A Fort Worth senior living community whose unsanitary conditions were reported on by the Fort Worth Report in August is again facing the possibility of a utility shutoff.<\/p>\n
On Aug. 19, residents of Manor Independent Living, an apartment community for older adults in the Las Vegas Trail neighborhood of Fort Worth, showed the Report trash piled into empty units. The practice started, they said, after garbage collections ceased due to unpaid bills. Residents spoke of pests, leaks, broken elevators and an end to meal services and activities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A nonprofit organization, Homeless Military Veterans, became involved in the property\u2019s management in August. President Kelly Hall said on Aug. 24 that the property\u2019s utility bills had been paid and that the trash would soon be picked up.<\/p>\n
When the Fort Worth Report returned to the property Sept. 24, trash was no longer stacked in vacant units. A bulletin board advertised activities. But fungus grew from the carpet in a first floor hallway. Water dripped from the ceiling into a bucket in one spot. In another, missing ceiling tiles revealed water damage.<\/p>\n
Hall told the Report in September that the utilities had not, in fact, been paid. All but water had been transferred into his nonprofit\u2019s name \u2014 which created a reset that allowed trash pickup to resume \u2014 but that the building\u2019s ownership had not provided him with funds to pay those bills, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only authority they really give us is to collect rent and put (it) into their bank account,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Overdue bills have again created concerns of a utility shutoff. Fort Worth city officials are now involved in an effort to remedy the situation for residents \u2014 many of whom are disabled, receive federal housing vouchers or live on fixed incomes.<\/p>\n
\u2018They\u2019re preying on these people\u2019<\/p>\n
During a visit to the property Thursday, Fort Worth code enforcement officer Larry Runnels told Aaron Renaud, fair housing manager with the North Texas Fair Housing Center, that the city was pursuing an injunction to compel the property owners to make repairs.<\/p>\n
An injunction is a court order directing someone that they must or must not do something, said Christopher Odinet, a professor at the Texas A&M School of Law with expertise in commercial and property law, in an email to the Report.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe point here is essentially for a court to force code compliance\u201d rather than the city imposing a fine, he said.<\/p>\n
Council member Michael Crain, whose district includes Manor Independent Living, told the Report that the hearing was scheduled for Oct. 28.<\/p>\n
Endeavor Group Real Estate LLC, or EGRE, and Pramukh Mahant Senior Living Fort Worth LLC, are parent companies of Calmont Villa FW LLC. Records from the Tarrant Appraisal District list Calmont Villa FW as the owner of the property.<\/p>\n
The Fort Worth Report contacted EGRE for comment but did not receive a response.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/20260925_ManorLiving-11-1024x683.jpg\")
Manor Independent Living is pictured on Sept. 24, 2026, in Fort Worth\u2019s Las Vegas Trail neighborhood. (Christine Vo | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n
If the issues are not addressed after the injunction, Crain said, the city plans to pursue receivership.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This process allows a third party to take over the property under court supervision, Odinet said. The receiver would be given control of the property, allowing them to collect rent, make repairs and pay utility bills, he added.<\/p>\n
Renaud \u2014 who has been working with residents to connect them with legal aid attorneys, inform them of their rights and share resources \u2014 wrote a letter to Mayor Mattie Parker and city council members Sept. 14 requesting that the city begin the process to allow Hall\u2019s nonprofit to become the receiver.<\/p>\n
Crain\u2019s preference, he said, is that the owners fix the property. He believes that is unlikely to happen.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re going to be a good operator and a good actor, we welcome your business all day long in Fort Worth, but these clearly aren\u2019t good actors.\u201d Crain said. \u201cThey\u2019re preying on these people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crain also believes a utility shutoff is a possibility, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can work with the city piece of it, which is trash and water,\u201d Crain said. \u201cAs part of that, we\u2019re not going to let anybody not have water in the facility. But I can\u2019t control electricity and I can\u2019t control gas. I can work with them as much as possible, and I have talked with them already. But ultimately, they\u2019re going to want to continue to get paid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Do not occupy\u2019<\/p>\n
A report from an Aug. 7 city inspection lists more than 100 code violations. Among those are water leaks, holes in walls and ceilings, biological growth, a pest infestation, a nonfunctioning elevator, out of order restrooms, exposed wiring, foundation damage, high grass and weeds, junk vehicles, and damaged exterior doors.<\/p>\n
The inspection also indicates that any vacant units or currently occupied units that later become vacant may not be leased, and that an inspection of the building by the code compliance department is required.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/20260925_ManorLiving-6-1024x683.jpg\")
Fungus grows out of the carpet at Manor Independent Living on Sept. 24, 2026. (Christine Vo | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/20260925_ManorLiving-2-1024x683.jpg\")
Water damage is visible in the ceiling at Manor Independent Living on Sept. 24, 2026. (Christine Vo | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n
On Sept. 24, Fort Worth code compliance department staff physically posted \u201cdo not occupy\u201d notices on all vacant units indicating that new tenants may not move into the building.<\/p>\n
Listings on Zillow and Redfin were still active as of Sept. 29, with 86 units listed as available on each site.<\/p>\n
\u2018All-hands-on-deck\u2019<\/p>\n
Scott Holcomb, who moved into Manor eight months ago, does not know what he would do if the utilities were shut off.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a scary, scary thought,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/20260925_ManorLiving-8-1024x683.jpg\")
Resident Scott Holcomb sits in the lobby of Manor Independent Living on Sept. 24, 2026, in Fort Worth\u2019s Las Vegas Trail neighborhood. (Christine Vo | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n
Holcomb, 66, was homeless prior to moving into Manor, he told the Report in August. It would be a challenge for him to find another place to live.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the majority of us, including me, I have to pay my bills on my own, and there\u2019s only so much I can afford,\u201d Holcomb said. \u201cIt was real difficult just to find this location to live.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that some residents have health challenges that make their circumstances even more difficult.<\/p>\n
But amid the challenges, the community \u201cshowed up for us big time,\u201d Holcomb said.<\/p>\n
The North Texas Fair Housing Center has organized a GoF<\/a>undMe<\/a> for the residents to help those without housing vouchers relocate and, if any funds are leftover, to rehabilitate the building after the receivership process is complete, Renaud said.<\/p>\n Local nonprofit Creating Community partnered with Homeless Military Veterans to help residents, including donating food items and a fan for a resident whose air conditioning had broken. Both nonprofits have also solicited further community support.<\/p>\n Neighborhood revitalization effort LVTRise is working with residents to help them find new living arrangements. Firefighter\u2019s Finest Moving has also agreed to help tenants with relocation, Crain said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s sort of an all-hands-on-deck to make sure that no one there is living in a situation they shouldn\u2019t,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n McKinnon Rice is the health reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Her position is supported by a grant from Texas Health Resources. Contact her at mckinnon.rice@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n