FOX 8 Defenders: Former tenant files suit against Parc Fontaine

ALGIERS, La. (WVUE) - A former tenant of the Parc Fontaine apartments in Algiers has filed a lawsuit against the owner of the complex, a Tennessee-based religious non-profit, alleging the organization allowed deplorable conditions at the site. The lawsuit seeks class-action status to allow other tenants to join.

In a lawsuit recently filed in Orleans Civil District Court, former Parc Fontaine tenant Alvin Hills claimed that during his three-month residency, his bathroom ceiling collapsed due to a leaking air conditioner compressor. He also alleged that management falsely accused him of being late on rent when he claimed he was not delinquent. Additionally, Hills asserted there was never any security at the site.

In September of last year, Creston Delay told Fox 8 he had water leaking from his kitchen, which covered the floor and carpet, forcing him to sleep in a corner of the room.

“There’s a lot of mold, a lot of the sheetrock is falling off the walls from all of the mold and the water that’s leaking,” another tenant, Nathan Wilson, told Fox 8.

Hills’ lawsuit references several Fox 8 reports on the deplorable living conditions and the non-profit that owns the complex, Global Ministries Foundation, as well as interviews the Fox 8 Defenders have conducted with State Rep. Jason Hughes and Councilwoman Helena Moreno. The non-profit’s CEO, Richard Hamlet, is listed as a defendant.

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We’ve also found through our reporting on Global Ministries Foundation, also known as PAC Housing Group or Ministry Outreach Foundation, that the non-profit, when applying for state financing, included a list of services that it would provide to residents, like after-school tutoring for kids, computer training sessions and pregnancy counseling.

The lawsuit claims Hills “never had anything posted on his apartment doors regarding offerings or availability for any of these social impact programs.”

The lawsuit also says Hills saw dumpsters overflowing with trash, the pool filled with filthy green water and broken gates surrounding the pool.

“Across state lines, across party lines and across the years, the foundation and hamlet have drawn almost universal condemnation for deplorable living conditions, ill-gotten taxpayer money and misrepresenting the nature of their housing units,” the document states.

This marks the second lawsuit filed against Richard Hamlet and GMF in recent months, following a suit filed by tenants at The Willows in New Orleans East in April.

In a statement, Richard Hamlet called this a frivolous lawsuit and says the former tenant was evicted.

“These type (of) baseless allegations hurt the large majority of residents who enjoy living at Parc,” he says.

He also says the site has private security personnel every evening and that the resident services program was exemplary prior to COVID.

Attorneys for Alvin Hills, the plaintiff in the new lawsuit, declined to comment on pending litigation.

If you have a consumer complaint you’d like us to look into, call the Fox 8 Defenders, staffed with volunteers from the National Council of Jewish Women at 1-877-670-6397. Or click here to fill out our online complaint form, which is the easiest way to reach us.

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