At least 13 of 15 Orchard Place accessible units tested positive for meth, report says
The Englewood Housing Authority has not disclosed the exact number of remaining contaminated units, cleanup costs, resident-notification process or final board action.
At least 13 of 15 federally accessible units tested at Englewood’s Orchard Place tested positive for meth contamination, according to the Englewood Housing Authority’s Sept. 2 director’s report. The contamination is reducing the number of accessible apartments available for lease while the authority cleans units as staffing allows.
Several contaminated units had been decontaminated by the time of the report, but the authority did not say how many remained to be cleaned or give a firm completion date.
The report lists six vacant apartments at Orchard Place, including three ADA units. The authority anticipated having at least three apartments, including one ADA unit, ready for lease by the end of September, depending on maintenance staffing. The report does not establish that all six vacant units were unavailable because of contamination or identify which units were affected.
Orchard Place has 100 apartments. A July occupancy table lists 95 as leased as of July 31, while the September report lists six vacancies; the packet does not explain the difference, which could reflect different reporting dates or definitions. The July table also lists 199 applicants for Orchard Place wheelchair-accessible public housing.
The authority reported that occupants of ADA units were being transferred within the building and that testing connected with those transfers was complete. The packet does not describe how residents were notified, whether they received exposure information or relocation assistance, or what health and safety measures were used. It does not say whether any residents became ill.
The packet does not provide the cost of testing, decontaminating or repairing Orchard Place units. A $230,000 environmental-remediation and cleanup line in the proposed 2026 budget applies to Simon Center, a different property, and should not be treated as an Orchard Place expense.
Staffing shortages appear to be affecting the cleanup schedule. The authority said it hired two maintenance technicians, but one left after a few days; shortages were delaying unit remodels and turns.
The authority’s official city calendar listing showed the Sept. 2, 2026, meeting as upcoming on Aug. 28. The board was scheduled to receive director’s, financial and occupancy reports and consider a 2025 audit and an amended 2026 consolidated budget; no action had occurred as of Aug. 28.
The packet contains conflicting audit information. Minutes from July 29 say action on the audit resolution was postponed because the auditor could not attend and was scheduled for Sept. 2. An attached resolution, however, says the audit was approved and adopted July 29. The materials also use inconsistent numbering for the budget resolution. The Sept. 2 meeting record will be needed to determine the board’s final action.