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About 20 Families Facing Eviction After Penn Hills Apartment Complex Is Condemned

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PENN HILLS (KDKA) -- A protest with an urgent call to action was held in Penn Hills on Saturday.

A group of demonstrators in a desperate situation said they've been paying their rent, but they say the owner of the complex wasn't paying the utilities.

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(Photo Credit: KDKA Photojournalist Tim Lawson)

"Now they shut the water and power off in one day and told everybody to get out in three days," Andre Mobley with ANEW Community Institute said.

About 20 families who live in the four buildings at the Valmar Gardens Complex in Penn Hills have no choice. Some are moving into temporary housing. One resident said she was forced to go to a motel. Others have set up tents outside.

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(Photo Credit: KDKA Photojournalist Tim Lawson)

Eviction letters indicating the property is condemned were posted on Wednesday.

They've gone to the borough, the water department and social service agencies for help.

"Where we're standing at, this is where we're living at until someone can help us," Mobley said.

"Or we can find a way to work with the borough to allow us to keep the buildings ourselves, like a co-op or something," LeRoy Jones with ANEW Community Institute said.

But their options are running out and so is their time.

KDKA-TV News tried reaching out to the property owner, but did not hear back.

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