'Nobody deserves to live like this': Disabled apartment residents go days without tap water, working toilets
Jul 27, 2026
Dozens of elderly and disabled adults living at Merrill Park Apartments on N. 33rd Street are going without tap water or working toilets since Sunday morning.Some residents say they weren't told about the problem TMJ4 reached ou
t to Milwaukee's Housing Authority, known as HACM, more than 24 hours after they lost running water.WATCH: Disabled residents go days without tap water at Milwaukee apartment complex Disabled residents go days without tap water at Milwaukee apartment complexMilwaukee Water Works and Department of Public Works crews were on site Monday and determined there is a leak underneath the building, but it is unclear how long repairs will take."I can't wash because I have no water power," resident Corey Love said. Love said the lack of necessities is especially concerning given the population living in the building."No hot water, no cold water," Love said.Love said many residents in the building are disabled and cannot leave without assistance, making the outage even more difficult to manage. "My bathroom's even worse," Love said.Love said he couldn't find a public restroom within walking distance and called the situation unacceptable."We don't treat animals or prisoners like this. Nobody deserves to live like this. I know it may be something out there that has to be done. But we should have been notified, some kind of accommodations," Love said.Love and fellow resident Michael Mays said they were left without bottled water."I'm eating ice. The ice that I had," Mays said. Love said he believes more should have been done from the start."I think someone should be knocking on our doors telling us what's going on. Passing out water if we needed it. Because if you don't have it, there's nothing we can do," Love said.Milwaukee Water Works said it began investigating after receiving several complaints about water quality and pressure from residents Sunday morning. TMJ4 requested an interview with a HACM spokesperson. They provided a written statement that reads in part: "HACM is continuing to work with the City's Department of Public Works and contractors to determine the source of the problem."The statement also says all units are affected with either decreased or no water flow, adding: "Temporary accommodations have been provided so that residents can use the bathroom and drinking water."Love said those accommodations amount to one bottle of water and access to a working toilet in one vacant apartment unit."There's other people in this building that I worry about, that we got elderly people in wheelchairs, people with diabetes. We have people that's on oxygen tanks that need fresh water," Love said.HACM says there is currently no timeline for when the issue will be fixed.Its about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for TMJ4 on your device.Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.Report a typo or error // Submit a news tip
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