Single Mother Forced To Move Due To Raw Sewage Leak At Rental Home

A single mother was forced to move after raw sewage surfaced at her rental home in The Village. Sharee Johnson says the landlord is not helping her and now the city has shut off the water to her home.

The small single-story home in The Village has curb appeal, or so Johnson thought. She learned looks can be deceiving. “You look at it you're like ‘Oh, it's great,’” Johnson said. “Then the plumbing started happening, we never had a working stove.”

After her mother passed away last year, she used her inheritance to put down a year’s worth of rent for the home, to ensure a safe place to live with her kids. However, even the scented candle burning in her kitchen can’t mask what surfaced next. “It's actually kind of stinky,” she said. “It all just overflows into here, it just all comes up.”

She’s referring to raw sewage in her backyard due to a bad sewer line. “Whatever you flush, comes here,” she said pointing to the center of her backyard. “Feces, pee, food, whatever goes through that plumbing, it comes out here, it smells.”

Johnson says her landlord did attempt to have it fixed but it was just a band-aid and eventually got worse. “I was in the shower one day, feces all in there, all through my shower, it's everywhere,” she said.

According to The Village City Manager Dave Slezickey, the city had no choice but to shut off the water to the home. It said it was a safety hazard due to the raw sewage and wastewater overflowing into her and her neighbor’s properties. He also said the city is not evicting her. However, Johnson says she knows she needs to move, but can’t afford it.

“Where do we go, what do I do,” she said. “I used my money to live here and be safe for my kids and now, we have nowhere to go.” 

She says her landlord is not responding anymore and court documents show the home is now tied up in litigation. The city says it’s the owner’s responsibility to replace the line but locating the owner has been a struggle, since the property is owned by an LLC with no physical address.

“What did I do wrong, what did I do to deserve this,” Johnson said. “I don't know what else to do, I’ve called, I’ve begged, I’ve pleaded. I feel like I’m failing my kids.”

If you would like to help the family raise money to find a safe place to live, click here: Fundraiser by Sharee Johnson: Abatement (gofundme.com)