Community advocates call for forensic audit of church group behind Fifth Ward’s Pleasant Hill Village retirement community [Video]

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Community advocates are now calling for a forensic audit of a church group responsible for Pleasant Hill Village, an affordable senior housing facility in the Fifth Ward.

ABC13 has been covering conditions at the site, including black mold and raw sewage.

On Tuesday, Pastor Harvey Clemons Jr., who leads the church and its community development corporation, was asked to speak in front of Houston City Council’s Housing and Affordability Committee after advocates, tenants, and their family members raised concerns regarding such conditions.

During his presentation, Clemons listed how he spent $3 million of taxpayers’ money the city gave him for repairs on the building in 2019. He did so in response to allegations that he misused the funds.

Clemons told ABC13 the allegations are “categorically false.”

Clemons said the rent-capped property, constructed with an affordable housing tax credit, does not generate revenue. He said he spent each dollar the city gave him on necessary repairs …