Melissa Holder of 65 Woodland said she has ruled out living in an authority apartment. She, her fiancé and their two children lived in an authority apartment in Pymatuning Township prior to moving into their house, which was not ready for occupancy.

She said Transfer was too far away from family and relatives, and the apartment was too small for her family.

"They totally screwed us," she said. "We won't do that again. We're not going out until we have something worth leaving for."

Ms. Holder said she is looking at two homes to rent in the area, one that goes for $500 a month, and the other for $600 a month.

When you subtract the rent from the CHI allowance, there isn't much left for utilities, and doesn't take into account a security deposit, she said.

"We still have to pay our mortgage here and utilities," she said of their Woodland home.

The miscellaneous allowance, which is meant to cover clothing, toiletries and other personal items, also is too small, she said.

With a family of four, "That's maybe on outfit each," she said of the $250 allotment.

The furniture allowance seemed OK, until she priced the cost of renting, Ms. Holder said. The cheapest she could find gave an estimate of $900 to outfit a living room, kitchen and bedrooms, she said.

Raymond, who lives with his niece, said he can outfit new housing with furniture for $750, but that's will not cover the hospital bed and special mattress he needs to rent.

Both of Raymond's legs have been amputated and he uses a wheelchair.

Raymond, reached at a relative's home in Fayette County, said he has spent $1,261 on rent, utilities, food, telephone calls, personal items, fuel and car maintenance since he moved out June 5. He has exhausted his savings and has a rent payment looming, he said.

"This isn't our fault," he said. "Why should we have to take on the responsibility?"

Raymond said he wants to move back to Mercer County.

Ms. Holder said she has tried to talk to authority officials about the letter but has only been able to leave messages.

Authority officials could not be reached for comment.

CHI hired Hickory Engineering Inc., Hermitage, to develop a plan to alleviate water drainage problems that are a possible cause of the mold and council approved the plan

As of Wednesday, Ms. Holder said she has not been approached about easements the homeowners must sign to allow the work and future maintenance.

Raymond said he thinks the plan will take water away from the houses -- and move the problem elsewhere.

Although Hickory officials said they took into account water flowing down the hill from Farrell, and an underground water source, Raymond said his discussions with an engineer and a contractor lead him to believe the planned system will shift the water flow, possibly onto homes along Mercer Avenue and Lincoln Street.

"They're going to save these five houses from water damage and they're going to create a mess for someone else," Raymond said, referring to other homes in the neighborhood.

And, although the plan calls for regrading the yards and filling in with dirt and topsoil, Raymond fears the lack of water in the yards will make them drop and sinkholes to develop.

Microbac Laboratories of Erie has been hired to develop a mold remediation plan. Ms. Holder said the firm wants CHI to put dehumidifiers in each house. She said she doesn't see what good a dehumidifier will do, since she's had one since her family moved in.

Raymond said a dehumidifier is OK with him, as long as he's not responsible for it.

"I'm not going back in there to empty it," he said.

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Joe Pinchot at

jpinchot@sharon-herald.com