JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Duval County School Board passed a resolution Tuesday night calling for the Hilltop Village Apartments to be improved due to 'deplorable living conditions.'
Nearly 200 students live at Hilltop Village, which is a low-income Section 8 property on West 45th Street in the Moncrief area.
The apartment complex was last inspected in 2015, and though it was due for another inspection in 2017, the inspection never happened, according to the resolution.
Since May 2021, more than 500 citations have been made by the City of Jacksonville's Municipal Code of Compliance Division against the property due to its living conditions. One of the cited issues are rodent problems on the property.
Those living conditions were declared a 'public health crisis,' according to the resolution. It also says the conditions have already been linked to health issues with both children and parents.
"The unacceptable living conditions at Hilltop Village not only affect children’s physical health but likewise affect children’s emotional and psychological development, which will inevitably create barriers to their ability to thrive in an educational environment," the resolution reads in part.
The resolution also accuses the Department of Housing and Urban Development of violating the Uniform Physical Condition Standards by not inspecting Hilltop Village.
The resolution recommends the immediate action be taken to ensure the safety of residents in allowing them to live in a sanitary environment and the suspension of the property's Section 8 Project Based Assistance until such action is taken.
The school board will send the resolution to the Northeast Florida Congressional delegation, Department of Housing and Urban Development and the United States Secretary of Education.