Brad Pitt sued because of the houses he built for those affected by Hurricane Katrina

Kamaria Allen wasn’t going to return to New Orleans (Louisiana) Lower 9th Ward after she lost everything because of Hurricane Katrina, but then she saw new houses erected in the city by the famous Hollywood actor Brad Pitt's Make It Right Foundation (MIR) in order to help hurricane victims get affordable housing.

Photo: Facebook / Make It Right

The foundation built futuristic houses in the city, which its representatives also called reliable and protected from a hurricane, writes NBC.

Such houses had never been in the working part of New Orleans, where Allen lived, and if there were, then they were clearly worth more than the 130 000 dollars that the foundation wanted for them.

Allen bought one of the houses created by the foundation in 2011, and now it has practically collapsed.

The mission to make it right was to build 150 well-designed, eco-friendly and low-cost homes in the New Orleans area that was hardest hit by Katrina. As of 2016, the group reported that it had spent 26,8 million dollars building 109 houses.

But Allen and 11 residents of the area noted that many of these houses are rotting and have become life-threatening. They complain about mold and the destruction of the structure of houses, fires due to electrical wiring and gas leaks. Residents believe that the houses were built hastily using low-quality materials, in addition, in their opinion, the projects did not take into account the wet, rainy climate of New Orleans.

According to Allen, Make It Right broke its promises and gave people false hope.

With the advent of problems, the organization has practically disappeared. Make It Right has not built a single new home, filed tax returns or updated its website since 2015. The office in the center of New Orleans was closed, and, according to residents, no one responds to their requests and complaints. According to the spokesman for the organization Brad Pitt, they ordered an inspection for the houses back in 2016, but residents say they are still waiting for the results of this inspection and the necessary repairs to their homes.

Therefore, most of the houses built by Make It Right are now vacant, and it is almost impossible to sell them.

Some residents prefer to remain silent about the problems due to loyalty to the stellar actor, who drew attention to the need to restore the region. Many others are forced to remain silent because of the non-disclosure agreement that the Pitt Foundation demanded to sign in exchange for settling or renovating their homes.

But residents are increasingly upset and give complaints a public character. Last week, two people sued Pitt and his foundation, accusing the organization of a breach of contract and fraud related to the sale of "houses with defects" to them.

A spokesman for Pitt declined to comment on the lawsuit, but issued the following statement: “We began an extensive inspection of the houses immediately after the tenth anniversary of Katrina. Thanks to the MIR team, we began repairing houses that had problems in 2018. ”

The foundation stressed that they made a promise to the residents of the district to help them rebuild housing, and that the organization intends to fulfill this promise.

35-year-old Allen moved to her gray, two-story house on stilts from MIR in October 2011. Within a few weeks, according to the woman, she noticed that mushrooms started to grow from the walls in the bedroom and kitchen. In addition, mold has appeared in many places, as well as the smell of rot due to fungi rotting in the walls. In 2012, Allen started having headaches, and she constantly felt tired. Records of this are in her medical records.

In August, 2012, the environmental inspection company Barclay Assessment Services, hired by Make It Right, found mold in the kitchen, as well as a high level of basidiospores in the air (a product of fungus that appears due to high humidity).

Make It Right did some minor repairs, sealing the holes and adding tiles, but the company did not pay attention to major issues, such as mold removal or structural repairs.

In 2012, Allen moved out of this house. Make It Right returned her money for the initial payment and mortgage payments, in return Allen signed a non-disclosure form, promising not to make any written or oral statements criticizing Make It Right. Allen violated this agreement to draw attention to the problems of other homeowners who are ignored by the organization that built the houses.

This includes her parents as well. After leaving her home, Allen moved in with them; they also live in a house built Make It Right. According to the woman, there is also a lot of mold in this house, and the inspectors also reported an improper ventilation system in the building.

Her mother, Sharon, 65, lives in this house, has difficulty breathing and suffers from frequent respiratory infections, and her brother, Khalid, 20, spends a lot of time in the hospital in the last few years due to speech disorders, breathing problems and memory loss. The family believes that the symptoms are associated with mold, and they are told that the doctors advised them to leave the house, but they cannot afford to move, unless Make It Right buys it from them.

In a letter dated October 2014, Dr. Patrice Evers from Tulane Lakeside Children's Clinic, which treated Khalid, wrote that his symptoms, including memory problems and insomnia, could be associated with mold in the house.

Make It Right, according to the woman, stopped responding to calls from her family.

Many residents of the houses built by the company faced such problems. In this connection, lawyer Ron Austin 7 September filed a class lawsuit against Brad Pitt and Make It Right. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the residents of the homes of Lloyd Francis and Jennifer Decuir. It states that the company created houses with defects, but did not warn buyers of this, а also that it does not repair buildings.

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