Residents urge action on housing complaint and call to reform children services at Hamilton County meeting

Two public commenters used the May 7 meeting to press the Board of County Commissioners on housing and child-welfare concerns.

Caitlin Smith described a long-running housing dispute, saying the gas supply to her property was shut off on Feb. 25 and that she could not get a record of the outage from Duke Energy. Smith said the property has an open inspection and alleged that an out-of-state landlord is being considered for grant money to redevelop the building into senior housing; she called the situation “constructive eviction” and said she struggled to get legal help.

Felicia Brock, introducing herself as a mother and a former foster child, urged the board to “vote no on a full funding for children services as it currently operates,” saying the system "has failed our children" and alleging poor accountability in placements and use of funds. The president asked a clarifying question about jurisdiction and placements; Brock said foster placements for her children involved another county and raised serious allegations about treatment while in care.

Why it matters: Both comments raise oversight and accountability questions for county-funded programs and for the use of grant funds. The board acknowledged the comments during the meeting; no vote or formal staff directive addressing the specific allegations was recorded in the transcript.

Next steps: The record shows public comment and acknowledgment by the board; the transcript does not record a follow-up enforcement action, staff report, or a board vote on the specific issues raised.