GARY — The kitchen ceiling of a Concord Commons resident caved in Tuesday night and Gary Housing Authority Executive Director Estelle Brooks wants to know why.

No one was hurt when Shanika Davis’ ceiling came down in her duplex residence in the 5000 block of West 20th Avenue. Davis, 26, and her 2 year-old son, Quante Davis, had gone to her mother Alicia Davis’ house.

Before they left, however, a small piece of the ceiling had fallen on Quante.

The family returned Wednesday morning to a mess.

Davis took photographs of the kitchen and contacted the Gary Housing Authority.

It wasn’t the first time she reported the leaky ceiling: She the contacted the Concord Commons’ management office in May, and then a second time in October. A work order that had been placed indicated that the residence did have a leaky roof.

At some point, maintenance workers for the complex came out and put a shield on the roof, but they never fixed the ceiling, which had by then suffered extensive water damage.

A livid Brooks was at Shanika Davis’ residence Wednesday afternoon with a carbon copy of that work order.


Darlene Fleming, manager for Concord Commons, requested a transfer to a different complex within the last few days, Brooks said. Fleming, who’s at the Delaney complex now, did not return a call for comment.

Brooks said the complex recently hired an independent inspector to conduct an annual inspection of all the units, but she has not seen the results of that inspection. But she’s more concerned about the lack of response to Davis’ complaints.

“If tenants are not getting a response to their work tickets, they should call me,” she said. “And anyone that is not responding to these tickets will be dealt with.”

Brooks immediately set up an apartment for the Davis family and moved them in Thursday afternoon. For all that she had been through, Shanika Davis was grateful.

“I’m very happy she’s here just contacting me,” she said.

Any tenants who are having problems with their work orders should contact Brooks at 881-6422. While she suspects that she might get more calls than she’d like, she’ll gladly take them all.

“If there’s anything we need to know, we need to hear it,” she said.