo

ADRIAN, Mich. (WTVG) - More than a month ago, residents of Riverview Terrace Apartments in Adrian were told to vacate the building with just a week’s worth of clothes.

Now, residents may never be able to return home, and many are still struggling to find permanent housing.

Displaced resident Kathy Brighton said she and her husband have been living in limbo since the day they left Riverview Terrace. They left almost all of their belongings behind, believing they’d be back. She said they have no idea what might happen or where they’ll go.

“They just shuttle us around, a week here and a week there,” said Brighton. “By the second move I said ‘I’m too sick I can’t do it’, and they said ‘you have to or it’s $125 a day’. So on the bus, I go. Sure enough, within an hour, taken by ambulance.”

The couple is being moved again Thursday morning. Brighton said she has no idea where they’ll be staying. She added they were told to pack a week’s worth of clothing when leaving their sixth-floor apartment.

“Our first thing was we found out we did not have proper clothing after the first week. Luckily it’s clearance time, especially at Walgreens,” said Brighton.

The weather will start to get cold soon and they have no winter clothes.

“We wrapped up in towels one night we were that cold,” said Brighton.

The Emergency Management Coordinator for Lenawee County said they are continuing to find permanent housing for residents and doing whatever they can to get people back on their feet. Brighton said they still feel lost. “Once you’ve fallen through those cracks, there’s no getting you out,” said Brighton.

She and her husband both have serious medical conditions and live on a fixed income.

“Nobody deserves this. It’s not like we didn’t do everything. We paid our rent, and it didn’t matter. So now we’re out a couple thousand dollars,” said Brighton. “We’re poor, we’re broke, and it’s not even halfway through the month yet.”

Her husband uses a wheelchair and relies on oxygen. He said if he doesn’t have access to power, he’ll die within 24 hours.

“It’s pretty sad to be in this position at this age when you’ve worked all your life to get where you’re at and it’s all left up on the sixth floor,” said Brighton.

They are hoping for the best case scenario: “Just to get settled somewhere and be able just to live our life. Go back to the way we were.”

If you’d like to help displaced residents, you can donate to the Lenawee Community Foundation. Make sure you use the Riverview Terrace Response Fund designation.

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