sobering.

I've only been in this job for 6 weeks (5 if i discount the vacation), and I've seen a lot of eye-opening things already. Yesterday was a reminder to be thankful for what I have been blessed with and that money cannot buy happiness. I conducted my first complaint investigation yesterday afternoon. A tenant had reported that the basement of the home they were renting had filled with sewage and that the landlord would not clean it up or fix the problem. It sounded bad.
It was worse than I imagined. When we arrived, the tenant was outside of the home (approximately 150 sq. feet) with the front door open. I could smell the problem as soon as we got out of the vehicle. The tenant was not who I expected to meet either. She was only 18 and seemed well educated. She was just starting out. She welcomed me and the other inspector in and guided us down the basement stairs, a straight-shot from the front door. The basement was comprised of two small rooms, which served as the sleeping quarters, and the only bathroom. The entire basement was flooded with approx 2 inches of gray septic water and sewage. There was 4 inches of the noxious fluid standing in the shower. It had been this way for over 5 weeks and the landlord had only come and ripped out the carpet. The foam pad was still in place, though saturated. Thick black mold had begun growing on the walls. Half of their belongings were ruined.
We had no choice but to post the house as "Unfit for Human Habitation" and ask them to leave immediately for their own health and safety. This is only the third time the county has had to post a building in the past 10 years. I must be lucky.
Both of the tenants have been ill since the problem began and went to the hospital today for testing. The landlord, who would not return the tenant's calls before, finally called us today in response to a call from the director. She denies everything. The girl's mom called me today and said the tenants have no friends or family in the area and nowhere else to go-no money for a hotel, etc. All I could do is give them a name of a local law firm that helps people with low-income and suggest they call a shelter.
Lord, thank you for a mortgage payment, bills, and the means to an end. Help me to remember that I don't "need" things.