Former residents speak out after Brazil Street apartment shut down

Did you feel safe? Not always, no miss. 61-year-old Bernie Woodford had a drinking problem, lost his house and his way. Roughly two years ago, he entered the system. I was placed at 91 Brazel Street, and I remember saying I didn't want to go there, and what I ended up having to have a place to live, so I took the place to live. It wasn't bad at first, he says. Over time, the exit signs were smashed down, the extinguishers went missing, Woodford says he's been assaulted, seen vulnerable tenants preyed upon, lived here during the shooting in the spring of 2025, and this standoff just months later. He says there were long-term tenants, good people, strong-armed by individuals, some of whom were squatting. To me, that's unfair to place, you know, hardened criminals in an environment like that, Where you can control the vulnerable and people are highly addicted to cocaine. It's not a very manageable situation. This man says he tried to manage it. Clean unit 210, mopped up blood. Jason Van Vien was superintendent for seven years, until last week. This is seven years of my life gone. Van Veen says what happened at the apartment was the result of the property management companies. three over seven years, letting in problem people, failing to fix infrastructure, and ignoring the obvious. 91 Brazel Street doesn't just show its age and dilapidation, it oozes it. Is there a sprinkler system? No. Are there fire extinguishers? In some areas, yes. In the hallways, no, because all the characters that come there have either taken them to sell them or used them in inappropriate manners. Those characters, he says, took control. I've lost teeth. I've gotten scars, stitches. I've had tenants come to me about people breaking into their apartments, and I've had to deal with that. I've been assaulted by people that are non-tenants in the hallways. Van Veen says he's been accused of being complicit, taking money from tenants. He denies it. Did you feel like you had any sort of control over your situation? There was no control. Control is when you're in charge. There was nobody in charge there. For now, Woodford, Van Veen, and another man from Brazel Street Apartments are staying here at the captain's quarters. They say they don't know what's going to happen at the end of the month when they say they have to get out. Cozier is the property management company that assumed control of 91 Brazel Street in September. They say that since then they've been working with the city to address some of these long-standing issues. They also say that conforming tenants have all been found accommodations, without exception. They say that the new property owner, a mainland company, is committed to restoring the building for affordable housing. Arianna Kelland, CBC News, St. John's.