But housing authority officials denied ever giving Hill that advice.
On Nov. 10, Gilbert came home and found a man sleeping in her bed. Baltimore police arrested the man, and he was later convicted and given an 18-month suspended sentence. On Nov. 20, a second burglary occurred at Gilbert's apartment, according to police.
One housing official promised them an investigation after the second break-in, but never followed up, Gilbert said - but housing officials said such a promise was never made. She petitioned in District Court to have her rent placed in escrow until her problems could be addressed but was denied.
Gilbert also sought help from the city state's attorney's office, but was told she needed more documentation and a referral from a city prosecutor involved in a case that specifically involved witness intimidation.
Housing authority officials initially said the agency acted appropriately as Gilbert's landlord and denied that her lock didn't work. On Dec. 19, a maintenance worker replaced a missing button in the rear door lock, but the lock itself was functional, officials said. Then maintenance workers replaced the locks Jan. 23 because Gilbert signed an authorization form to complete the lock change.
The agency also fixed her broken bathroom sink and smoke detector, said Bryon, the executive director.
In a statement to The Sun last week, housing officials denied that anyone in the agency told Gilbert that it was unsafe to return to her apartment.
But the statement from housing says, "We will work with her in the cleaning process."
Housing officials called Gilbert's situation unusual, in that they don't regularly receive reports of tenants forced to abandon their apartments because of intruders.
Most complaints are attributed to domestic problems or tenants handing out keys to friends and neighbors. Bryon said. She pointed to a 55 percent reduction in violent crime and drug dealing in Latrobe from 2006 to 2007. A police surveillance camera system, which cost more than $800,000, is helping reduce crime in the area.
"This housing authority is very, very serious about the health and safety of its residents," Bryon said.
On Wednesday, Gilbert and Hicks visited the unit - in the 800 block of Abbott Court -with a Sun reporter. A plastic jug filled with urine was in the living room. Dirty clothes and used condoms were scattered about floors caked with dirt. The toilet appeared clogged, and the bathtub was filled with debris, including a paper coffee cup and a dirty toothbrush.
After leaving the unit that day, Gilbert locked the front door firmly behind her.
The next morning, Thursday, a Sun reporter went to the apartment and found the door open. A neighbor said he saw men entering and leaving the apartment after Gilbert and Hicks left the day before.
"People think if you're uneducated and you're poor, they can take advantage of you," Hicks said. "I don't have a lot of money, but if I can help my aunt I will do it."
gus.sentementes@baltsun.com
