“They let us down,†said Ms. Dempsey, who earns $10.50 an hour at a nearby mall and pays $295 a month for her mortgage and homeowner’s insurance. “They was going to let us live out here and not say anything.â€
Ms. O’Rourke disputes this. In April, HabiJax officials asked residents to report problems. Of 36 responses, she said, workers have resolved 25 and are “working on the others.â€
Even on the blitz construction schedule, she said, all work was supervised by licensed builders and then fully inspected. Professionals — not volunteers — handled the wiring, plumbing, heating, air conditioning and structural work, she said.
“These homeowners have been pulling up carpeting and noticing cracks†in their concrete slabs, Ms. O’Rourke said, taking care to praise many for their work maintaining their homes. But she said, “There’s an innocence when you go into home ownership for the first time. There’s been attention recently because of the scares, people telling them, if you have a crack, it’s a problem.â€