Public housing residents, advocates protest living conditions outside Winston-Salem Housing Authority office

More than 50 people gathered outside the Housing Authority of Winston-Salem's headquarters on Tuesday to speak out about the state of public housing buildings in the city. 

Residents from Crystal, Healy and Sunrise Towers were joined by family members and advocates at the rally.

Healy Towers resident Edith Chisholm said tenants have called for repairs to their buildings for years.

"It's a disgrace and it's a dishonor and disrespect that they will refurbish a building for themselves, spending millions of dollars and we can't even get our toilets to work right," she said.

The rally is the latest of several public outcries alleging neglected repairs. Housing advocates and residents also presented a petition to the city council in February noting plumbing issues, among other things.

But Housing Authority leadership insists there are no outstanding maintenance repairs. According to a presentation before the HAWS Board of Commissioners, 108 plumbing work orders have been received this year as of March, with 94 of those closed within 24 hours.

HAWS Board Chair Andrew Perkins said the outcry has become a "gotcha issue," and not a legitimate attempt to solve a problem.

"My position is this: we will continue with the exceptional maintenance program that we have," Perkins said. "And those folks come to work with one focus in mind, let's be better than what we were yesterday."

The HAWS Board of Commissioners is expected to have its next meeting on May 13.