NewsChannel 3's exclusive reporting on mold and water damage in Lincoln Military Housing got big results back in December when the company announced they would do free mold tests for their residents.
But now, we have learned that program will end in less than 24 hours.
A letter was written on April 25th, with Lincoln’s new vice president Joe Sharp saying, “The free mold inspection program has been a success, and there have been no recent requests, which is why the program will end on May 3rd, 2012.”
“It scares me for the people that are just walking into this,” said Brenda Little, who lives in Lincoln’s Sandpiper Crescent complex near Little Creek.
This was Little's first experience with military housing. Lincoln did move her after tests came back positive for mold in her home, but she is still worried for others who could end up in the same situation.
“The families that are moving, that are PCS-ing, they don't know what’s happening,” said Little. “It needs to be offered all the time. They can’t just say, ‘since we aren't getting requests, we are done,’ it needs to be offered regardless.”
What really makes her mad, she says, is that Lincoln didn't alert residents directly about the policy change.
The company admits the notices were only posted in their housing offices, on their website and on Facebook.
“I saw it on their Facebook page just a few days ago, and what gets me is they put it out on their Facebook page, but don’t want to send a letter out to their residents? Not everybody is on Facebook, not everyone likes their page. This should have been put in a letter and put out to residents,” said Little.
Meanwhile, these military wives are pushing each other to sign up before Thursday’s deadline just to be on the safe side.
“If you need it, do it. If you’re not sure, just do it. It’s better to have your results than to wonder if you do have mold,” said Little.
We contacted Lincoln this morning, asking for an on-camera interview, and we asked specific questions like what happens if a family doesn`t have mold problems now but something comes up in the future? What is their recourse? Or what about new families who PCS and move into these units? Are those new families being told if their unit had mold in the past so they know to look for it?
They didn't respond to any of those questions nor did they agree to give an interview. They only referred us back to a line in their April 25th letter:
"We will always respond quickly to address any concerns you may have with regard to water intrusion or mold issues. Our trained staff will respond to your requests and will follow the Virginia guidelines and will obtain a third-party inspector if necessary."
In addition, they specifically noted the Navy gave them the approval to cancel the mold testing program.
