WLBT 3 - Jackson, MS: Family seeks help out of deplorable conditions

Family seeks help out of deplorable conditions

By Monica Hernandez - bio | email

LENA, MS (WLBT) - James Shepard, his nephew, James, and his sisters, Mary and Hattie, have lived at 253 Ragsdale Road in Lena their entire lives.

But now, the home is in shambles. Neighbors call it a health hazard.

There's no indoor plumbing or running water. The family bathes using a bucket and a water pump outside, where the smell is nauseating. 

"It ain't the life I want. But as long as its got a roof on it, it's the only place I've got to live," said Shepard, 41.

But there are parts of the home that don't have a roof. Windows are broken out; there's not even a front door.

The home is filled with flies and even a wasp's nest. A meter box dangles from the side.

"What would it take for you and your family to move out of this home?" asked WLBT.

"I don't know. I don't know where I would go, ain't got no money or anything like that," replied Shepard.

Each resident said they receive mental health help and collect a monthly sum from the state.

Which begs the question: how did the home deteriorate into such a horrific condition? And why hasn't anything been done to get the family into a habitable home?

A family member claims she doesn't know how to help her relatives, but tells WLBT the home began to deteriorate when the Shepard's live-in mother passed away several years ago.

When WLBT called the Department of Human Services, the organization said it was the first they've heard of the home's deplorable living conditions.

DHS said it will send the appropriate agencies to help the Shepard's into housing that's up to par.