NORFOLK

Three of the city's public housing complexes - and a small group of homes designed to help families leave public housing - failed recent federal inspections and have been labeled as "troubled."

Inspectors hired by the federal Housing and Urban Development department examined 21 Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority properties in February and March to make sure they were "decent, safe, sanitary and in good repair." Generally, property maintenance and security issues are reviewed.

Ten of Norfolk's complexes received the highest ranking - an improvement from last year when seven properties were in the top tier and eight failed.

"We're not where we need to be, that's apparent," W. Sheppard Miller, chairman of the housing authority, said Monday.

Moton Circle, a complex of 138 apartments that the authority wants to tear down, received the lowest score, 40 out of 100. Many of the problems stemmed from exterior conditions such as cracked sidewalks and ground erosion. The inspectors also cited locks installed on closet doors within the units as a safety concern, officials said.

For the past two years, the city has applied unsuccessfully for $20 million in federal grants to demolish Moton Circle and redevelop the property, which sits behind the Broad Creek neighborhood.

The Tidewater South and North Wellington complexes - as well as the housing authority's family self-sufficiency units, which are a handful of houses and duplexes scattered throughout the city - also received failing scores. The authority is appealing its grades for the homes in its self-sufficiency program, saying it was penalized for a broken fence not on its grounds.

"We need to determine how to turn the situation around," said Ulysses Turner, an authority board member.

Meghan Hoyer, (757) 446-2293, meghan.hoyer@pilotonline.com