Cairo, IL housing residents fight to stay as buildings slated to be demolished

CAIRO, IL (KFVS) - Paul Lambert has lived at his home in the Elmwood Housing Unit in Cairo for 39 years. He said he is not about to leave without fighting to stay. 

"It's home! This is home man," Lambert said. "Me and my wife wouldn't feel right spending the night somewhere else. It would feel different. We've been here for 39 years!"

A lot of residents are gathering together to figure out if there is a way they can stay at their homes at the McBride and Elmwood housing units. 

"We are going to try to get the city government and the city council and everybody to come together as a people," Lambert added. "This will affect everybody, not only the people living in public housing but it's going to affect the whole community."

Last week, ACHA told McBride and Elmwood housing residents they are going to have to vacate their homes in the upcoming months as they buildings are slated to be demolished. 

Over 600 residents will be impacted and lose their homes which is roughly 25 percent of the population in Cairo. 

Lambert feels that he has rights and hopes to work with the Cairo Mayor and other city officials to come up with a plan to at least delay moving for as much as possible. 

There have been several meetings with housing residents as well as one Monday night to come up with a plan to avoid or delay moving from the housing units that are to be demolished. 

"They trying to put us out," Lambert said. "Me and my family, we're going to stay here and we are going to fight it until our last breath."

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